Kaczmarek wins second term as DuPage County clerk

Democratic incumbent Jean Kaczmarek won a second term as DuPage County clerk Tuesday, defeating Republican challenger Evelyn Sanguinetti of Wheaton.

With more than 97% of the Election Day votes counted, Kaczmarek led Sanguinetti 168,079 votes to 150,438, unofficial totals show.

The clerk's office is responsible for overseeing elections, sending out property tax bills and handling birth certificates, marriage licenses and other documents.

Kaczmarek, of Glen Ellyn, has served as the DuPage clerk since 2018. During her tenure, she oversaw a plan to eliminate the county's election commission and return its duties to the clerk's office.

In addition, Kaczmarek worked to replace aging election equipment. Last year, the county board agreed to replace outdated electronic voting machines with a new paper ballot system. The county now allows voters to cast ballots at any polling place.

Sanguinetti was a Wheaton City Council member before becoming the state's lieutenant governor in 2014. As lieutenant governor, Sanguinetti worked to reduce the size and cost of government as chairwoman of the Local Government Consolidation and Unfunded Mandates Task Force and served as co-chair of an Opioid Overdose Prevention and Intervention Task Force.

During the campaign for clerk, Sanguinetti said her experience in the private and public sectors prepared her for the position. She said she would regularly attend county board meetings and remain accountable to DuPage residents.