Brian Pollock: 2026 candidate for Kane County Clerk

Bio

Office sought: Kane County Clerk

City: Aurora

Age: 48

Occupation: Kane County Clerk’s Office

Previous offices held: Former Kane County Board Member (2012-2016) and Forest Preserve Commissioner

Q&A

Why are you running for this office, whether for re-election or election for the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you?

I’m the only candidate with nine years’ experience in the clerk's office. I have represented the clerk’s office at the county, state, and federal level. I’ve created budgets keeping the office under budget and secured millions in external grants to protect county taxpayers.

I developed policies and standards for our office and have been intricately involved in evaluating and implementing technological upgrades in the office, including vote by mail processing equipment, ballot tracking system, and new voting machines. I built a national network of clerks and election authorities to share best practices, discuss new ideas, and solve problems. My experience as an attorney and former county board member is also beneficial.

As Trump threatens to eliminate mail and early voting options used by more than 60% of Kane’s voters, I have a history of expanding voting rights and wrote language in the Illinois election code expanding voting rights.

The clerk’s office handles the complex tax extension process, administers elections, manages vital records, and accepts passport applications. County clerk is not an entry-level position and demands someone with experience, skills, and temperament.

If you are an incumbent, describe your main contributions. Please share any notable initiatives you've led. If you are a challenger, what would you bring to the job, and what would be your priority?

As I mentioned earlier, I have led many initiatives within the clerk's office over the last nine years. I've been involved in nearly every aspect of the office including preparing budgets, securing millions of dollars in grants, managing personnel, developing policies and procedures, and evaluating and implementing technological upgrades in the office such as vote by mail processing equipment, ballot tracking system, and new voting machines.

One recent initiative I led is the development of our new voter wait time tool. I wanted to create a public-facing tool to display wait times at early voting and election day voting sites so that voters could save time and avoid lines. I also wanted to include a mapping feature so that voters can enter their location and find voting sites close to them.

I partnered with a national election organization and web developers to create this informative tool. The tool was built specifically for Kane County, and we are the first county in the country to have it for the March 17 primary election. I'm proud of building partnerships to develop and share resources, and I'll bring more resources to the office as Clerk.

Name one concrete program you’ll create or personnel move you’ll make to improve efficiency in the office or make it more successful. Explain how it will be funded and how you will overcome any obstacles to initiating it.

One of my goals is to increase communication and transparency. While I have worked to draft more press releases, significantly increase the office's presence on social media, and develop more educational programs presented to community groups, I believe we can and should do more.

We can be more successful in serving the public if we do a better job of educating the public about what we do and how we do it. As Clerk, I would like to develop a Citizen Clerk's Academy program to engage the public.

We would invite the public to attend a multi-week program at the clerk's office where we educate residents about all areas of the office: vital records, passports, tax extension and redemptions, and elections. Participants in the program can use the gained knowledge to become ambassadors for the clerk's office to take information back into their communities and organizations. This program should have very little cost but could produce valuable returns to Kane County residents.

How secure are you in the knowledge that election results in the county are reported fairly and accurately?

I feel secure that elections results in the official canvass accurately reflects the votes cast in an election and are reported fairly and accurately. Misinformation/disinformation/malinformation (MDM) is one of the biggest challenges to the office and to our election system. Examples of MDM include the “stolen election” myth or saying that “voters just don't trust elections,” and they are damaging to democracy. The overwhelming majority of voters trust elections in Kane County and believe that elections are fair, secure, and accurate.

I helped develop and implement our comprehensive election security plan in the office. Bipartisan election judges are present at every step of the process from ballot printing, folding, and inserting on the outbound side, to the processing, signature verification, tabulation, and storage of ballots on the inbound side.

I created educational materials and presented them in person to community organizations, local governments, and political groups to help dispel MDM and increase awareness of the facts regarding our elections. As Clerk, I look forward to expanding voter education and would encourage interested citizens to view the process.