Nearly 50 volunteers, including 9 students, made it possible for voters in Evanston and Skokie to attend 10 candidate forums and become better informed about candidates for municipal offices in their communities. Several hundred voters took advantage of the opportunity, and there were nearly 2800 views of the videos of these forums.
This election was also about partnerships and community contributors. The Skokie Public Library partnered with the LWVE to present the Skokie candidate forums, and the Skokie Community Foundation, Skokie United, and Go Green Skokie assisted in developing questions. The Evanston/Skokie PTA assisted members of the League in developing questions for District 65 School Board candidates. The
Evanston RoundTable partnered with the League to videotape individual 15-minute interviews with 12 District 65 candidates and also published responses to questionnaires sent to candidates for the Oakton College Board of Trustees. Individual community members also contributed questions for the candidates in both communities.
Following are the facts by community:
Skokie, coordinated by Judy Hoffman
- 4 forums over three nights
- 13 candidates for five seats (District trustees, At-Large trustees, Clerk)
- 9 student volunteers from Niles North (timers and door greeters) and 20 LWVE volunteers
- Skokie Public Library co-sponsored and provided space and video recording
- Each forum averaged approximately 100 attendees
- Forum videos posted on the League’s YouTube channel and website
Evanston, coordinated by Jennifer O’Neil
- 6 forums in one day
- 22 candidates for ten seats (Mayor, Clerk and City Council)
- 20 volunteers (moderators, LWVE table, timers)
- City space and services
- Well-attended, especially the mayoral forum that drew 150 attendees
- Forum videos posted on the League’s YouTube channel and website
Turnout for the election across Suburban Cook County was 18.4% of registered voters. The turnout was higher in our municipalities and also higher this year than in 2021:
• Evanston: 36.01% (2025) / 25.37% (2021)
• Skokie: 28.23% (2025) / 11.59% (2021)
We offer a note of appreciation to all the volunteers, and especially Mary Keefe Kelly, who coordinated voter registration all year as well as assisting with many aspects of the Consolidated Election activities.