Clerk draws ballot placement; Democrats top Tazewell County ballot for Nov. 11, 2026 election

In a brief public drawing, the Clerk announced that the Democratic Party will appear first on the Tazewell County ballot for the Nov. 11, 2026, election.

The Clerk said the drawing determines which party is listed first and described the process as a security measure: "it is also a security procedure because each county throughout the state of Illinois is determining this in lottery drawings just like this," making a single statewide fake ballot harder to replicate, the Clerk said.

The Clerk described the mechanics: two balls were used, with ball number one representing the Democratic Party and ball number two representing the Republican Party. "So top on the ballot will be number one, which is the Democrat party," the Clerk said after the pick.

Ally, a representative of the treasurer's office, reached into the container and drew the balls at the Clerk's request. The Clerk announced that, as drawn in Tazewell County, the Democratic Party will be listed at the top of the ballot and the Republican Party will be listed second.

The Clerk invited anyone with questions about election procedures and policies to stop by the election office for further explanation and thanked Ally for assisting with the random draw. The drawing concluded without a formal vote or further action recorded in the transcript.