On a bustling Saturday morning, residents wandered the stalls of Evanston Farmers’ Market, perusing freshly-baked bread, handmade jewelry and colorful flower bouquets.
Campaign workers and political candidates wove through these crowds and stood at street corners, passing out pamphlets and greeting idle shoppers. They were seeking the elusive signatures required to get their campaigns on the Democratic primary ballot.
In one corner of the market, two tables manned by the Democratic Party of Evanston boasted dozens of clipboards, each sporting signatures for candidates at every level of public office, ranging from the Cook County Board of Commissioners to Illinois’ 9th Congressional District.
The weekend event was the second iteration of the DPOE’s “Petitions & Produce” campaign. It also marked the organization’s third petition drive to ramp up voter engagement during the petitioning season, which first kicked off on Aug. 5 and ends Nov. 4. During the process, party candidates must obtain a certain amount of valid signatures from in-district voters to qualify for the primary ballot.
“We are focusing on people having access to the ballot, understanding the ballot, and understanding how important the ballot process is,” DPOE president Kathy Hayes said.
According to Hayes, the idea to host farmers’ market petition drives arose in the DPOE to kickstart community engagement and education in the earliest stages of the election process, over a year before the general election in 2026.
Hayes also said the drive allows the DPOE to process and notarize the candidates’s signed petitions more quickly, allowing them to add to their official tally before the November deadline.
“Now that’s a little in the weeds for the average voter, but timing is everything with elections.” Hayes said. “Getting your signatures in on time may quantify where you are on the ballot.”
On average, the DPOE receives around 150 signatures at a Petitions & Produce event, DPOE board member Sebastian Nalls said.
Erica Sitkoff (Weinberg ’01), who visited the farmers’ market from Wilmette with her two children, said the event serves as a convenient gathering place for voters to meet representatives from multiple campaigns at once.
Hayes added that at least 10 candidates or their representatives attended Saturday’s drive. One of them, Evanston resident and State Senate hopeful Rachel Ruttenberg (Medill M.S. ’04) said she received 150 signatures and talked to many more voters after stops at Wilmette’s French Market and Evanston’s Farmers’ Market.
While candidates often knock on doors and frequent high-rush areas like Metra stations, marketplaces provide higher visibility and a chance to have in-depth conversations with voters about political issues they care about.
“It’s a bit of a gathering place,” Ruttenberg said, with a cup of coffee from the market in hand. “I love it. It’s great, great energy out here.”
Evanston resident Bethany Johnson, one of 18 candidates in the Democratic primary for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, was standing a few feet off the side of the DPOE booth. With her own petitioning clipboard in hand, she chatted with prospective voters.
She said meeting voters at the farmers’ market serves as a “two for one deal” where she can gather signatures and meet voters face-to-face in a comfortable setting.
Abigail Aziza Stone, a volunteer for Mayor Daniel Biss’ campaign for the same seat, agreed. As politics are becoming increasingly hostile, a light-hearted locale like a farmers’ market allows for easier conversation and an openness for new experiences and conversations, she said.
The face time with voters on the ground, with tote bags and armfuls of fresh produce in hand, is something Johnson said makes her feel closer than ever to the 9th Congressional District and “captures the spirit of the petitioning process.”
“I’m doing this because I don’t want people to just sign their name. I want them to meet me,” Johnson said. “That’s what this is supposed to be.”
Email: m.guerra-echeverria@dailynorthwestern.com
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