Circuit Clerk & County Clerk & Recorder Partner to Simplify Government

In an effort to reduce the amount of redundant services within government, Circuit Clerk, Maureen Josh, and County Clerk & Recorder, John J. Acardo, partnered to merge the election of Commissioners from the various Drainage Districts in the County to the Elections division.

Drainage Districts must follow Illinois compiled statutes to conduct their election of Commissioners. These rules were not affected during the passage of the Election Consolidation Act of 1980 which transferred all Election responsibilities to the County Clerk.

State law allows the Circuit Clerk to transition the administration of these Elections to the County Clerk, who is already charged to oversee Elections in the County.

“I am encouraged by our partnership with the County Clerk & Recorder’s office to ensure there is no confusion for voters when casting their ballot,” Circuit Clerk, Maureen Josh, stated. “While the process is different than that of a normal Election, it made sense that all Elections in the County be administered by the Elections Division,” Josh continued.

“While the laws have not changed to include these Elections with the Consolidated Election cycle, this merge is an example of how DeKalb County continues to be a leader in the State at finding ways to reduce the amount of repetitive services within Government,” said Josh.

The Elections Division of the County is overseen by the County Clerk & Recorder.

“Our staff is highly trained and experienced at running Elections. It seemed logical that we add the Drainage District Elections to our repertoire,” County Clerk & Recorder, John J. Acardo stated.

“This transition removes a duplicative service at the County Level; the Circuit Clerk is responsible for the maintenance of the judicial system, not the Election process. It doesn’t make sense that two offices oversee Elections in the County,” he continued. “The overall affect on the budget is neutral, as we already administer Elections on an annual basis and this has no added burden to our department.”

The change allows staff to devote more resources to the major tasks of each Office. The next Election for Drainage District Commissioners is scheduled for late fall 2013.

For more information, please contact the Circuit Clerk’s Office at 815.895.7138 or the DeKalb County Clerk & Recorder at 815.895.7142.