logo
Tazewell County clerk's office earns national award for election security work

Tazewell County clerk's office earns national award for election security work

Yahoo16-04-2025
The Tazewell County Clerk and Recorder of Deeds Office announced Wednesday it was recognized by the United States Election Assistance Commission for excellence in election administration.
The EAC presented the county with a Clearinghouse Award, also known as a "Clearie," given annually to celebrate the work of election officials throughout the nation. The Clerk and Recorder of Deeds Office won its award for 'Security: Innovations and New Tools in Election Security and Technology,' for an initiative to remove the requirement that election judge badges display the judge's name. This move was made to add privacy security for volunteers who serve as election judges.
Tazewell County is the first Illinois county to win a Clearinghouse Award in the program's nine-year history, according to John Ackerman, Tazewell County Clerk and Recorder of Deeds.
Pekin news: Pekin nursing home fined $25,000 after resident wandered off for three days
'Our office is extremely proud to be recognized by the United States Election Assistance Commission, and as such Congress, for our administration of Tazewell County elections' Ackerman said in a release. 'We deeply value the approximately 500 election judges that serve the citizens of county each and every election. These volunteers serve a vital role in making sure our elections are safe, secure, and accurate. This was opportunity to for us to add a layer of safety and security to these positions.'
The office also received an honorable mention in the 'I Voted Stickers: Creative and Original' category for their 2024 series celebrating Pekin's bicentennial and its affinity for marigolds.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Tazewell County program wins 'clearie' from U.S. Election Assistance Commission
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump targets mail-in ballots, ‘seriously controversial' voting machines
Trump targets mail-in ballots, ‘seriously controversial' voting machines

The Hill

timea day ago

  • The Hill

Trump targets mail-in ballots, ‘seriously controversial' voting machines

President Trump announced Monday that he plans to sign an executive order to eliminate mail-in ballots and 'seriously controversial' voting machines ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. In a statement on his Truth Social platform, Trump leaned into his long-standing disdain for mail-in voting, saying other countries have abandoned the practice 'because of the MASSIVE VOTER FRAUD ENCOUNTERED.' 'I am going to lead a movement to get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS, and also, while we're at it, Highly 'Inaccurate,' Very Expensive, and Seriously Controversial VOTING MACHINES, which cost Ten Times more than accurate and sophisticated Watermark Paper, which is faster, and leaves NO DOUBT, at the end of the evening, as to who WON, and who LOST, the Election,' Trump wrote in his post. 'WE WILL BEGIN THIS EFFORT, WHICH WILL BE STRONGLY OPPOSED BY THE DEMOCRATS BECAUSE THEY CHEAT AT LEVELS NEVER SEEN BEFORE, by signing an EXECUTIVE ORDER to help bring HONESTY to the 2026 Midterm Elections,' he added. Trump for years has pushed unproven claims about widespread voter fraud involving mail-in ballots. He repeatedly described his 2020 election defeat as 'rigged,' pointing to expanded mail-in balloting that was allowed during the coronavirus pandemic. Nearly a third of ballots cast in the 2024 election were submitted by mail, according to a U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) report released in June. While mail-in ballots didn't hit the record 43-percent level seen during the height of the pandemic four years, they accounted for 30.3 percent of all ballots cast in the election, well above pre-pandemic levels. An effort to dramatically overhaul the way federal elections are run has faced legal roadblocks in recent months. In June, a judge blocked part of Trump's March executive order that sought to prevent states from counting mail-in ballots that were postmarked by Election Day but arrived later. The judge said the president lacked the authority to impose state election rules. Trump, in his post on Monday, appeared to preempt concerns about the lack of authority. 'Remember, the States are merely an 'agent' for the Federal Government in counting and tabulating the votes. They must do what the Federal Government, as represented by the President of the United States, tells them, FOR THE GOOD OF OUR COUNTRY, to do,' Trump said. The president accused Democrats of being 'virtually Unelectable without using this completely disproven Mail-In SCAM' and pledged to fight to prevent election integrity. 'ELECTIONS CAN NEVER BE HONEST WITH MAIL IN BALLOTS/VOTING, and everybody, IN PARTICULAR THE DEMOCRATS, KNOWS THIS,' Trump wrote. 'I, AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, WILL FIGHT LIKE HELL TO BRING HONESTY AND INTEGRITY BACK TO OUR ELECTIONS.' 'THE MAIL-IN BALLOT HOAX, USING VOTING MACHINES THAT ARE A COMPLETE AND TOTAL DISASTER, MUST END, NOW!!! REMEMBER, WITHOUT FAIR AND HONEST ELECTIONS, AND STRONG AND POWERFUL BORDERS, YOU DON'T HAVE EVEN A SEMBLANCE OF A COUNTRY.'

Tanzania's move to block foreign business owners sparks trade dispute with Kenya
Tanzania's move to block foreign business owners sparks trade dispute with Kenya

Business Insider

time30-07-2025

  • Business Insider

Tanzania's move to block foreign business owners sparks trade dispute with Kenya

Tanzania's decision to bar foreign nationals from owning and operating a wide range of small-scale businesses is stirring diplomatic unease and threatening to trigger a trade standoff with neighbouring Kenya. Tanzania has imposed new regulations forbidding foreign nationals from engaging in specific small-scale businesses. Kenya has criticized the move, citing potential violations of East African Community protocols promoting free regional trade. This policy shift has raised concerns about potential trade tensions and retaliatory actions between Tanzania and Kenya. Under new government regulations, foreigners are now prohibited from engaging in at least 15 sectors, including mobile money transfers, small-scale mining, on-farm crop buying, tour guiding, beauty salons, curio shops, and the establishment of radio and television stations. Violators face hefty fines, up to six months in jail, and the revocation of visas and work permits. While Tanzanian officials say the policy aims to protect local entrepreneurs and curb competition for informal jobs, Kenya has sharply criticised the move, warning that it could violate East African Community (EAC) protocols that guarantee the free movement of goods, services, and people among the bloc's eight member states. Tanzania, Kenya trade relations threatened The new restrictions imposed by Tanzania could destabilize trade between the two countries by limiting the participation of Kenyan traders in Tanzanian markets and provoking retaliatory measures from Kenya. Kenya exports a diverse mix of manufactured goods, processed foods, and machinery to Tanzania, while Tanzania supplies agricultural produce, minerals, and livestock to the Kenyan market. Border towns in both countries also support thousands of cross-border traders whose livelihoods rely on steady, unhindered trade flows. With both nations deeply intertwined through cross-border commerce and shared regional agreements, such unilateral moves risk undermining business confidence, slowing investment, and disrupting the flow of goods and services that fuel bilateral trade. ' This could trigger retaliatory measures, ' said Bernard Shinali, chairman of Kenya's National Assembly Trade Committee, who noted that Tanzanians also operate freely in Kenya's mining sector. ' It is clear that Tanzanians have gone too far, and we should cut links with them,' he added, signaling a potentially hardening stance from Nairobi. Shinali also disclosed that Kenya's parliament would summon the trade minister to clarify the country's response. Tanzania's policy breaches key EAC principles The East African Community (EAC), a regional bloc comprising eight member states, of which Tanzania and Kenya are a part of, is founded on principles of economic integration and the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital. These ideals are enshrined in the EAC Common Market Protocol, which came into effect in 2010. Under the protocol, citizens of member states are entitled to move freely, establish businesses, and provide services across borders without facing discrimination based on nationality. However, Tanzania's recent decision to bar foreign nationals from operating some businesses in the country has raised concerns about its compliance with EAC obligations. The backlash in Kenya is being echoed by a wave of criticism online, where citizens have questioned how the new Tanzanian rules can coexist with EAC's founding vision of a borderless regional market.

Tanzania's ban on foreigners operating small businesses sparks Kenyan backlash
Tanzania's ban on foreigners operating small businesses sparks Kenyan backlash

Yahoo

time30-07-2025

  • Yahoo

Tanzania's ban on foreigners operating small businesses sparks Kenyan backlash

Tanzania has barred foreign nationals from owning and operating mainly small-scale businesses, sparking concern and a backlash from neighbouring Kenya. The new directive prohibits them from 15 sectors including mobile money transfers, tour guiding, small-scale mining, on-farm crop buying, beauty salons, curio shops and establishing radio and TV operations. Trade Minister Selemani Jafo explained that foreigners had increasingly become involved in the informal sector and areas better filled by Tanzanians. Locally the move has generally been welcomed amid growing concerns that foreigners, including Chinese nationals, have been encroaching on smaller trades. Last year, traders at Dar es Salaam's bustling Kariakoo shopping district went on strike to protest against aggressive taxation and unfair competition from Chinese traders. "We've welcomed this decision because it protects the livelihoods of Tanzanian traders," Severine Mushi, the head of Kariakoo traders' association, told the Citizen newspaper. Violators risk fines, six months in jail and loss of visas and work permits. Jafo added that he hoped the ban, announced on Monday, would also encourage foreigners to invest in large-scale businesses. But it has been met with anger in Kenya, with some arguing that it violates East African Community (EAC) agreements that guarantee free movement of people and trade among its eight member states. Kenyan president apologises to Tanzania over deportation row Why Samia's hesitant reforms are fuelling Tanzanian political anger National Assembly Trade Committee chairman Bernard Shinali warned the move could trigger reciprocal restrictions, Kenya's Daily Nation reported. "There are many Tanzanians working in our mining sites too," the newspaper quoted him as saying. "It is clear that Tanzanians have gone too far and we should cut links with them." Shinali said Kenya's parliament would summon the trade minister to shed more light on the matter. Veteran Kenyan hotelier Mohammed Hersi also questioned Tanzania's move to restrict occupations for foreigners. "Sometimes, it is important to focus on the bigger picture… Protectionism will never help a country to thrive," he said on X. Many other Kenyans have also raised concern on social media, describing Tanzania's policy move as a big challenge to regional integration. "Tanzanians are doing all manner of small businesses in Kenya without any hindrance. It's clear Tanzania has never been serious in making the EAC work," one person posted on X. Tanzania and Kenya have experienced periodic political and economic tensions. Tanzania's implementation of protective tariffs and import bans has in the past drawn criticism from its regional partners. In May, Kenya's Foreign Affairs Minister Musalia Mudavadi said that about 250,000 Kenyans lived, worked or did business in Tanzania, something he noted as he emphasised the need to preserve cordial relations. He was addressing diplomatic tensions surrounding Tanzania's treatment of Kenyans who had gone to Dar es Salaam to observe the treason trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu. Several of them were deported while prominent Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi, along with Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire, went missing and were later reported to have been tortured and sexually mistreated. Tanzania is due to hold general elections in October, with the ruling CCM party expected to retain power. You may also be interested in: Are East African governments uniting to silence dissent? Could this be the end of the road for Tanzania's great survivor? WATCH: Forced to beg - Tanzania's trafficked kids Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica BBC Africa podcasts Focus on Africa This Is Africa

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store