‘I’ll give it a B’: Champaign Co. Clerk reflects, apologizes and plans for next Election Day
URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — After long lines wrapping in and out of polling locations, a network system outage in the morning, and wild weather throughout the day, it was a hectic Election Day for some in Champaign County.
Despite all the challenges, the county saw a 63% voter turnout in this year's presidential election. In 2020, that number was only 75%, and in 2016, it was 69%.
Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons feels it was a "well-coordinated election," giving it a "B."
Even though Election Day has come and gone, work for his office is far from over. Now, his team is counting ballots, finalizing results and reflecting on what happened Tuesday.
Long lines were wrapped around some polling places throughout the day. On the U of I campus, some students were waiting at the Illini Union and ARC for more than two hours.
Petition to extend voting hours in Champaign Co. withdrawn
"We're talking about students who came here for school so they're registering on the same day," Ammons said. "Many of them were re-routed to Brookens, the Champaign Public Library, some places that had longer lines because it's a longer process to add you at the end."
Another headache was the network outage with their third-party "Platinum" service in the morning.
"I apologize, because although I don't have any control over the server and that situation, it is my decision to go with a particular vendor," Ammons said. "As we move forward, we will re-evaluate some of those things, so I take responsibility for that."
To curb some of these problems in the future, Ammons said he plans to work further with the University of Illinois to create a plan and get students registered earlier.
"Then we don't have long lines because it's a much quicker process if you're already registered," the Clerk explained.
He still strongly encourages getting to the polls early or mailing in your ballots ahead of time.
Ammons said he is proud of the work his office has put into this election, and knows it is an important role to play in our country.
"No matter what happens, whether your candidate wins or loses, our form of government and our democracy stays alive by citizens stepping up to do their civic duty," he said. "Not just one day of the year, but every day of the year."
As for the next steps, attorneys are watching the vote-by-mail process. Ammons said they're checking for spoiled ballots and getting things through the system. He expects more numbers to be counted on Friday and to have another update.
