Paula Deacon Garcia: 2026 candidate DuPage County Clerk

Bio

Office sought: DuPage County Clerk

City: Lisle

Age: 65

Occupation: Full-time DuPage County Board member

Previous offices held: DuPage County Board District 2, December 2020-present

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?

The stakes in the county clerk election are too high to sit back. As Finance Committee Chair, I’ve had a front row seat to the fiscal mismanagement in the current clerk’s office. My opponent failed to submit timely budgets (or at all), comply with the county’s procurement procedures, and follow basic accounting procedures. She lost a lawsuit against the county and rather than move her office into compliance with the judge’s ruling, she doubled down. Her refusal to take commonsense steps to improve her office’s transparency and financial practices resulted in nearly $200,000 (and counting) in taxpayer-funded legal fees. She was censured by the county board in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote. It has cost us time, money and staff hours.

We have real battles to fight — coordinated misinformation campaigns designed to disenfranchise voters; voter data security threats; USPS rule changes; and the near-daily threats to democracy and our Constitution, to name a few. Wasting time and money because a politician refuses to follow the same laws and procedures we hold others to is unacceptable and a dangerous distraction from what is important — preserving the integrity of our elections.

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?

We must protect the county from extremists intent on stripping away voting rights. Every eligible voter must be able to vote safely and confidently. My priority is transparency and accountability to build trust. I will conduct an internal audit to determine where and how money is being spent and the internal processes and controls in place. Bringing the office into full financial compliance by creating publicly-available budgets and following county procurement rules is the simplest way to instill trust.

I believe there are ways the county clerk can better collaborate with other departments to enact efficiencies. Public education initiatives that help residents get to know the office and understand the elections process will help to shine a light on the office’s critical functions and ease concerns residents may have about the legitimacy of our elections. We can coordinate with schools and organizations to register and educate voters, future voters, and election judges. This education must be year-round — consistent communication leads to trust. I am committed to being a full-time clerk with full-time hours and maintaining an open door policy in my office to promote communication.

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.

Part of the challenge right now is that because of the lack of transparency, we don’t have a clear picture of what is currently happening within the office. I am certain there would be some other changes to the office that I would enact, but ultimately the reason I decided to step up and run for this office is to clean up the fiscal mess in the current office so that we can focus on the office’s important functions and services to its residents. I do not believe the current issues in the office are related to staffing or the hard work of rank and file employees; I believe the current staff and the institutional knowledge they bring to the table is important and their contributions are valuable. It will be my responsibility to clearly communicate the expectations and standards of the office and to create an environment in which we work together to improve the office. I would put a greater focus on professional development to make sure they are reaching their full potential while delivering the highest quality of services to residents, and seek training on financial and accounting procedures. So there is a clear understanding of the expectations.

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

I am confident that DuPage County elections are fair and honest. That’s why I am running for Clerk — to protect the legacy of DuPage County’s commitment to voter rights and democracy and to protect the progress that so many fought for — expanded early voting, vote anywhere, and vote by mail, to name a few. Preserving the public’s trust and maintaining a strong spirit of transparency in the electoral process is the most effective way to foster trust in the process and ensure our elections are fair and protected.