Endorsement: Broad for the Democrats as Lake County clerk

The two Democratic primary candidates for Lake County clerk tout vastly different personal experience in making their case for who is best suited to lead the office.

Vernon Township Trustee Adam Broad, of Buffalo Grove, who does media production for a political research and communications organization, says he has worked on and off since 2000 in volunteer and paid positions aimed at protecting voting rights and organizing voter registration efforts.

Former Libertyville Township Trustee Robin O'Connor, of Libertyville, is a retired Illinois teacher now teaching in Wisconsin who says she has developed management and leadership skills as a career educator.

They both see the need to increase voter registration and turnout by expanding early voting to ensure protection of the county's voting system integrity and streamline the office's operation.

Broad is particularly passionate about voting rights and access, and his hands-on experience in these areas gives him the edge in this contest. He is endorsed.

Among his ideas are developing a larger roster of better-trained election judges to minimize mistakes at polling places and ensure every vote counts. He sees poll-watchers with the right training and supervision as a resource to match the number of voters with ballots cast.

The winner faces incumbent Carla Wyckoff in November.