Clerk outlines election timeline; committee raises election-judge pay to $300 and reviews vendor bids

Jen, the county clerk, told the committee that petition circulation for the March 17, 2026 primary opens Aug. 5 and that candidate packet forms are available on the county clerk’s website and in the office. She said the clerk’s office is mailing voter cards and stuffed notices about changed polling locations for affected precincts. "The forms are available in the county clerk's office," she said, and the office will post signature requirements and guidance on the county website. Jen gave signature estimates: county-board seats typically require fewer than 10 signatures while countywide candidates need about 150 signatures. She said petition filing/objection timelines run roughly Oct. 27 to Nov. 3.

The committee debated increasing pay for election judges and the clerk’s own office staff. The clerk proposed raising the election-judge stipend to $2.50 (from $1.85), a change she estimated would add about $65,000 to her office’s budget. Committee members pushed for a $300 base stipend for judges for election day. Miss Bernal moved to raise the election-judge pay to $300; the motion was seconded and a roll-call vote was taken. Votes recorded by name were unanimous: the committee voted all aye and the motion passed on the committee level; the clerk said the change will be taken to the full board in August for final approval. The clerk said raising judge pay to $300 would add about $115,000 for the year to the clerk's budget (she provided the committee those preliminary estimates).

The clerk also presented vendor proposals for voter registration and electronic poll books. Two vendors, Liberty Systems and GBS, submitted proposals that the clerk will compare; she said one bid lists a first-year total that includes conversion and training fees and an annual license/support figure (the clerk reported the annual license figure as $68,000 and said the first-year total for that bid was about $98,000 because it included conversion and training). Another vendor's initial year figures were reported in committee materials as roughly $177,500 for year one with different renewal figures. Jen told the committee she will run the numbers in Excel, confirm multi-year terms and ask IT and the state's attorney to review the proposals. Committee members asked for a short meeting prior to the full-board meeting so members can review attorney and IT comments; the clerk agreed to email materials in advance.