County clerk plans texting service, polling‑place moves and voter outreach ahead of next election

At the May 20, 2025 Taxation, Election & GIS Committee meeting, the LaSalle County Clerk (speaker identified in remarks as County Clerk) detailed several election‑administration proposals: a commercial text‑message service for communicating with election judges and opt‑in voters; alternative polling places for two Seneca precincts after the county lost access to a fire‑station facility; and plans to include polling‑place notices in the June voter mailing tied to the statutory purge.

The clerk said she met with a vendor called Text My Gov; the quoted cost was about $10,500 for the first year (which includes a setup fee) and about $7,000 per year thereafter, including 75,000 text messages annually. The clerk said the tool’s primary function would be to send reminders and assignments to election judges but could also allow registered voters to opt in for polling‑place or early‑voting reminders.

The clerk told the committee that the county was notified that the Seneca fire station — used previously as a polling place and storage site — will be unavailable beginning with 2026 elections because the building is being remodeled and the room used for voting will be removed. She said her staff has identified two alternatives: Seneca Village Hall and the old high school; staff will visit both locations and decide which venue can serve two precincts (Manlius 1 and Manlius 4) and provide storage for election equipment.

Because the county prepares a mass mailing of voter cards in mid‑June as part of the required biennial purge, the clerk said she wants to include a separate, enclosed letter advising affected voters of any polling‑place change rather than relying solely on the voter card or website notice. The clerk estimated the two precincts together comprise roughly 800 to 1,500 registered voters and said placing a letter in the June mailing would be more likely to draw voters’ attention.

On other election matters, the clerk said the office is preparing to post a poll‑book bid for state review and that only one vendor had provided a comparable response so far. She also reported that the clerk’s office will continue to prepare and mail certificates of election to winners of elections, citing a state statute that requires the county to make those certificates available upon application; the clerk said mailing the certificates has been a longstanding local practice and that about 560 certificates were mailed after the last election (mailing cost roughly estimated by staff at several hundred dollars).

The committee discussed process questions, including whether a polling‑place change needs a full‑board resolution before the June mailing; the clerk said she would bring the selected polling‑place recommendation to the full board in June so the letter can be included in the purge mailing. There was no formal committee vote on the texting service procurement or the polling‑place decision at the meeting.

The clerk said she will continue to refine costs and present a recommendation to the committee or full board as appropriate.