By: Diane Benjamin
The Bloomington Election Commission only handles elections. They have full-time staff dedicated solely to elections. County taxpayers are forced to fund this office—not the taxpayers of the City of Bloomington.
In the County you can enter your address and see your ballot before you vote: https://www.mcleancountyil.gov/1600/Ballots
In Bloomington you can’t. Their full time staff only publishes a sample ballot not specific to the Ward a voter is in: https://bloomingtonelectionsil.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/25CILBLO-Specimen-Ballot.pdf
I’ve campaigned for local candidates in the past. Many potential voters I spoke with didn’t know a local election was approaching. They’re burned out from November elections. Of course, this was done intentionally to suppress the vote.
It works. When turnout is only around 20%, as it is in most years when mayors are elected, you’ll end up paying higher sales tax. Turnout in non-mayoral elections is half that.
You have to get your friends and neighbors to vote. Tell them to at least vote on the sales tax question. It’s a scam to steal your money when enrollments are dropping while budgets are increasing. Any new sales tax collected will just redirect budgeted money elsewhere.

Hi Diane. How do you feel about the Kathleen Lorenz donation?
It was made legally through GOP by Heather Hall Shepard. I have no idea who that is. Ask Kathleen who that is.
Hey Diane, are you going to cover the travesty going on at White Horse Academy. I enrolled my kid there to get away from the public school filth and indoctrination, and we’re just getting more of the same old DEI garbage. My kid came home yesterday crying because they made him feel bad about slavery. Totally unacceptable. I thought we had some folks in this country willing to stand up for us, but I guess not.
Isn’t that the job of parents paying for it? If you provide proof I’ll post it.
How did they make him feel bad about himself?
What did the administration say when you reported the teacher for this?
@Concerned in Normal.
I may be wrong but since you haven’t answered my questions, I begin to wonder if you made this story up. I hope I’m wrong.
Honestly, in Normal, I think a lot of people are just apathetic about the choices on the ballot
Township is the only place with real choices