41 votes: One DuPage County Board primary race still too close call

Nearly two weeks after the March 17 primary election, the race to pick the Democratic nominee for DuPage County Board District 4 isn't over — and only 41 votes separate the two leading candidates.

Hadiya Afzal, a college student from Glen Ellyn, has a narrow lead over Lynn LaPlante, a violist from Glen Ellyn.

As of Friday, Afzal had 4,431 votes, or 28.21% of those cast, and LaPlante had 4,390 votes, or 27.95%, according to unofficial totals. Three other candidates trailed behind.

“I think it's going to come down to a handful of votes,” LaPlante said.

County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek said officials will check for mail-in votes through the end of Tuesday.

In addition, there are roughly 225 provisional ballots that still need to be counted for the entire county. It's unclear how many of those ballots will apply to the District 4 race, Kaczmarek said.

Afzal and LaPlante said they're not surprised by how close the race was because there were five candidates.

“It was a crowded primary,” Afzal said. “And turnout was low because of the pandemic.”

LaPlante said she remains hopeful as she waits for the final tally.

“I did my best,” she said, “and I'm really proud of my campaign.”

When asked if she would seek a recount if she loses, LaPlante said, “That's definitely on the table.”

Meanwhile, Afzal said she hasn't decided if she will ask for a recount if she loses.

“We're waiting on Tuesday's final count,” she said. “I don't have a lawyer or anything. We'll see how it goes.”

In the meantime, Afzal says she's grateful for what she was able to achieve during the primary. “I am just a 20-year-old student who is running to make DuPage a better and safer place for my community members,” she said.

During the campaign, Afzal said DuPage should work to increase bike lanes and improve public transportation to help reduce carbon emissions. She also said the county shouldn't use a state lobbyist.

LaPlante said during the campaign that DuPage shouldn't use state and federal lobbyists. She also believes county board members could play a role in promoting gun reform. If she's elected, LaPlante said she would use the county board seat to advocate for “common-sense” gun laws.

Whoever becomes the Democratic nominee will face incumbent Republican Tim Elliott of Glen Ellyn in the general election in November.

District 4 includes all or parts of Addison, Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Glen Ellyn, Glendale Heights, Lisle, Lombard, Wheaton and Winfield.