A long-gestating piece of DuPage County reform may finally see its day on the voting block in Springfield, as the County Board chairman, clerk and Election Commission have proposed the consolidation of the latter two offices. Chairman Dan Cronin formally introduced the idea during the Dec. 14 board meeting, saying the move could both realize savings for the county as well as keep and expand the appointed, bipartisan Board of Election Commissioners. “When it comes to elections, there’s something very sacred about it,” Cronin said. “We here in DuPage County want to make sure we have the faith and trust and confidence of the public.” The proposal, which will need to be approved by the state legislature, would expand the board from three to five members, including two representatives from each major political party, appointed by the County Board chairman, and the county clerk as chairman.
It also would allow the County Board to vote on the appointments, instead of them being unilaterally decided by the County Board chairman after considering input.
County Clerk Paul Hinds acknowledged the issue was a main one in his election bid two years ago, saying he wanted time to explore options instead of advocating a full consolidation from the start.
Elections in all but one other county in Illinois are handled by the clerk’s office. But Hinds said the goal was to continue the tradition of including both parties, even if it meant an even more unique system – especially to make sure the public felt like elections would continue to be fair.
Full Article: DuPage County proposes merger of clerk, Election Commission | mySuburbanLife.com.