Here’s a look at the primary elections in Boone County.
There have been no Democrats on the Boone County Board since 2022.
Angie Bodine, chair of the Boone County Democrats, says they're seeking to change that, but it won’t be easy.
“It's less common for us to have competitive races in Boone County, then some of the more heavily Democratic areas,” Bodine said.
There's also no Hispanic candidates running on either ticket. Latinos makeup nearly 25 percent of the county population, according to the latest U.S. Census.
In countywide races, the Republican incumbents don’t face a challenger within their party, nor will they face a Democrat in the November election. Those positions are circuit clerk, coroner and state’s attorney.
For county board seat races, voters choose two candidates. There’s at least one Democrat running for each of the three districts, and they are all guaranteed a spot in the November ballot. The same is true for Republicans.
So, why vote in the primaries when they're not contested?
“There are a lot more Democrats in Boone County than what actually show up at the polls,” Bodine said. “But if we keep not showing up at the polls, then people who would consider running look at that amount of support that previous candidates have gotten. And if it doesn't look good, then they think, okay, why should I waste my time?”
She says in addition to recruiting candidates, they're also focused on recruiting Democratic election judges. That window is closed for this election, but she’s taking names for the general election in November.
Election judges, she said are not there to campaign on behalf of a party “but to make sure that things are happening properly, and that the election judges from the other side are not, doing things like requiring Voter IDs, which is illegal in Illinois.”
Matt Dietrich is the spokesperson for the Illinois Board of Elections, and he confirmed that. He said a very common question he receives from voters is “In Illinois do you have to show ID?,” he said. “And that's a very simple question. And no, it's not [required].”
A voter’s signature is in effect their ID in Illinois, Dietrich said. When a voter arrives at a poll, they're asked to provide a signature in order to receive a ballot.
“The election judges then compare the signature that you sign with the signature that they have on file with your voter registration, and they determine whether or not they match,” he said.
And for folks that are concerned of fraud, he said, ‘We don't have any evidence of that. “That would be someone impersonating another voter.”
Boone County Republican chairman, State Senator Dave Syverson, said there’s definitely no issues with fraud in the county.
“All good,” he said. “And people should feel very comfortable that all the safeguards that had been in place in the past are all in place right now.”
Boone County Election Clerk Julie Bliss has been on leave after being charged with several counts of felony theft and official misconduct. In her absence, the Boone County Board hired a contractor on a temporary basis to help run the election.
Despite that, Syverson said voters ought to feel confident in the integrity of the voting process. Syverson himself says he’s voted by mail this election.
“In Boone County, they've gone above and beyond actually checking with mail in ballots, actually going through and checking signatures of the mail in ballots to what the signature on record to make sure they're the same.”
He said the county has become more Republican is due to the party’s values attracted voters.
“It became more Republican and became more I think, conservative, as independent voters wanted to go with stronger law enforcement and stronger accountability, on taxes.”
Decisions made at the county level, both party leaders agree, play a much larger part in people’s lives than is given credit to.
Syverson said public safety and keeping property taxes are the main priorities for county Republicans. Democratic chairwoman Bodine said the next county board will be making decisions on infrastructure, road improvements, especially routes leading to the new Rockford Hard Rock Cafe casino and housing as economic development brings more people to the area.
