Election Coverage

Evanston’s 2023 city councilmember race heated up during the final weeks before election day. The cycle’s largest donations, which the receiving 2nd Ward candidate eventually returned, prompted some residents’ concerns that individuals connected with Northwestern’s Rebuild Ryan Field project were trying to sway the election from afar. 

 

I spent much of my spring break preparing an article on this controversy so we could keep Evanston residents informed on what role money was truly playing in these campaigns. Delving deep into Illinois State Board of Election records, I discovered — and shared with the community — that aside from the returned donations, Northwestern affiliates still contributed considerably to certain candidates in the race.

 

On election night, I wrote our breaking news report on who won the contentious 2nd Ward race, managing to get immediate comment from the winner and one of her opponents.

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(Illustration Credit: Lily Ogburn)