This year, Gentry returns to the stage to spotlight real farmer stories and how their conservation decisions have impacted their farms and communities. These powerful narrations will illustrate the positive impact on water quality naVoting is your constitutionally protected opportunity to change the future for your family, your community, your state, and your country. Voting ensures that the voices of farm families are heard and the needs of farm families will be considered as policies and regulations are developed in the future.
Concerned that your vote doesn’t count?
Showing up to vote on November 5 gives you a voice in local elections, where many of the laws that most impact you are decided. County zoning laws that allow or prohibit development on your land will be decided at the local level. Property tax rates are decided by local boards. Sales tax rates are determined by local elections. The quality of the education your children or grandchildren are receiving is impacted by local elections. Even if you are concerned that your vote doesn’t matter – and we would argue that it does – local elections are often decided by just a few votes and they have the biggest impact on your family and business.
What about the state of the State?
If you’d like to have a bigger impact on the policies being drafted in the State of Illinois, voting on November 5 is the first step. The second step is to get to know whoever wins your state rep and state senate elections and participate in the process with them. Regardless of their party, if you’d like your views to be heard by whoever represents you, become an important part of their team. Congratulate good effort and provide unbiased feedback. Your IL Corn Growers Association can help you get more engaged in 2025, so contact us!
Be aware that Illinois has three advisory questions on the ballot next month. The outcome of these votes is not legally binding and will not directly result in a new, changed, or rejected law or constitutional amendment. However, past advisory questions have resulted in eventual changes in our state. As an example, in November 2014, an advisory question asked the people of Illinois if they believed the minimum wage should be increased. Policies about minimum wage in Illinois eventually changed as a result of the positive vote on this question.
Expect the following advisory questions on your ballot in November:
- Should the Illinois Constitution be amended to create an additional 3% tax on income greater than $1,000,000 for the purpose of dedicating funds raised to property tax relief?
- Should any candidate appearing on the Illinois ballot for federal, State, or local office be subject to civil penalties if the candidate interferes or attempts to interfere with an election worker's official duties?
- Should all medically appropriate assisted reproductive treatments, including, but not limited to, in vitro fertilization, be covered by any health insurance plan in Illinois that provides coverage for pregnancy benefits, without limitation on the number of treatments?
All I really care about are Federal policies.
Federal policies are certainly important too and if federal politics is your passion, you’ll want to show up to vote for the candidate that best represents you. Remember to look up the candidate’s voting record on the issues that impact your farm and your family. Your commodity associations can be a very valuable source of unbiased information about how accessible and open the incumbent politicians have been over the last two years.
American Farm Bureau Federation - Harris and Trump positions on agriculture priorities
I’ll go vote but I need more information.
Regardless of what information you’re missing – finding a new polling place, determining how to vote early, or looking up a sample ballot – you can find it here!
Paying Attention to Politics Isn’t Your Thing?
We’d encourage you to vote no matter what, but if politics isn’t your thing, you’ll want to become a member of the IL Corn Growers Association. Representing your farm’s and your family’s interests in Washington, DC and Springfield, IL is what we do. We pull up a seat at every table and tell the story of Illinois farm families.
Your membership empowers this representation. Your membership empowers other farmers to show up on your behalf. Don’t miss the opportunity to become a member today.
tionwide, from Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico.
