“Why are there two election commissions?” “It says ‘City of Bloomington’ on the outside of the building and now you’re sending me to another building?”
These are only two of the questions election judges field during early voting and sometimes on election day.
The League of Women Voters of McLean County is studying our two election authorities – the Bloomington Election Commission and the McLean County Clerk’s office. We will explore ways to reduce candidate and voter confusion about our two election authorities, work to understand current election practices, and look for ways to improve efficiency in administrative functions.
After our August 5 press release, we had responses from several media outlets. WGLT had a seven-minute item and the Pantagraph had an article about our study. (See links below.) We continue to make the public aware of this study through public comments at the City of Bloomington and Town of Normal council meetings, at the County Board meeting, and at the Bloomington Election Commission.
We are collecting information and talking to stakeholders. That information becomes our foundation for deciding if we want to take a new or change an existing position. Our goal is to empower voters and defend democracy, thus we were motivated to embark on this study to better understand our local voters' experience navigating two election authorities.
We are not approaching this study with a preferred outcome in mind but with a commitment to integrity and service to the community. The recommendations could be one of several, such as:
- Consolidate the Bloomington Election Commission duties with the functions of the McLean County Clerk's office
- Organize a bipartisan, independent commission to oversee all elections in the county independent commissioners appointed by a judge
- Continue to operate as we are currently
- Or perhaps something else that we have not yet uncovered
While the study was announced earlier this month, the study team – Beth Robb, Chad Kahl, Diana Hauman, Harriett Steinbach, Janine Toth, Phylis VerSteegh Terry Lindberg, Shay Simmons – has been hard at work for a few months. This is a great study team with each person playing to his or her strengths and working to obtain valuable information that will permit us to make recommendations.
Shay and Beth have conducted interviews in the counties that currently have or have had dual election authorities. Terry and Janine have been gathering information about our two election authorities. Harriett is our communications person. Harriet, Chad, and Diana are working on a community survey to be launched in early September. There will be a survey of election judges and another of recent candidates for elected office, plus focus groups.
We expect to present our findings and recommendations at a member meeting in January 2026.
LWV Community Outreach
Press Release
Informational Email to 70+ Elected Officials and Community Leaders
Media Coverage
WGLT Online Story and Interview
Pantagraph Story
WEEK 25 News Story