DuPage County completes discovery recount for election, clerk ‘confident of results’

DUPAGE COUNTY – The discovery recount requested by Nov. 3 election losing candidates Jim Oberweis, Jeanette Ward, Bob Grogan and Tim Whelan has been completed by the DuPage County Clerk’s office, with “nothing found that would suggest a change in the outcome certified at the conclusion of the election.”

DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek made the announcement in a news release Monday morning.

“I am confident of the results of the recounts, just as I am confident of the results that were certified last month,” Kaczmarek said.

Oberweis, who lost to Democratic incumbent Lauren Underwood in the 14th Congressional District race by 5,374 votes, filed a discovery recount in all seven counties in the district. Petitions for discovery recounts were also filed by Ward for the 25th Senate District race, Grogan for Office of DuPage County Auditor, and Whelan for DuPage County Forest Preserve Commission District 4. Grogan, who served three terms as auditor, lost to White by less than 100 votes.

Ballots from 286 precincts were recounted, out of a total of 930 precincts in DuPage County. The discovery recounts were made in addition to a state-mandated retabulation last month of 47 precincts, which found no changes to unofficial totals prior to certification. DuPage County had a record turnout of 491,067 voters in the Nov. 3 election.

Discovery recounts began on Dec. 7, with teams of Republican and Democratic election judges working with numerous poll watchers, candidates and their representatives, and County Clerk staff in the auditorium of the County’s Administrative Building in Wheaton. The discovery recounts concluded within nine days, followed by carrying out requests through Dec. 23 of further candidate review with staff of additional election records.

Discovery recounts included hand recounts of three precincts, the front and back observation of each paper ballot and the recount duration of several weeks, and the access of election records for review and transparency. While the recount cost is $10 per precinct to the losing candidates requesting the recount, Kaczmarek estimated that the cost to the county to conduct the four recounts, including staff salary, exceeded $100,000.

“I thank all the election judges who served on these recounts especially during a pandemic,” Kaczmarek said. “I’m proud of my staff who worked to fulfill all the recounts, after completing an exhausting 2020 election cycle overlapping into the 2021 consolidated election.”