Illinois residents: What issues are important to you when choosing a congressman? - Public Insight Network | St. Louis Beacon and the Nine Network of Public Media

Illinois residents: What issues are important to you when choosing a congressman?

After the November elections, most of Illinois' Metro East will be represented for the first time in many years by new congressmen. In the 12th District -- including cities such as East St. Louis, Granite City, Fairview Heights and Belleville -- Republican Jason Plummer and Democrat Bill Enyart are angling to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello. And after U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson unexpectedly bowed out of his re-election bid, Republican Rodney Davis and Democrat Dan Gill are running in the 13th District, which includes Collinsville and Edwardsville.

We want to know what issues are important to Illinois residents when deciding to choose someone for the U.S. House of Representatives. Please respond to the questions below and help the Beacon explore this issue.

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E-mail *

First Name *

Last Name *

City *

State or Province *

Postal Code *

Phone *

In which congressional district do you live?

I live in the 12th Congressional District.
I live in the 13th Congressional District.
I live in another district.
I don't know.

If you live in a congressional district other than the 12th or 13th, please tell us which one.

What are some specific goals or focuses you believe your next congressional representative should make a priority?

What sorts of policies would you like to see a congressional representative from the Metro East push to bolster economic development?

How much influence does a congressional representative have to help improve economic conditions, or is that more of a local responsibility? Please explain.

Does it matter if a congressional candidate running for office is wealthy? Why or why not?

Who is your current congressman? What are some specific things you like about your current congressman? What are some things you don't like?

Is there anything else you'd like to add? What else should we know about this topic, or what else would you like to know? If you know someone who has insight to share, please give us a way to contact them: email address/telephone number.

If you have an original photo of yourself, or one that illustrates this topic, please upload it here. (No larger than 2MB, please!)

Please share some details about this photo: names, date, location, and the story behind it.

May we publish your insights (and any uploaded files) and attribute them to you? A reporter, editor or producer will contact you to confirm. (Your comments may be edited for length or clarity and a reporter may want to interview you further.) *

Yes
No

Now, please answer a few questions that will help us better understand your perspective. None of this information is required.

In what year were you born?

How old are you today?

What do you do for work? If you are retired, what was your former occupation?

Who is your employer? If you are student, what school do you attend?

What political party, if any, do you identify with most closely?

What, if any, political offices do you hold?

To what organizations do you belong, if any?

What is your race or ethnicity ?

How did you receive this PIN query?

I received this query by direct email.
I saw this query on the Beacon website.
I saw this query on the Nine Network website.
I saw this query on Facebook.
I saw this query on Twitter.
This query was forwarded to me by a friend.
Other

If you picked "other," please explain.

Feel free to pass this form on to anyone you know who might want to share their insights. Here's a link to give them: http://bit.ly/Illinoisvotes0912

You must be 13 years or older to submit information to the Public Insight Network.

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If you give us permission to publish your comments, we may edit those comments for size, clarity, or content. The Beacon and Nine Network reserve the right to reuse or republish your submission, or to withhold it from publication.

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