"I believe with new management and more cooperation between the Bloomington Election Commission and the County Clerk there would be less attention focused on the problems of the (clerk's) office." He hasn't seen any evidence that one election commission would save a significant amount of money and is concerned that educating voters before a vote to eliminate the Bloomington commission would be expensive.
Michael McFarland
candidate for county clerk
"I do not believe forming a single election commission will save taxpayer dollars or better serve the citizens of Mclean County." Milton said the current system is working well and the two offices cooperate effectively to set the same early voting dates, create joint publications to save money and use a new registration form to address previous concerns.
Peggy Ann Milton
current McLean County Clerk
"The elections process in McLean County should be consolidated into one election authority." She said the current two-office system is a problem for new residents and requires unnecessary documentation and red tape for re-registration. She cites two alternatives: Broadening the Bloomington Election Commission to administer all elections, or eliminating that office and putting all responsibilities in the county clerk's office.
Kathy Michael
candidate for county clerk
"I believe the establishment of a single unified McLean County Election Commission would be in the best interests of all McLean County voters." He said it would eliminate confusion and ensure that voters moving within the county aren't at risk of not being able to vote because they failed to re-register, or because administrative errors caused them to be disenfranchised.
Geoffrey Tompkins
candidate for county clerk
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it. There's no documentation that a resident of the city has not voted because of a conflict. The county clerk is a constitutional office. That's not wasting money. There's no significant savings if we combine. People would lose an office that can do everything on its own by itself."
Esaw Peterson
chairman, Bloomington Board of Election Commissioners
"Two questions have to be asked and answered: Is there a problem in citizens' current access to voting rights? Is there a way to provide the same or better access to people's voting rights at a lower cost?" Sorensen said he's not convinced there's a less expensive way and has yet to hear "systematic" problems with access McLean County residents have to their right to vote.
Matt Sorensen
chairman of the McLean County Board