2012 Primary Primer: How to Find Who's on YOUR March 20 Ballot in Geneva

If you live in Geneva, you've got a little learning curve prior to the March 20 primary.

And it's not just finding out a little more about who to vote for—it's understanding which races you'll be voting in.

Before I write any further, I'm going to give you three websites to check out that can be very helpful:

1. Kane County Clerk's Election Page, which gives you a sample ballot when you type in your name and address, http://www.kanecountyelections.org/
2. Kane County Board District Maps page, which shows the new boundaries, http://www.countyofkane.org/Pages/CountyBoard/DistrictMaps.aspx (Be sure to scroll to the bottom. The old maps are on top.)
3. The state Board of Elections Interactive Map, which shows all the state congressional and senate district boundaries and is searchable, http://www.elections.il.gov/gis.aspx

Obviously, the high-profile decisions on March 20 will be for Republican presidential candidates and delegates. On the Democratic side, President Obama is unopposed on the ballot and the delegates are pretty close to locked and loaded.

There are a lot of contested races in Kane County—coroner, circuit court clerk, auditor and Kane County Board chairman—and we'll discuss those in another story. The highest-profile primary race is the GOP nomination for Kane County Board chairman, a sometimes-bitterly contested race between state Sen. Chris Lauzen and Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns. On the Democratic side, Bill Sarto faces off against Sue Klinkhamer for the board chairman nomination.

But some interesting races are also in the state senate 25th District and 33rd District. In the 25th District, the GOP primary is a three-way race between Dave Richmond, Richard Slocum and Jim Oberweis. On the Democratic side, Corinne Pierog of St. Charles goes up against Geneva attorney Steven Hunter.

There aren't any contested races in the state General Assembly districts in Geneva, but it's worthy knowing that there are now three of them: the 49th District, 50th District and 65th District.

Here is where you have to start paying attention—because with redistricting at the state level and with the reduction and shifting of Kane County Board districts, your ballot probably won't look the same as it has in past years.

For the most part, the learning curve is in the state of Illinois congressional and senate districts, which have been moved around and gerrymandered to the point where you need a compass and a calculator to figure out your.

But there are also some differences in the Kane County Board districts (there are now four of those in Geneva), precinct committeemen and there's even a referendum for folks on the far West Side of Geneva. 

Again, here's the map from the Illinois State Board of Elections to find out which state and federal districts you're in. This is your best bet if you're curious about the boundaries. All you have to do is type in your address, and it will tell you what state senate and General Assembly district you'll see on the March 20 ballot.

If you live in Geneva, you'll vote in either the 25th or 33rd Senate District and either the 49th, 50th or 65th State House race.

Confused? Don't worry. In the next couple days, Geneva Patch will run "Sample Ballots" for Genevans based on where you live and which political party ballot you're choosing. Here's the publication schedule, barring any breaking news:

• 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 6:
• 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 7:
• 5 p.m. Thursday, March 8:
• 5 p.m. Friday, March 9: 
• 5 p.m. Saturday, March 10: Republican ballot for Geneva's Far West Side
• 5 p.m. Sunday, March 11: Democratic ballot for Geneva's Far West Side

And again, you can always go to the Kane County website, click on "Elections," then click of "Sample Ballot." From there, you type in your name, street address and street name, and you'll get a PDF sample ballot.

For Kane County Board district boundaries, it's best to look at the maps on this Kane County website. (Be sure to click on the bottom link: "County Board District Maps Effective December 3, 2012")

Finally, there is a referendum on the ballot for voters in Mill Creek, outside the city limits of Geneva, on electrical authority for Kane County.

Geneva East Side

• State Senate: 25th District
• State House: 49th District
• Kane County Board District 11: The biggest chunk of Geneva, including most of the East Side and most of the "old" west side, south of Kaneville Road and as far west as Randall Road in Geneva
• Kane County Board District 12: Just a tiny part of the East Side, from Division Street and south. That's where I live.

Geneva Near West Side (Fox River to Randall Road)

• State Senate: 33rd District
• State House: 65th District
• Kane County Board District 13: East of Randall from Gray Street to Kaneville Road, and west of Randall from Bricher Road to Fabyan Parkway, as far west as Prairie Clover Drive.

Geneva Far West Side (west of Randall Road)

• State Senate: 25th District
• State House: 50th District
• Kane County Board District 18: Much the Mill Creek area, from a little west of Prairie Clover Drive and west from there.
• Referendum: Should Kane County have the authority to arrange for supply of electricity for residential and small commercial retail customers?