Organization of the Illinois Election Commissions
At the State Level- The State Board of Elections supervises
the administration of registration and election laws throughout the
state. The Executive Director of the State Board of Elections is the
chief election authority. Although the State Board does not run any
elections, it is responsible for setting the election calendar.
At the County and City Level - Election Commissions are usually
found in metropolitan areas with highly concentrated populations. DuPage
County has the only countywide Election Commission in the state. There
are also eight city Election Commissions, which are located in Aurora
in Kane County, Bloomington in McLean County, Chicago in Cook County,
Danville in Vermilion County, East St. Louis in St. Clair County, Galesburg
in Knox County, Peoria in Peoria County, and Rockford in Winnebago County.
Duties of the DuPage County Election Commission
During an election- The Election Commission produces voting
ballots based on petitions, organizes polling locations, and provides
election judges, security, and legal notice of the election in the paper.
Depending on the election, the Election Commission may be required to
canvass the results of the election.
What does canvass mean? Canvass is both a process and a computer
printout, which indicate the winners of a particular election. If required
by law, the Election Commission does a canvass, precinct by precinct,
of each candidate in each race.
How are votes tabulated? DuPage County is in the process of
changing to an optical scan voting system. Currently, about half of
the votes are cast using the punch card system while half use the optical
scan system. The county plans to use the optical scan system for all
votes in the near future. Votes are tabulated in three locations by
computer software programs administered by a contractor. DuPage County
has been using Fiddler & Chambers, from Rock Island, to tabulate votes
for at least the past 15 years. Although the Election Commission does
use a bidding process for normal supplies, the Commission works with
Fiddler & Chambers based on continuation agreements. According to the
Executive Director, this process of hiring contractors is upheld by
the courts as appropriate because of the specialized and critical nature
of vote tabulation, the fact that there are very few companies in the
area that do tabulate votes, and the need for continuity.
Routine, day-to-day, duties- When there are no elections ongoing,
the Election Commission supplies maintenance to over 7,600 voting booths,
including new handicapped booths, trains election judges, maintains
over 717 polling locations, calculates area populations, and splits
precincts accordingly.
How can I become an election judge? The Executive Director strongly
encourages anyone interested in becoming an election judge to contact
the Election Commission Office at (630) 682-7440. The primary recruitment
occurs within the political parties. The parties provide lists of potential
judges to the Election Commission and these lists are then placed in
the paper. Citizens are encouraged to look over these lists and then
attend the public hearing to voice any concerns they have regarding
any particular nomination. If there are no objections to a particular
person, a court will appoint the person for a two-year term. The Election
Commission also recruits judges through direct mailing, newspapers,
radio, and television. An application form and more information can
be found at www.co.dupage.il.us/election.
How are election judges trained? IL statutes require election
judges to complete bi-annual training courses and pass a written exam
in the two-year appointment period. Election judges receive a total
of six hours of training. Training includes classes taught by a political
professor, multi-media presentations, and some home study materials.
The best way to learn is to work and, as a result, new judges are teamed
up with more experienced judges.
Voter Registration
The Election Commission is the "keeper" of voter registration
records. Currently there are approximately 499,200 registered voters
on file. DuPage County trains and supplies several thousand voter-registrars.
There are strict rules, regulations, and laws that govern the documentation
that must be recorded in the voter file. The Election Commission is
obligated to protect this information from solicitors, but may release
it to people affiliated with bona fide political organizations. DuPage
County citizens can register to vote at the office of the Election Commission
and at many other places throughout the county. See www.co.dupage.il.us/election/index.html
for a list of locations.
Where else can I register to vote? City and village offices,
township offices, precinct committeemen, some schools, some public libraries,
some labor groups, some civic groups, some corporations, military recruitment
offices, and when applying for services at the following: driver's license
facilities, Department of Public Aid offices, Department of Public Health
offices, Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities
offices, and the Department of Rehabilitation Services offices. (See
www.state.il.us)
Creation of Web Site -The Election Commission currently has
a web page to make election information readily accessible to citizens.
At the web site www.co.dupage.il.us/election/index.html, the citizen
can find information on election schedules, voter registration, absentee
voting, election judges, election results and more. Each year the number
of visitors to the web site has doubled.
The Creation of the DuPage County Election Commission
Introduction -Illinois law creates the Election Commission
for cities, villages and incorporated towns (10 Ill. Comp. Stat. Ann.
5/6-21 (West 1993)) and for counties (10 Ill. Comp. Stat. Ann. 5/6A-1
(West 1993)). Although the law creates the Election Commission, the
law does not make the creation of an Election Commission mandatory for
cities, villages, incorporated towns or counties. The DuPage County
Election Commission was created on January 29, 1974. DuPage County is
the only county in Illinois with its own Election Commission. According
to the Executive Director of the Election Commission, DuPage County
voters benefit from having their own Election Commission as a result
of the regulations regarding party membership on the Board. He noted
that because the law requires that both parties be represented on the
Board of Directors, the Election Commission is able to protect elections
from direct political control, provide bi-partisan representation in
voting, and guarantee that the minority party always has active representation
in the voting process.
The Board -At the creation of the Election Commission, three
members were to be appointed for terms of 1, 2, and 3 years. 10 Ill.
Comp. Stat. Ann. 5/6-21 (West 1993). Each year the Circuit Court appoints
one board member. There is no statutory term limit for Board members.
The only requirement to be a board member is that by law, two of the
board members must be selected from the two leading political parties
in the state. The third board member can be from any political party.
Ill. Comp. Stat. Ann. 5/6-22 (West 1993 & Supp. 1998).
Organization of the DuPage County Election Commission- An Executive
Director and a three-member Board of Directors regulate the Election
Commission. The Board members meet bi-monthly to conduct general business,
discuss and approve expenses, set policy, and discuss any litigation.
These Board meetings are open to the public and take place at the Election
Commission Office on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month.
Current Members: Executive Director- Robert Saar, Chairman-Dean
Westrom, Vice Chairman-Jeanne McNamara, Commissioner-Charlotte Muschow
The Executive Director-Illinois law created the position of
Executive Director, and the court-appointed Election Commission Board
is given the right to employ a director. 10 Ill. Comp. Stat. Ann. 5/6-25
(West 1993). There are no specific statutory qualifications for the
position, nor is there a statutory term limit. Robert Saar is the Executive
Director of the Election Commission. He was appointed Executive Director
in January 1997. He has 17 years of election experience: seven years
administrative experience and ten years technological experience. Prior
to his appointment as Executive Director, Mr. Saar worked as the assistant
to the Executive Director and also worked as the Data Processing Manager
for the Election Commission.
A List of Elections Administered by the DuPage Election Commission(Reproduced
from www.co.dupage.il.us )
During the even numbered years: General Primary on the 3rd Tuesday
in March: Nominate Federal, State, Legislative, Judicial, County and
Sanitary Officials General Election on the 1st Tuesday after the 1st
Monday in November: Elect Federal, State, Legislative, Judicial, County
and Sanitary Officials
During the odd numbered years: Consolidated Primary on the last
Tuesday in February: Nominate Municipal and Township Officials Consolidated
Election on the 1st Tuesday in April: Elect Municipal, Township, Park
District, Library District, School District, Community College District,
Fire Protection District, and Special Service District Officials
Current Election Dates -General Election-November 7, 2000 Consolidated
Primary-February 27, 2001 Consolidated Election-April 3, 2001
Tentative Election Dates- (Not confirmed by the State Board
of Elections) General Primary Election-March 19, 2002 General Election-November
5, 2002 Consolidated Primary-February 25, 2003 Consolidated Election-April
1, 2003 General Primary Election-March 16, 2004 General Election-November
2, 2004
The Election Commission's 2000 Fiscal Year Budget-
Personnel $971,233, Commodities $787,000, Contractual
Services $2,001,585, Total $3,759,818
The Citizen Advocacy Center, a non-partisan, 501(c)(3), non-profit
organization, is dedicated to building democracy for the 21st century
by strengthening the public's capacities, resources, and institutions
for self-government. If you are interested in more information, becoming
a volunteer, or making a tax-deductible contribution to the Center,
please contact us. Citizen Advocacy Center Phone: (630) 833-4080 PO
Box 420 Fax: (630) 833-4083 Elmhurst, IL 60126-0420
© Copyright 1998 Citizen Advocacy Center. All rights reserved. No
part of this pamphlet may be reproduced in any form or by any means
without prior, written permission of the Citizen Advocacy Center.
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