Election preview: La Salle County Clerk candidates differ on ballot handling

La Salle County clerk candidates differed whether voters should be concerned about ballot handling.

Incumbent Lori Bongartz, an Ottawa Democrat, is running against Republican challenger Jennifer Ebner, of Oglesby, who defeated Steven Stohr in the primary. The election is set for Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Should voters be concerned about ballot handling?

Ebner: I believe the voting machines need to be tested and certified and running correctly before early voting starts. The issue of the machines not being up and running correctly has been brought to my attention for early voting for the June 2022 election as well as in September for early voting for the upcoming November election 2022. Many residents are concerned with the integrity of their vote since they do not get to put their ballot in a machine. The ballots are placed in envelopes and are stored elsewhere in the office. This is inconsistent with the objective of providing our voters with confident, secure elections.

Bongartz: To ensure the integrity of each election in La Salle County, all voting machines are tested and certified. The La Salle County Clerk’s office is required to forward all information regarding candidates to our vendor. Once our vendor completes their process, they forward the test ballots and hardware to our office. This process often takes longer than expected if there are objections or candidates that withdraw from the ballot. Ballots that are voted in person are kept secure in a locked ballot box, as are the Vote-By-Mail ballots that are received. Two election judges from each party come in to open each ballot envelope and verify signatures before being inserted into the tabulator machine. Protocol is always followed to make sure that every voter’s ballot is counted.

Lori Bongartz, Democratic incumbent

Education

Bongartz attended Ottawa High School and graduated in 1979.

Experience

La Salle County Clerk, Lori Bongartz, has an extensive background in La Salle County as an elected official in November 2018. A long-serving business professional with established leadership skills, Bongartz has held several positions ranging from entry level vital statistics through election department duties in the past 33 years. Prior to the County Clerk election 2018, Bongartz displayed leadership and gained insightful knowledge as the Chief Deputy Clerk for JoAnn Carretto. Bongartz also holds a position as a precinct committee member for South Ottawa 1.

Personal

Bongartz was born and raised in Ottawa with her parents David and Marilyn Arroyo. David (deceased) worked on the railroad and was a laborer for many years in Ottawa.

She is married to Mark Bongartz and has two children, a step daughter, and nine grandchildren. Bongartz enjoys spending time with her family and being outdoors.

Objectives

Bongartz said she has proven accomplishments within her positions at the County Clerk’s Office and said she continues to have innovative plans for her next term. Bongartz is focused on advancing technology for better efficiency and enhanced productivity such as; digital transformation to access County Board Records, Vital Statistics, and Assumed Names; Convert to the latest and updated voting equipment; Option for online election judge training.

Why vote for me?

Bongartz said she has shown her commitment and dedication to the voters of La Salle County. She has shown the ability to interact with other elected officials and their staff, which has proven to be both beneficial and rewarding. She will continue to work on improving services and advocate for process automated improvements.

Jennifer Ebner, Republican challenger

Education

I attended Illinois Valley Community College and graduated with honors, Cum Laude (3.542 GPA), in May of 2009. I have subsequently returned and completed 32 credit hours towards my associates in applied science for business administration.

Experience

I have a significant background in both entrepreneurial small businesses that I have owned as well as experience with other companies including accounting and tax firms. I am skilled in accounts receivable, accounts payable, reconciliation, and other data entry processes as well as positions requiring direct supervision of people managing great amounts of critical detail. Additionally, I have been an assistant manager at Chevron, a Direct Support Professional at Horizon House and a Secretary at Mahoney and Associates LLC.

Personal

I am a proud mother of two adult children, Dominick, 22, whose home is in Oglesby, and Darren, 20, whose home is in Peru. Schuyler, 16, and Theresa, 10, live at home with me. I have four brothers and one sister.

I currently hold the positions of secretary of the Northern IL Friends of the NRA, official scorer for the Peru BB Gun Club, chairwoman of the La Salle County Republican Central Committee Election Integrity Committee, and Peru 5 Precinct Committeeperson.

Objectives

I would significantly improve operational transparency and update the website to be more user friendly. This is the people of La Salle County’s office, and I plan to both improve and make publicly available election training materials and statute allowed material that should be easily accessible like most counties in Illinois.

I will ensure our county list of registered voters is maintained and accurate on a regular basis as state statute allows. This is critical to secure, efficient elections and the direct responsibility of the La Salle County Clerk, the local Chief Election Authority in the county.

I will oversee the office with welcoming, consistent policies and systems. I will utilize the significant knowledge and experience from the existing staff and be open to their knowledge as to how we can continually work on improving the office operations.

Why vote for me?

I am an honest, hard-working, and ethical individual. I have acquired diverse business skills and insights over the years that I am convinced will make a difference at the local level of government.