Two of Tazewell County’s top elected officials aren't seeing eye to eye on the need for a vote on a new precinct map, continuing a trend of disagreements between the county’s clerk and board chairman.
The issue stems from interpretation of an Illinois election statute calling for county boards to adopt new maps in June when any precinct exceeds 1,200 voters.
County clerk John Ackerman said this means board chairman David Zimmerman must put an item on the agenda by Monday for the Tazewell County board to vote on proposed new boundaries before the end of the month. The board’s June meeting is scheduled for Wednesday.
“This is the board's opportunity and the public's to know what the boundaries of those precincts are,” Ackerman said during a Thursday morning news conference in his office. “If there's a polling location that is overpopulated, this is the time to address it and to fix it. Also, it's the public's opportunity to have a say in where our polling locations are located in each of those precincts.”
Ackerman said the map proposal he’s submitted features only minimal changes, mostly aimed at not having voters drive past one closer polling place to get to another. But Zimmerman says he does not believe any precinct boundary adjustments are necessary.
“We've just gone through two major changes the last two years on precinct redistricting, and I think a third year will just contribute to voter confusion. So I've chosen not to put that on the agenda,” said Zimmerman, adding he believes the statute allows him some latitude.
An Illinois State Board of Elections official confirmed that the county board is supposed to approve a precinct map at its June meeting, but there would be no penalty for failing to do so.
“That's not to say that every county should not be in full compliance with state statute,” said ISBE Public Information Officer Matt Dietrich. “But in order for there to be any kind of a penalty, it would most likely take a voter in that precinct or one of the parties in the county seeking a court order ordering the precinct to be reexamined.”
Ackerman said a vote on his map proposal isn’t the only option to comply with the statute. He said Zimmerman could make his own proposal to keep the map unchanged, or he could put an item on the agenda and table it during the meeting so it would be considered in July.
“There are multiple options available to him to do the right thing to do his statutory responsibility. He's just choosing not to do and that's the frustrating part,” said Ackerman, noting that holding the precinct redistricting off for one year would move the process in between next year’s presidential primary and general elections.
“If you don't like my proposal, then don't vote on my proposal,” Ackerman said. “He could put forward his own proposal, saying ‘I want to leave everything exactly the way it is.’ That's allowed in the law, but you’ve got to allow for that discussion to take place.”
Zimmerman says Ackerman did not inform him of the option to put a map with no changes up for a vote.
“We used to do this once every 10 years and John seems to like to do this every year. I think it just adds to voter confusion and I just would not like to see that any longer,” Zimmerman said. “Honestly, it's just a decision that I've made. By not addressing it, we are addressing it in my opinion."
“I know John has called it ‘election interference,’ which I think just really cheapens the seriousness of true election interference. Nothing will change in Tazewell County by this action and that's the decision that I've made.”
WCBU reporter Collin Schopp contributed to this report.
