McLean County

Unfortunately, I do not know much about McLean County, despite living here for almost 10 years. I cannot say that I have any justifiable reason for my ignorance either. I can only say that I have been pretty sheltered. I went to school, focused on my work and extracurricular activities, and basically got by without having to know much else.. or even travel to many parts of the area. I was not big on reading the newspaper, and for most of my time here, I was too young to vote, so I did not pay close attention to local politics. Reluctantly, I have to admit that I did not vote in this past local election. I feel pretty lousy about that, especially since the election was so close. However, I honestly did not know much about the candidates because I had only heard about Normal's election from people on campus. In retrospect, I probably could have briefly researched the candidates and made a semi-informed decision, but in my head, I thought that I was too busy. After class, I had meetings to attend and homework to finish, so I did not want to call and get a ride for 15-20 minutes (each way) to vote for people that I knew nothing about. Now, I realize that I made a significant mistake because local elections affect me and the people I know on a regular basis. Generally, I have not given much thought to how I have been affected, but I am learning about the importance of staying informed. I am not entirely certain about whether or not I will continue to live in the Bloomington-Normal area after I graduate in two years. Nevertheless, I know that wherever I am, I need to seek out information and become engaged in the political process.

As for McLean County, I do not know much more than the fact that it has been traditionally conservative. Many of the state and federal representatives in the area have generally been Republicans. Timothy Johnson (R) has been the representative of the 15th district since 2001, and until Debbie Halvorson (D) won the 11th district in 2009, Jerry Weller (R) had been in office since 1995. Surprisingly, the 11th district was won by Democrats from 1959 until 1995. Without looking up those specifics, I would not have guessed that (even though my family did not move here until 1999). For the most part, I still remain fairly uninformed about the place I call home. I certainly hope to change that in the future.