Cunningham leads Kane County clerk race

Kane County Clerk John "Jack" Cunningham appears to have won his bid for a seventh term, according to unofficial results.

With all precincts counted, Republican Cunningham had 82,756 votes to Democrat Nicolas "Nico" Jimenez' 69,569.

Those totals do not include any outstanding vote-by-mail ballots. Those ballots, if postmarked by Nov. 8, will be counted until Nov. 22.

Elections and voter outreach were among the top issues in the county clerk's race. The county clerk's office oversees elections, keeps vital records such as birth and death certificates, and files the budgets and levies for all taxing bodies.

Cunningham, 83, was challenged by Jimenez, 31, who said it was time for someone new to take the role. Both men said they would focus on opening a satellite office in Elgin and updating voting equipment.

During his tenure, Cunningham opened the Aurora satellite office and increased voter security. While campaigning, Cunningham pointed to an outreach program that led more than half of voters to cast early ballots in general elections.

Jimenez said he would use community events, town halls and social media to engage voters.

Jimenez, a quality-assurance manager for a candy company, ran against Cunningham in 2018. He also ran unsuccessfully for county board in 2016.