Early voting and vote-by-mail for the upcoming November election are off to robust starts in Tazewell County.
That was county clerk John Ackerman's message to the county board at this week's meeting. There are several county races on the Nov. 3 ballot, including Ackerman running unopposed for re-election.
Nearly 1,350 vote-by-mail ballots had been received by Thursday, and slightly more than 500 residents had voted early in person. Both voting methods began Sept. 24 for the county's nearly 85,600 registered voters.
While Ackerman applauded the vote-by-mail number, he said he believes voters' concerns are driving it.
"There's a growing distrust among voters that the postal service will deliver their ballot in a timely manner," he said.
"Sadly, I believe what we're also seeing is exhaustion from voters with all the discussions of possible changes to vote-by-mail legislation.
"Voters want to make sure they vote while the rules are what they are today, instead of waiting and gambling if changes take place in the future."
Ackerman said registered voters should be able to have confidence that their votes will be counted and their voices will be heard.
"The fact that so many are concerned about the possibility that this may not be the case in the future is disappointing," he said.
"So I believe what we're seeing isn't necessarily an increase in total voter turnout, but voters voting early, especially those utilizing vote-by-mail."
Animal Control truck totaled
Other items approved by the county board include:
- A nearly $16,420 insurance settlement for an Animal Control Department truck that was totaled in a two-vehicle collision in August. The driver of the other vehicle involved in the accident was deemed by authorities to have caused the crash. The settlement will be used to buy a replacement truck.
- A change in the county's body art ordinance that removes the requirement for those working in a body art establishment to re-register with the Tazewell County Health Department each time they change location within the county. Now re-registration must be done only every five years.
- Line item budget transfers in the Veterans Assistance Commission fund that give the VAC an additional $1,920 for its rental assistance program and allow it to purchase a banner and tablecloth that will be used when the VAC participates in community events like the Pekin Marigold Festival and Morton Pumpkin Festival.
- A three-year service agreement with Texas-based Tyler Technologies for supervision software for the probation department. There's a one-time implementation cost of $53,160, plus nearly $4,300 for travel expenses. License fees are nearly $90,000 for the first year, about $96,350 for the second year and nearly $99,200 for the third year.
- A five-year property tax software, maintenance and support agreement extension with Cisco Devnet, which has provided the software and services for the county since 2010. The current agreement with Devnet expires Nov. 30. Cost will be about $52,000 annually for the first two years of the agreement, with increases totaling about $5,200 the next three years.
- A request to change the zoning classification of a Washington Township property in the 1700 block of Nofsinger Road from agricultural preservation to rural residential.
- The appointment of Stacey Melloy of Pekin to the Tazewell County Board of Health for a two-year term.
