Lake County residents surveyed about their voting experiences; ‘I've gotten some really strong suggestions'
Launching an online Voter Engagement Survey on July 15 and spending time at his booth at the Lake County Fair last week talking to people, Vega is learning voters' thoughts and will know more when the survey results are compiled.
'We've made some major improvements since I took office three years ago, and we want to know how it's improved the voters' experience,' Vega said. 'We want to see how we can (further) improve the voters' experience.'
Participants in the Lake County Voter Engagement Survey can continue to complete the form through Wednesday online giving the Lake County Clerk's office ideas of ways to better operate elections.
Since the survey went live on the clerk's website, Vega said his office has received more than 2,000 responses. People stopping at his booth were able to both take the survey and bend his ear about their ideas. He values their input.
Some suggestions that Vega is able to implement himself, like adding more touch screens or making polling places more physically accessible. But others, including ranked-choice voting or a primary date in warmer weather, require an act of either the U.S Congress or the Illinois General Assembly.
'I can advocate for those changes,' Vega said. 'I've gotten some really strong suggestions.'
A frequent question for Vega while tending his booth at the fair was about ranked-choice voting, which is becoming more popular in different parts of the country, including most recently in the June 24 New York City mayoral primary.
In a ranked-choice election, Vega said rather than voting for one candidate, the voter marks their first, second, third and more choices, depending on how many candidates are on the ballot. If voters only want to rank one, they can.
Should no candidates receive more than 50% of the vote, Vega said the last-place candidate is eliminated and voting is retabulated until someone achieves more than 50%. It took three rounds in the New York City contest.
'Candidates there cross-endorsed,' Vega said. 'They'd suggest voting for an opponent as a second choice. Some say it keeps it more civil. It helps the voter to have their voice heard.'
When the survey is complete, Vega said he looks forward to seeing how people respond to questions like whether respondents think voters should prove citizenship at the polling place, or come to the poll with a picture ID.
'Those issues are getting a lot of attention around the country,' Vega said. 'We want to know what people think here.'
Supporting of the survey and learning what will make voting easier for people is Waukegan Township Trustee and Mano a Mano Family Services Executive Director Dulce Ortiz. She said part of Man a Mano's mission is assisting immigrants with citizenship and then becoming politically engaged. The bilingual survey was sent to the organization's mailing list.
'We want to empower the immigrants in Lake County,' Ortiz said. 'Part of our mission is getting people engaged in the political process. We do a class on it. We educate on the importance of elections and election day.'
Mary Mathews, a director of The League of Women Voters in Lake County, said getting feedback from voters ahead of the 2026 primary election in March and the general off-year contest in November makes sense.
'It's a very good idea,' Mathews said. 'I have been hearing some of the things on the survey from other voters. I'm glad they're giving him their ideas.'
Questions seek voters' overall experience on voting in person, early voting and casting ballots by mail. The survey asks participants if they experienced problems, and what the issues were about.
Questions about accessibility for people with mobility and other issues were part of the survey, as well as printing ballots in more languages than English and Spanish. Most questions are multiple-choice, but some seek explanations.
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