Three Components of the Caucus:
Representatives to the two caucuses- the Village Nominating Committee (VNC) and the School Board Nominating Committee (SBNC)- are elected by Precinct in Glencoe. Each of the Village’s eight Precincts elects three Village Nominating Committee members and two School Board Nominating Committee members. In general, these elected members may be any Glencoe resident who is a registered voter (who is not prohibited by the Caucus Plan from serving on the Caucus) and who has volunteered to serve on a Caucus.
The election is conducted by mail and occurs in the Spring of even-numbered years. All Glencoe citizens who are registered voters are entitled to vote for selecting Caucus representatives.
The six members of the other organization within the Caucus, the Advisory Council, are elected at the biennial Caucus Town Meeting.
Terms on each of the three bodies comprising the Glencoe Caucus are 4 years. Terms are staggered, with half the members turning over every two years so that new members come in for each election cycle. The make-up of the caucus therefore changes constantly; members may not run for consecutive terms.
The Process:
Once Caucus members are elected, the process of seeking qualified candidates to run for the various Boards begins. Caucus members gather information about the issues in a variety of ways, including:
- attending meetings of the various Boards;
- reviewing minutes, video recordings, and other materials from Board meetings;
- gathering input from community members about their concerns.
Over the Summer and Fall months following their election, Caucus members meet to identify, interview, and evaluate individuals who seek to serve on the various governing Boards. Once the Caucuses have completed this process, their recommended candidate slates are presented to the residents of Glencoe for ratification at a Biennial Town Meeting, held in December. If ratified, petitions are circulated for endorsement of each candidate. Elections by traditional procedures in the state-wide elections are held the following Spring, and those who are elected take office thereafter.
Meetings for the purpose of interviewing candidates are open to the public and the public is encouraged to attend at least one such meeting to see their Caucus in action. In addition to attending meetings of the caucuses, residents of Glencoe are also encouraged to:
- register to vote and to exercise this right in all elections;
- attend meetings of the Village, Park District, Library and School Boards;
- attend the Glencoe Biennial Town Meeting.
The Caucus system relies on the voluntary contribution of time and effort from Village residents so that it may accurately represent as many viewpoints as possible in selecting board members. All eligible residents are strongly encouraged to run for a position on a Nominating Committee to assist in finding and selecting capable, committed individuals to serve on the various village and school governing bodies.
If you are interested in running for a position on either the Village or School Board Nominating Committee see the Join tab for more information, applications, and deadlines.