(WIFR) – With about a month left before the Nov. 5 general election, some northern Illinois voters have a chance to cast their ballot in the House of Representatives District 67 race. Incumbent Democrat Maurice West and Republican candidate Glen Oland will face off in a rematch.
In 2022, West beat the Republican challenger by 10% of the vote. As the two face off again, West believes he can build on his successes as he looks to win a fourth term.
“I want to ensure that the west side and south side of Rockford is getting the same opportunities as the east side of Rockford,” says West. “I want to make sure that Loves Park, Cherry Valley and New Milford know I’m not just not a Rockford rep, I’m a rep for even the smaller municipalities in my District.”
Oland believes it is time for change, specifically when it comes to the SAFE-T Act.
“We are the only state in the nation that has that law,” states Oland. “I want to repeal that, and it’s a terrible thing to have to repeal stuff but that’s kind of where I’m at right now.”
Both candidates also prioritize bringing jobs to the district but, they have much different ways going about it.
“Once we get more people in the work force, now there’s more income tax coming in, there’s more of a tax base, now we can talk about lowering our taxes, now we can talk about lowering crime, that’s how we flank these issues,” explains West.
“He is always tax and spend, that’s not going to be the answer. Lowering taxes makes more jobs happen, and lowering taxes makes it so companies can be more profitable and so they can hire more people, and that’s the way it works, it doesn’t work the other way,” says Oland.
Stateline residents are reminded to make sure they are registered to vote in the Nov. 5 election. If you are unsure whether you’re registered, the Illinois State Board of Elections has a Registration Lookup Tool on its website. If you’re registered, it will also tell you your Election Day polling place. If you need to register to vote, you can find more information here.
Early voting is underway in Illinois and continues through Monday, Nov. 4. For more information on early voting, click here.
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