This week’s local elections did not draw throngs of voters to the polls, unofficial election results indicate. However, Naperville’s participation exceeded neighboring communities in the consolidated contests that were decided Tuesday.
DuPage County, home to more than two-thirds of the city’s registered voters, tallied 13,964 Naperville constituents casting ballots in the mayoral election. In Will County, the Naperville turnout for the race came to 4,488. The numbers represent 20.3 percent of all city residents eligible to vote in the two counties.
Overall participation at the ballot box ranged from 11 percent to 17 percent across DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will counties, which is consistent with previous local election cycles.
“We usually average between 16 and 20 percent (voter turnout), and right now we are sitting at 17 (percent),” said Joseph Sobecki, assistant executive director for the DuPage County Election Commission.
More than 96,000 of DuPage County’s 562,725 registered voters cast a ballot in Tuesday’s election. Sobecki said the proportions ranged locally from a low of 8 percent to a high of 40 percent throughout county villages and cities.
In Naperville, voters chose the successor to five-term Mayor A. George Pradel, who opted not to seek another four years in office. Lifelong city resident and business owner Steve Chirico led the pack of four contenders with about 60 percent of the vote, which totaled more than 11,000 in DuPage and Will counties. The Naperville City Council race also had voters choosing from 20 candidates vying to fill eight open seats. Newcomers Becky Anderson, Kevin Coyne, Patty Gustin, John Krummen and Rebecca Boyd-Obarski joined Kevin Gallaher, who previously served as a councilman, and incumbents Judy Brodhead and Paul Hinterlong in the winners’ column.
DuPage County voters from Aurora were in the 8 percent range for the at-large alderman election where Richard Irvan ran unopposed. In contrast, the Village of Clarendon Hills voters checked in at 40 percent for the election that included Len Austin as the write-in winner for village president.
While DuPage County’s average voter turnout was at 17 percent, other area counties showed low double-digits: Will County at 14 percent, Kane County at 13 percent and Kendall County at 11 percent.
Linda Fechner, executive director of the Aurora Election Commission, said while their numbers are still unofficial, the 11 percent voter turnout they’re reporting is lower than expected.
“Even though it’s an off year – a quiet election – I anticipated more of a turnout,” said Fechner, adding that the numbers were up slightly from the 9 percent reported in the 2011 general consolidated election.
Fechner said she expected to see a higher turnout because of the school district board elections at East Aurora, Kaneland and Oswego, and because West Aurora School District had a referendum question on the ballot.
“Since education is important to everyone, I thought that would have drawn the voters out,” she said.
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More than 15 percent of registered voters turned out to vote on the West Aurora School District referendum, which included an $84.2 million borrowing plan. The plan was embraced by more than 3,700 voters, equaling about 63 percent who voted in favor of it, according to unofficial results.
Official county election results will be finalized later this month.
Donahue is a freelance reporter for The Naperville Sun. The Sun’s Susan Frick Carlman contributed.