A group led by Laurie Bergner, including Phylis VerSteegh and Sally Rudolph, prepared a League statement on the local referendum proposing eliminating the
McLean County Internal Auditor position. They hosted a membership-input meeting to establish the concurrence needed in order for the League to advocate in favor of this referendum. You can read the meeting outcome elsewhere in this newsletter.
A local
Election Authority Study team is being convened by Diana Hauman, and study parameters are being developed. This group is reviewing the current structure of separate county and city election authorities and will consider the pros and cons of this model and other options.
Georgene Chissell is attending public meetings and gathering information on the
shortage of affordable housing in the community. She is updating the League on her findings so we can respond within the scope of our position and abilities.
Faith Russell is making sure
mis/disinformation resources from the LWVIL are available locally. At the League’s Sept. 24 meeting, which is open to the public, a speaker from the Illinois Board of Elections will address mis/disinformation related to election security.
Recent actions of the McLean County Board have changed the planned approach to the
Mental Health Study Update. The need for a study no longer exists; however Judy Buchanan and Sally Rudolph will continue to monitor the situation and alert the League as opportunities for collaboration or advocacy arise. See also a separate article elsewhere in this edition of The Voter.
The preliminary investigation into
polling place consolidation is on hold until after the November election. Laurie Wollrab has already documented a steep decline through consolidation in the number of Normal voting locations over the last several general election cycles. The investigation will look at whether this also occurred in other areas of the county and how the decrease might impact the voting population.
Ranked Choice Voting is also on hold until January 2025 based on the membership decision made at the June All-Member meeting.