November 14, 2024
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Kane clerk completes election recount requested by some GOP candidates

No change in results for Oberweis, Rickert or Ward

By MARK FOSTER

Kane County election judges hold up mail-in paper ballots, showing fronts and backs, Tuesday during a discovery recount sought by losing candidates Jim Oberweis, David Rickert and Jeanette Ward. Representatives of candidates, seated, watched the ballots. The completed recount showed no change.

GENEVA – Kane County election officials said the discovery recount has been completed for three losing candidates in the Nov. 3 balloting without producing any change.

“This demonstrates the integrity of the election process and I’m proud of the work our staff did,” Kane County Clerk John Cunningham said.

Three Republicans sought to overturn their losses to Democratic opponents in last month’s election by invoking the discovery recount procedure.

State Sen. Jim Oberweis, R-Sugar Grove, lost his bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville.

Kane County Treasurer David Rickert fell short in his attempt to replace fellow Republican Chris Lauzen as county board chairman, losing narrowly to Democrat Corinne Pierog of Batavia, who has since been sworn into office.

State senate candidate Jeanette Ward was defeated in her race for the 25th District seat by state Rep. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago.

With representatives from each of the campaigns monitoring the work, the recount process was completed late Tuesday, according to Deputy Clerk John Duggan.

Under a discovery recount, candidates may seek to have the ballots tallied again in 25 percent of the affected precincts. However, the clerk’s office recounted all of the county’s 291 precincts, Duggan said.

“We went beyond the requirement,” Duggan said.

A discovery recount does not change an election result, but allows a losing candidate to take the revised ballot totals to a judge to be contested in court.

However, both Cunningham and Duggan said the ballot numbers in the three races were not changed by the recounts.

“”Every safeguard was conducted by the Kane County Clerk’s office,” Duggan said.

Cunningham had prepared for the unprecedented influx of mail-in ballots, Duggan said.

The complete recount of the entire election was essentially “an audit of our own progress,” Duggan said.

While the recount cost is $10 per precinct to the losing candidates requesting the recount, Cunningham estimated the department’s cost at $250 an hour for all the employees’ time.

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