Aurora Will Hold Referendum on Closing City Election Commission
Aurora citizens will have a chance to vote in the March 20 primary on whether to dissolve the Aurora Election Commission.
The question on the ballot will simply read: “Shall the City Election Law be Rejected?”
The city of Aurora has posted an “Aurora Election Commission” page on its website, which explains some of the details of the referendum and some of the history of the Aurora Election Commission.
According to the AEC website, the Aurora Election Commission only handles the city of Aurora’s portion of Kane, Kendall and Will County. If you live in any portion of the DuPage County, you must go to the DuPage Election Commission’s website for their information on the election.
The city of Aurora website says a “yes” vote for the referendum “means that the commission will no longer continue to exist and all of its functions will be taken over by the county clerk. Except in a handful of cities in Illinois, county clerks are responsible for elections. The Kane, Kendall and Will County clerks administer voter registration and conduct elections in their counties everywhere else but in Aurora.”
“Voting ‘YES’ means voters agree the Aurora Election Commission should be closed,” the website says. “Voting ‘NO’ means voters agree the AEC should remain as is since 1934.”
According to the city of Aurora webpage, “in the event the referendum is successful, the Kane County Clerk has agreed to establish a branch office in downtown Aurora to take the place of the AEC and to provide additional services to residents which the AEC cannot offer.”
This morning (Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018), Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin and Deputy Mayor Chuck Nelson presented the Kane County Public Service Committee with a proposed intergovernmental agreement which would, if adopted by the Aurora City Council and Kane County Board, include the establishment of a Kane County Clerk’s branch office in downtown Aurora.
Kane County Connects will post information about the proposed intergovernmental agreement when it is made available.
The city of Aurora website says that in 2017, the city contributed $526,750 toward the operation of the AEC and Kane County contributed $402,190, for a total of $928,940.
SOURCE: city of Aurora website, Aurora Election Commission website
- Editor’s Note: Early voting for the March 20 primary started Thursday, Feb. 8, in Kane County and the Aurora Election Commission. This article is part of a series pointing out the candidate names and referendums that will appear on the ballot. Kane County Connects encourages citizens to take part in the election process and to seek multiple sources to inform their voting decisions.
Read More
Primary Primer: Statewide And State Rep Contested Races on March 20 Ballot- Primary Primer: Federal Government Candidates on March 20 Ballot
- Primary Primer: Countywide and County Board Contested Races
- 14 Referendums on March 20 Primary Ballots in Kane County
- Early Voting Starts Feb. 8 in Kane County
