The 2012 General Election is at hand.

What’s at stake this year?

Notable among the contests is the clash over the 1st District Congressional seat, which extends through Orland Park and Orland Hills with Bronzeville on the northeast end and Elwood on the southwest boubdary, thanks to redistricting. 

Don Peloquin, a New Lenox businessman and mayor of Blue Island, is challenging incumbent Bobby Rush for his U.S. House seat. Peloquin, whose campaign has blogged on Patch as People for Peloquin, is running a grassroots effort and hopes the Will County turnout and the votes from Republicans in south Cook County will be enough to overcome the Democrats in Rush's South Side base.

Races for the Illinois State House of Representatives and Senate will be worth attention.

A doctor who once worked toward becoming a nun is challenging a Democrat with a resume that includes work in the statehouse. A Palos Park Republican nominated by the local party after the primary is up against an incumbent state representative. And the Republican 35th House candidate from Orland Park clawed his way onto the ballot late in the season, is against a Democrat who has yet to answer our questions.

The links that follow will lead you to candidate profiles and positions, news coverage and candidate blogs.

• Want to talk on election night? Join our live blog at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
• Check back Tuesday night for voting results as they are available.
• Want to find out what's happening at the McCormick Center Tuesday night? Join Patch's live blog from inside the event.

Let Patch save you time. Subscribe to Patch via email and get news to your inbox or smartphone for free. Fast signup here.

LOCAL RACES - COOK COUNTY

Clerk of the Circuit Court: Dorothy A. Brown (D) vs. Diane S. Shapiro (R)

Diane Shapiro (R) is making her second run for the Clerk spot against current clerk Dorothy A. Brown (D).

Brown drew criticism for her alleged mishandling for her “Jeans Day” fund into which court employees chipped in $2 or $3 for wearing jeans on specially-designated days and receiving cash gifts from employees for her birthday and Christmas. Brown claims to have increased revenue by $365 million and wants to expand her "21st century vision for a court system." Judges and attorneys have lament Brown’s “paper clogged” office and slipshod administrative practices, the Chicago-Tribune said.

Chicago North Side Republican Shapiro, a retired county probation investigation officer with 25 years’ experience in the court system, wants to upgrade and modernize the Clerk’s antiquated, computerized court system. She is also said to have made Internet jokes about certain minority groups, the Chicago Tribune said during an endorsement session.

State's Attorney: Anita Alvarez (D) vs. Lori S. Yokoyama (R)

Anita Alvarez (D) has taken a heap of criticism during her first term as Cook County State’s attorney, for subpoenaing Northwestern University students’ grades involved with the Innocence Project, and her opposition to appointing a special prosecutor to reexamine the death of David Koschman, who died of head trauma after a confrontation with a Daley family member.

Lori S. Yokoyama (R) is a civil litigator with impressive credentials, an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a law degree from DePaul University. Yokoyama is also a faculty member of DePaul University’s College of Law. She has accused the incumbent State’s Attorney for being the “biggest advocate” for Illinois public corruption and says she will introduce legislation to expand RICO statutes to include public corruption in addition to gang crimes.

Board of Review: Dan Patlak (R) vs. Casey O'Brien (D)

Cook County suburban voters will be casting votes for incumbent Dan Patlak (R), who is to have brought transparency to the clout-heavy and obscure, 3-person board by spearheading the first Board of Review Annual Report and keeping closing contact with the 27 suburban assessor offices, Patlak's website said.

Casey Thomas Griffin (D) has served as the county Deputy Recorder of Deeds since 1999 and calls himself a "pioneer for bringing government agencies into the 21st century." Griffin is challenging the incumbent.

Recorder of Deeds: Sherri Griffith (R) vs. Karen Yarborough (D)

Yarborough is the six-year term state representative for Proviso Township; Griffith is a sales and marketing professional. Both are running to fill the seat left by the retiring Gene Moore.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Republicans are pushing hard to make House Speaker Mike Madigan and the Democratic majorities in the General Assembly an issue. In the Chicago Southland, the GOP challengers are a mix of first-time office seekers and candidates who've battled the Democratic Machine in the past.

18th Senate: Bill Cunningham (D) vs. Barbara Bellar (R)

Currently a 35th District state representative, Bill Cunningham has kept a low profile in this race. He didn't fill out a candidate questionnaire to explain his positions. But Barbara Bellar, a doctor who once intended to pursue life as a Roman Catholic nun, has been out and about a lot. She gained notoriety with an anti-Obamacare speech that drew 3 million views on YouTube, and a local newspaper columnist questioned whether she'd been forthright about whether she could call herself a former nun if she'd never taken vows.

19th Senate: Michael Hastings (D) vs. Edgar Montalvo (R)

Edgar Montalvo, a Frankfort Square Park District board member, is running for the first time and stayed on the ballot after a judge threw out a challenge to his candidacy. Michael Hastings, a Democrat, is a school board member, son of Orland Hills Mayor Kyle Hastings and secured an endorsement from Tinley Park's Republican mayor.

14th Senate: Emil Jones III (D)

The incumbent Democrat is running unopposed for the 14th Senate district.

35th House: Fran Hurley (D) vs. Ricardo Fernandez (R)

Fran Hurley, a 19th Ward staffer for Chicago Ald. Matt O'Shea and former alderwoman Ginger Rugai, has a long resume of community service but hasn't been responsive to Patch's questions. She also doesn't live in the district yet. Fernandez, of Orland Park, is seeking office for the first time and has pushed hard to get on the ballot, offering his ideas for lowering state income tax, cutting waste and promoting job growth.

28th House: Bob Rita (D) is unopposed.

37th House: Renee Kosel (R) is unopposed.

CONGRESS

Two congressional races in northern Illinois are must-watch contests. Democrat Tammy Duckworth's bid to unseat Rep. Joe Walsh, a Tea Party favorite, in the north suburbs has drawn a lot national attention and out-of-district financial support. And in the west suburbs, Rep. Judy Biggert is trying to stay in the House and fend off Bill Foster, a former one-term congressman trying to return to Congress, but the latest polling shows them in a dead heat. 

Closer to home, we have... 

1st District: Bobby Rush (D) vs. Don Peloquin (R)

Redistricting has added more Republican territory to 1st District, but Democrats drew the map and Bobby Rush still has a significant stronghold of inner-city voters. Blue Island Mayor Don Peloquin, who owns a New Lenox funeral home, sees an opportunity here and has been waging a grassroots campaign. Rush grabbed headlines earlier this year when he spoke on the U.S. House floor wearing a hoodie in a statement about the death of Trayvon Martin.

Recent headlines:

• Peloquin: We Can Rebuild Our Economy With What We Have
• Area Mayors Make Calls Supporting Peloquin for Congress
• People for Peloquin blogs on Patch

3rd District: Dan Lipinski (D) vs. Richard L. Grabowski (R)

Dan Lipinski took office in 2005 when he succeeded his father as the 3rd District's congressman. Known as a moderate Democrat, Lipinski trounced his Republican challenger in 2010. Rich Grabowski, a Hometown native and materials supervisor, is a favorite among area Tea Party groups and easily one a three person Republican primary race. 

More Race News: 

• Grabowski Grabs GOP Nod for 3rd District in Decisive Win
• Lipinski Wins Landslide Primary Over Baqai

JUDGES

Lawyers who work with judges on a regular basis have rated them in bar association guides. Some can even be downloaded on your smart phone; you can take them into the voting booth with you.

The Cook County Bar Association guide. You can download this list to your computer.

Chicago Bar Association guides. You can download this to your smartphone, or get a pocket guide or regular-sized printout. 

The Vote for Judges.Org site includes a compilation of judicial evaluations by different bar associations and newspapers. It can be translated into Polish, Spanish and Russian. 

Illinois State Bar Association guide, broken down by counties. (Download the Cook County list in brief, and read the full explanation).

REFERENDA

State Constitutional Amendment: Also on the ballot is an amendment to the state constitution that would require a three-fifths majority for any government body to change its pension system. Both conservative and liberal lobbying groups have lined up against this amendment, saying it's bad policy and doesn't address the problems with the state's pension burdens.

Voter Info

• Cook County: To see your sample ballot, check if you are registered and find your designated polling location, go to the Cook County Clerk's website and enter your address.
• Will County: To see your sample ballot, check if you are registered and find your designated polling location, go to the Will County Clerk's website and enter your address.

Contact Numbers

Cook County Clerk David Orr's office will be fielding calls from voters now and until the polls close on Nov. 6. The Clerk's Office provides the following phone numbers:

• Election information, polling place location and other voter services (automated directory), 312-603-0906
• Voter verification, 312-603-0239
• Election information (Spanish), 312-603-6767
• Election information (Chinese), 312-603-6769
• Election information (Polish), 312-603-6770
• Disabled voters (hospitalized voters, curbside voting), 312-603-0929
• TDD (hearing impaired), 312-603-0902

Reporting Voter Fraud

To report voter fraud and other irregularities, call the Cook County Clerk's office at 312-603-0236.

Polling Locations

The following locations will be available for Orland Township voters. Do your poll judge a favor and go to the right location. You'll make your life and theirs a lot easier.