Dupage Policy Journal

DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin approves of House Bill 5123, which will permit county clerk offices to take over county election commissions and was recently signed by Gov. Bruce Rauner.

“DuPage County has spent several years to approve this consolidation effort,” Cronin said in a press release. “With the support of voters and help from our DuPage legislators, we have advanced another good government reform that will save taxpayers money.”

The issue was first raised by DuPage County residents in March after they passed an advisory referendum indicating they wanted the county election commission to be part of the county clerk’s office.

DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin

The merger is estimated to save $300,000 if permitted, and will possibly be an efficient and smoother way to report elections. It was also supported by Rep. Grant Wehrli (R-Naperville) who said he believed it would save the state money.

“Illinois has more units of local government than any other state in the country,” he said. “That’s expensive for taxpayers, and it’s inefficient. This consolidation will not only help us cut costs, it will also help ensure accuracy and continuity in our election reporting process in DuPage County.”

The bill will allow Kankakee County to follow suit; it is the only county with a separate county election commission.

“This is another step in the right direction for Illinois,” Rauner said. “We need to continue to root out duplicative layers of government that serve only to burden taxpayers and hinder businesses. I’m pleased to sign this bill and congratulate the leaders, voters and taxpayers of DuPage County.”

Rauner signed HB 5123 at the DuPage County Administration Building in Wheaton on July 23.