Incumbent John Cunningham, challenger Brenda Rodgers vie to serve as Kane County clerk

In the upcoming Nov. 3 general election, two candidates are vying to serve as the Kane County clerk: John “Jack” Cunningham and Brenda Rodgers.

Cunningham, a Republican, is the incumbent, having served as the county’s clerk for more than two decades. He was unopposed in the Republican primary.

Rodgers, meanwhile, secured the Democratic nomination in the March primary election, defeating opponent Brian Pollock.

John “Jack” Cunningham

John “Jack” Cunningham has several decades of government experience. He served as Aurora’s Commissioner of Public Property from 1965 to 1973, a role which he says gave him a background in legislation and public administration.

He has served as the Kane County clerk since 2002. If reelected next month, the coming term would be his seventh in the role.

In a recent interview with The Beacon-News, Cunningham pointed to a number of efforts he’s overseen during his time as clerk.

Cunningham was in charge during the modernization of the clerk’s voting systems, during the transition from “punch card voting” to electronic systems, he said. He also oversaw improvements like a switch to different technology to process a higher volume of mail ballots, he said.

He said he’s also made an effort to recruit young people to be election judges.

As to the question of election transparency, Cunningham said individuals are “always welcome” to see the operations of the office. The clerk’s office has recently been offering tours to residents to show them how ballots are processed.

He also acknowledged election security, noting a recent situation in which duplicate ballots went out to some voters in error.

In a news release from late last month, the clerk’s office indicated that the error was due to “processing issues” that meant the ballot printer could not determine if a ballot was actually printed, and therefore printed another one.

Cunningham told The Beacon-News that the office has systems in place to “protect the integrity of the ballot.” In the news release about the situation, he pointed out that “tabulation systems are in place” and that the system allows only one vote per person, so voters should disregard a duplicate ballot if they receive one.

But the office does not just handle elections, Cunningham noted, pointing to its responsibilities for handling property tax extensions and maintaining vital records.

“It’s a very complicated office,” Cunningham said.

Another of his priorities as clerk, he said, has been making the office “self-sufficient financially,” through generating revenue and seeking grants, rather than spending property tax money.

He also pointed to the office’s having taken over the handling of election-related matters for Aurora residents in Kane County after the Aurora Election Commission closed in 2018, saying doing so has saved taxpayer money over the years.

Brenda Rodgers

Brenda Rodgers also has deep roots in the area.

A longtime Realtor, she previously served as a member of Elgin’s City Council from 2003 to 2007.

During that time, she told The Beacon-News, she played a role in keeping a big box store in the community and was involved in efforts to get a new fire station built.

“I’m a person who, I see what we need, I think outside of the box and, ultimately, it gets done,” Rodgers said.

She hasn’t served in an elected role since then, running unsuccessfully in 2024 for Kane County recorder as a Democrat.

Now, as she makes a bid for clerk, Rodgers said she hopes to continue some initiatives already underway in the clerk’s office, like offering tours of the office, which she spoke of in the lead-up to the March primary and which is now being offered by the office under Cunningham. She said she would hold tours at convenient times, such as in the evening for people who work during the day.

Other priorities of hers include increasing the number of vote-by-mail drop boxes in the county, increasing the number of county election judges and regularly talking with residents, she told The Beacon-News.

Rodgers also spoke about the need to make sure voter information is protected and to minimize any errors that could occur in the election process.

For example, she pointed to the recent situation with duplicate ballots going out to some voters, saying she felt it was a mistake that should not have happened and that it would be a priority of hers to be “checking and double checking” and “making sure that things are running the way that they should.”

As for the office’s finances, Rodgers said she would look at ways to stay within budgetary constraints put forth by the Kane County Board, and see what grants are available to help with the purchasing of equipment for the office.

Beyond elections, Rodgers said that many people don’t know about all of the functions of the clerk’s office — like keeping county records and offering genealogy services.

And she thinks getting the word out about the office’s varied responsibilities would play a role in “empowering … residents,” which could even increase voter turnout, she said.

“Because when people have knowledge,” she said, “I think that they’ll come out and vote.”

mmorrow@chicagotribune.com