Patricia Kladis-Schiappa: 2026 candidate for DuPage County clerk
Bio
Office sought: DuPage County clerk
Party: Republican
City: Burr Ridge
Age: 53
Previous offices held: None
Q&A
Why are you running for this office? Is there a particular issue that motivates you?
Residents deserve a Clerk’s Office where people can get answers and have confidence that their records and elections are handled responsibly. I felt compelled to run because there is documented controversy around the DuPage County Clerk's finances and election funding. These serious concerns about the fiscal management of the office extend beyond the balance sheet — they can affect public confidence in the Election Division. I believe DuPage County residents and voters deserve a Clerk who shows up to work, prepares and manages budgets responsibly, and serves as a careful steward of taxpayer dollars. Open the doors and open the books. When the office responsible for administering our elections lacks transparency, public confidence in the electoral process can also be affected. These are responsibilities that should never be taken lightly. I am a DuPage County resident, voter, and taxpayer who personally shares these concerns, and I decided to step up and serve. My decision to run is rooted in a strong sense of duty and a commitment to ensuring that every voter in DuPage County can have confidence in the administration of our elections and in the stewardship of their tax dollars.
If you are an incumbent, describe your main contributions. Tell us of any important initiatives you’ve led. If you are a challenger, what would you bring to the position and what would your priority be?
I would bring an independent perspective and my private-sector efficiency. I am not a long-term government employee or political insider, and most importantly, I am not a part of the current political equation that brings you the current state of affairs of the Clerk’s Office today. As an attorney, I would bring professionalism and legal experience to the office on day one. I currently manage risk for large organizations, and beyond my trial and appellate practice, my work demands meticulous case management, budget planning, exposure analysis, careful review of records, identifying mistakes, and potential fraud before they become costly problems for my clients. Those skills easily translate to the Clerk’s office. The Clerk’s role is to administer elections impartially, protect the integrity of the process, and carry out the duties of the office in strict accordance with the law. My priority would be accuracy, accountability, and public trust. I would bring the mindset of an attorney and risk manager to the position: examine the details, identify problems before they become failures, use resources responsibly, and follow the law.
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.
The dedicated staff and employees of the Clerk’s Office deserve leadership that is focused on building an efficient, accountable, and service-oriented operation. I have a 30-day plan built around high-impact priorities, which is designed to identify inefficiencies, evaluate existing processes, establish clear expectations, and make sure the office has the structure and resources necessary to serve the people of DuPage County effectively. One concrete change is making this office accessible to the people again. I intend on creating a Transparency Initiative: “What’s Happening in Your Clerk’s Office,” where we will provide regular updates and metrics on operations, elections, records, and spending. It means updating our website and social media pages to be constant and useful tools to communicate with the residents of DuPage. This initiative will provide regular public updates on office operations, elections, records, services, spending and resources. The goal is not change for the sake of change. My goal is an efficient Clerk’s Office that is professional, responsive, and worthy of the public’s trust.
How secure are you in the knowledge that election results in the county are reported fairly and accurately? Please explain why.
Trust, but verify. I am reasonably confident, but I do not think confidence should replace verification. The public should not have to simply trust the numbers. They should be able to see how those numbers were produced, how they were checked, and how they were certified. The important question is what evidence supports the information, how current it is, and whether it can be independently checked. The conversation about election integrity has to change including electing a Clerk who is not dismissive of the public’s concerns about election integrity or voter disenfranchisement. My philosophy is simple: make it easy to vote, not easy to cheat. One fraudulent vote is one too many and one mistake is one too many. Concerns about election integrity deserve to be taken seriously and investigated when warranted. The responsibility of a County Clerk is to administer elections according to the law and to provide transparency about the safeguards that protect the process. Election integrity means accurate voter registration records. It means properly trained election judges. It means secure handling of ballots and clear procedures for maintaining their chain of custody.