2026 Election Questionnaire: Ernie Marcelain, Illinois State Senate, District 38

Name: Ernie Marcelain

What office are you seeking: Illinois Senate 38th district

What is your political party?

What is your current age? 51

Occupation and employer: Manager at a small family-owned printing company

What offices, if any, have you previously held? None

City: Yorkville

Campaign website: www.ernieforillinois.com

Education: Waubonsee CC in Business

Community involvement: I have belonged to VietNow since I was 13, and Indivisible. At the age of 12 I regularly volunteered at the retirement home in Sandwich. I have volunteered at Greater Food Depository and Toy drives as well.

Marital status/Immediate family: I have been married to my wife for 25 years and have 1 daughter.

What are your top three priorities for this district in Springfield?

Affordability with energy, taxes, and general cost of living.

Healthcare accessibility and cost.

Small business survival and growth.

How will you support economic growth and development in your district?

Small business is the backbone of a strong economy, so Illinois needed to make every effort to keep them going strong. I also would like to aggressively recruit large businesses to the area as well. When Caterpillar moved out there was a huge economic void that towns like Sandwich are having a hard time recovering from. We need to fill that void as soon as possible with great jobs.

Do you support term limits for state senators, and if so, what limits?

I don’t support term limits because there are great legislators who are still sharp after many years and they represent their constituents well. It is up to the voters to say if they want a change or not on a state level.

How will you address the state’s long-term pension obligations?

We have a lot of useless spending in some areas that I feel are not necessary. We need to tighten our belt and divert the excessive spending and divert those funds to the pension.

How will you address property taxes and school funding reform?

I feel individual property taxes that the counties impose are way out of control. We need to revise the PTELL to make property taxes fairer to homeowners.

School funding, I believe is not working the way it’s been laid out to Illinois residents. Illinois lottery, Marijuana revenue, and sales tax was described be enough to cover all school funding so we need to fix whatever is wrong with that current structure.

What is your stance on the SAFE-T Act? What changes, if any, would you support?

There are a lot of good parts of the SAFE-T act that I like in regard to conduct by law enforcement and review. The cashless bond is not something I agree with though.

What legislation would you propose to address crime and public safety in your district?

One thing I would like to do have an increase Law Enforcement. I think we are stretched thin with how many boots we have on the ground.

What is your stance on reproductive rights in Illinois?

I fully support and stand for reproductive rights for every citizen in Illinois and I will never bend on this.

What is your opinion of the TRUST Act (sanctuary state protections)?

I fully support the Trust Act. It is the federal government’s responsibility to carry out any operation without assistance from the Illinois law enforcement. Illinois tax dollars are only appropriated for keeping the peace of its residents and not to help the Federal government who has more financial (75B) and physical resources than Illinois does. Illinois Law enforcement is designed to build a partnership with its residents while keeping them safe and not assisting in ICE raids.

Should the state expand Medicaid funding?

Illinois should. Our elderly citizens must be taken care of because they earned that by all the hard work and money they brought into the state over the years. It’s the least we can do for them.

Should local governments have more authority over solar farm development in their communities?

I believe the local governments should have the rights to authorize and oversee solar farms in their community. I am in the opinion that the energy companies profiting off the supply of energy should compensate the communities financially they are operating in as a show of good faith and acceptance.

Should Illinois expand use of nuclear energy, including facilities like the Byron plant? What’s your vision for the state’s energy mix?

With the energy we are approaching we need to investigate a safe and affordable means like nuclear plants in Byron along with solar and wind. I am more in favor of SMR (Small Modular Reactors) over large scale plants. The cost and the ability to mobilize is very attractive to the needs of the community without a large facility.

What role should the state play in housing affordability?

Illinois should do anything it can to reduce the cost of buying and renting housing. We need more standards and protection to people renting in low-income housing as well. As far as it goes for first-time homeowner there must be programs in place so owning a house is within reach and possibly a pause on property taxes for the first year after purchasing.

How should the state balance water rights between communities and industry, particularly regarding data centers?

All Data centers must have regulations in place to operate in Illinois. Currently we are treating them as standard business to do what they want when they want while exhausting the resources of the residents. That consumption will draw a supply/demand making the monthly bills skyrocket. Meta worked with the community in Sycamore, and they should be the standard to any new center opening up.

To what level should the state fund a new stadium for the Chicago Bears?

I think there should be a large discussion and agreement to keep the Bears in Illinois. I don’t think we should pay for everything but the tax revenue from the Arlington is one that could fund a lot of programs that the state has currently.

Should the state regulate the use of AI in the classroom? To what extent?

AI must be regulated not only in the classroom but in everyday life. We must not get complacent when solving problem and we need the students to rely on their brain when solving problems. AI is still very flawed currently so it’s too unreliable in any place especially in school.