A McHenry man working as an election judge died while at the polls Tuesday night in McCullom Lake, officials report.
Petter Culver, 75, was working as an election judge at the McCullom Lake Village Hall when he “suffered a cardiac event,” according to a McHenry County Coroner’s Office news release.
Clerk Joe Tirio, whose office runs elections in the county, released a statement saying Culver “gave years of faithful service” as an election judge.
The McHenry County Coroner’s Office was contacted by the McCullom Lake Police Department at 9:15 p.m. Tuesday to investigate the death. Tirio was in contact with McHenry County Coroner Michael Rein regarding Culver’s job, according to the release.
“I assured Mr. Tirio that we would take every precaution necessary in securing the area where Mr. Culver was,” Rein said in the release.
It was determined that Culver died from natural causes, and the area was turned back over to Tirio and his team.
“I want to thank Mr. Tirio and his team for the professionalism they showed during this unusual and unfortunate event,” Rein said in the release.
Tirio’s statement read in full:
“Last night, as the polls closed and the final ballots were counted, we lost one of our own. Petter Culver passed away doing something he believed in deeply, serving his community as an Election Judge.
“Petter gave years of faithful service to the Democratic Party and the democratic process in McHenry County,” Tirio’s statement continued. “He showed up, because he understood something that too many take for granted: freedom is not self-sustaining. It requires tending. It requires people willing to do the hard, unglamorous work of making democracy real, not just in theory, but in practice, one voter at a time.
“That work is hard. Let no one tell you otherwise. Our election judges report before dawn and work well past nightfall, fifteen hours or more staying at their post the whole time with little opportunity for a break. Most of our judges are past the age of 65, and yet they lift equipment, set up polling places, navigate complicated procedures, and do it all with patience and professionalism. They greet every voter, the grateful and the grumbling alike, with dignity. They absorb frustration that is not theirs to bear and they do not waver,” Tirio said. “And while they represent their party, when you get to know them as I have, you know they are doing it for their country and community. They understand the gravity of the work and the gift they have been sworn to protect. They are a rare breed and I couldn’t be more proud of Petter and his fellow Election Judges. McHenry County is truly blessed by these stalwart patriots.”
Tirio continued: “They do not do this for the pay. They do not do it for recognition. They do it because they are the kind of people who still believe that showing up matters, that civic duty is not a burden but a privilege.
“What Petter Culver did, what all of our election judges do, is among the most profoundly patriotic acts available to a private citizen. They are the quiet guardians of the ballot box. They are the human infrastructure of liberty itself.
“To every election judge serving McHenry County: we appreciate you. We honor you. What you do is sacred work.”
Tirio concluded: “And to Petter, who gave his last full measure of devotion not on a battlefield, but at a polling place in the community he loved, we say thank you. You did not just talk about democracy. You showed up for it, right until the very end.
“Rest now, Petter. Your work here is done, and it was done well.”
Tirio also thanked the McCollum Lake Police Department and Rein’s office “for their cooperation and support during this very untimely event.”