2011 Election Central: Complaint Filed Tuesday Alleging Election Judge Misconduct

April 7: Early Cook County Numbers Indicate Loss for Write-in Candidate Janet Hughes

Unofficial results released Wednesday afternoon by Cook County Clerk David Orr indicate write-in candidate Janet Hughes will not retain her seat on the Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A Board of Education.

There were a total of 1,115 write-in votes cast in the District 113A race, where Hughes, was the only write-in candidate.

Results from Cook and DuPage counties give candidate Al Malley 2,353 votes, which puts him in position to win the fourth open seat.

Hughes would need 1,239 votes to surpass Malley, and only 868 ballots were cast in DuPage County.

April 6: Complaint Filed with State Board of Elections

A complaint was filed Tuesday with the Illinois State Board of Elections after inappropriate discussions between election judges were allegedly overheard at a Lemont polling place.

Mary Pollard, a poll watcher for the pro-referendum group Citizens for 113A, filed the complaint after an incident at the Our Lady of Victory Convent, said Gail Siegel, communications director for Cook County Clerk David Orr.

Pollard said she arrived at the convent around 2:45 p.m. to check vote counts for Precinct 2 when she overheard two election judges discussing "lots of shenanigans going on" in District 113A, including an investigation by the state's attorney.

Upon hearing the discussion, Pollard claims she told the judges they were not supposed to talk about anything election-related inside the polling place. A third judge agreed with her and all conversation ceased, she said.

Pollard said there was an individual in the room who had not yet voted when the incident took place.

According to Siegel, the complaint will be reviewed later this week.

Overall, Siegel said the number of complaints filed in suburban Cook County on Tuesday was "remarkably small" — a sign that "things worked well in the polling places."

April 5: Election Results 2011

With all precincts reporting in Tuesday's consolidated election, proposed by Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A.

In the night's only contested race, : Michael Aurelio, David Molitor and Cynthia Kelly. The fourth-highest vote-getter was Al Malley, but the winner of the fourth seat will not officially be determined until votes are tallied for write-in candidate Janet Hughes in two weeks.

For more information, see our .

April 3: Follow Patch on Tuesday for Minute-by-Minute Updates

Election Day is almost upon us, and we hope you're as ready as we are.

We'll be out at the polls all day Tuesday as Lemont voters cast their ballots for this year's consolidated election. All eyes will be on the District 113A School Board race and the outcome of the proposed $20 million referendum, as all other board races are uncontested this year.

Patch will also bring you minute-by-minute results once the polls close in Cook and DuPage counties. Be sure to bookmark the site and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for additional updates.

If you're not one of the , head over to our for information on the referendum and all nine District 113A candidates, including .

Check back Monday for updates to our election guide, which will include a guide to local polling places.

March 31: Documents Show Lemont Teachers' Union Donated $7,500 to Pro-Referendum Group

CORRECTION: This post originally stated that $5,500 of a $7,500 donation was used for a Citizens for 113A poll. However, the $5,500 was an additional donation. We regret the error.

The union representing teachers in made contributions to the a local pro-referendum group, according to documents filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Filed Feb. 11, the documents show a $7,500 donation from the American Federation of Teachers Local 604 to Citizens for 113A, a registered political action group. A donation of $5,500 was also made March 24 for a poll, according to the State Board's website.

Michelle Nevin, president of Local 604, said the contributions were made in accordance with state law.

"We filed the appropriate documents, so we weren't trying to hide anything," she said. "We're teachers, and teachers are obviously going to support a referendum."

Nevin said any contributions made by individual teachers would not have been made on behalf of the union. Donations were not made by the teachers' union to any individuals running for the District 113A Board of Education, she said.

"We have not endorsed or directly supported any candidate's campaign," she said.

Mark Hinkle, president of Citizens for 113A, said at least 75 individuals have also made donations, which have been used over the past 15 months in the group's campaign to pass a District 113A referendum.

"As a registered political committee we have been completely transparent regarding the contributions made to our group, as well as the expenses we have incurred in our efforts to help pass a 113A referendum," Hinkle said. "Reports regarding our donations and expenses have been filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections and are available to be viewed online."

March 29: Lemont Library Sees Huge Early Voter Turnout

According to a release from Cook County Clerk David Orr, the Lemont Public Library has seen this election season. In fact, the library ranks third among suburban Cook County sites with contested races. As of Tuesday, more than 1,200 ballots had been cast at the location.

Early voting will continue Wednesday and Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

March 27: With Nine Days to Go, Are You Ready to Vote?

April 5 is fast approaching, and what better way to spend a Sunday than by catching up on all things election-related? Just a friendly reminder to check out the 2011 Election Central (see link above), as well as the issue-based questions we've been posting with answers from District 113A candidates.

In case you're still new to Patch and what we've been doing for the election so far, your local editor has decided to embarrass herself with a short video on our Facebook page. Check it out for a quick rundown on everything we have to offer for voters before Election Day. While you're at it, be sure to "like" our page so you don't want to miss any updates heading into April 5.

March 25: District 113A Candidates Discuss Accountability

In our third issue-based question, we asked the District 113A School Board candidates to .

March 24: Candidate Videos Coming Next Week

For those who are still on the fence about their four votes for the District 113A Board of Education, be sure to check Patch next week as we roll out videos on each of the candidates.

All of the videos will be between one and two minutes long, and will give each candidate the opportunity to "state their case," or tell you why they should get your vote. Also on deck for next week: the final three posts in our series of issue-based questions.

March 23: Draft Legislation Released, ISBE Confirms Plans for an SFA in November

Throughout election season, one of the hottest topics in the District 113A race has been the issue of state takeover and whether or not the district ever faced a substantial threat.

This week, a copy of the draft legislation for state takeover of District 113A was provided to district officials by representatives from PMA Financial, who received the document from the Illinois State Board of Education.

March 21: District 113A Candidates Talk Central School

In the second post in our series of issue-based questions for the District 113A School Board candidates, we shifted the focus from the referendum to the .

The verdict? While none of the candidates were in favor of closing Central in principle, four (Taylor, Murphy, Kelly and Molitor) said they would vote to close the school should the referendum not pass.

March 18: District 113A Candidates Share Views in Series of Issue-Based Questions

Over the past few weeks, you've had the opportunity to get to know the District 113A candidates through multiple forums and their published biographies on Patch. In the two weeks leading up to the election, we're taking it a step further by sharing the candidates' views in a series of six issue-based questions — all of which were submitted by Lemont Patch readers.

First up, the candidates once again tackle the .

March 17: Let Election Central Be Your Guide

Just a reminder from your friendly local editor that we've put together a spiffy for all Lemont board races. We also have information for you on voting, the $20 million referendum and polling places. Be sure to check it out and let us know what you think — your feedback is important to us!

March 16: Mayor's Town Hall Meeting on Public Education

More than 100 people came out to the Lemont High School Performing Arts Center on Wednesday night for Mayor Brian Reaves's town hall meeting on public education. During the forum, village and school officials gave presentations and answered audience questions on school finances, the current situation in District 113A and the future of education in Lemont.

If you missed the event, be sure to check out or watch a replay of the event online.

March 15: Lemont Tea Party Forum

The Lemont Tea Party hosted all nine candidates for the District 113A School Board on Tuesday evening for a public forum. If you missed the event, don't worry: Patch .

March 14: Early Voting Begins

for the 2011 consolidated election.

Lemont residents may vote early at the Lemont Public Library, 50 E. Wend St., from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday. The final day to cast an early ballot is March 31.

Voters must bring a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license or passport.

March 12: Link to District 113A Candidate Forum

To make it easier for readers to access the "on demand" video of the District 113A candidate forum held March 9, Patch has created a separate page in the . Please share the page with anyone interested in viewing the video, and be sure to share your thoughts on the forum.

March 11: Election Season Reminders

As election season heats up, Patch would like to remind readers of on the site. Please read carefully and adhere to all guidelines set forth in the post.

March 10: Lemont Tea Party Forum

The Lemont Tea Party is hosting a forum at 6:30 p.m. Thursday for all District 113A School Board candidates. The event will be held at the Lemont Township Community Center, 16300 Alba St. For more information, .

March 9: Candidate Forum to Stream Live

The District 113A candidate forum hosted by Patch and the Lemont Junior Woman's Club will be available live online at 7 p.m. Visit and be sure to share your thoughts in the comments and on our Facebook page.

March 8: Final Day to Register to Vote

Tuesday is the in the April 5 election. In order to register, you must bring at least two forms of identification to Village Hall, Lemont Township, or the Lemont Public Library during normal operating hours.

March 7: Candidate Forum Reminder, Other Important Dates

Be sure to check out the latest news on on Wednesday. Both parties are pleased to announce that we will be live-streaming the event, thanks to a very generous Lemont resident.

Other important dates to remember:

• March 8: Last day to register to vote or transfer registration
• March 9: First day for grace period registration and voting
• March 14: First day for early voting
• March 29: Last day for grace period registration and voting
• March 31: Last day for early voting

March 3: Introducing 2011 Election Central

We are so excited to roll out our 2011 Election Central feature for Lemont voters today. This page offers everything you need to know for the April 5 consolidated election, including a breakdown of each race on the ballot, candidate profiles and voting information such as polling locations and sample ballots.

We'll be updating this space with shorter news items, election-related events and real-time results throughout the next month and on Election Night. But the Election Central will serve as your go-to resource for candidate information, and we'll also update their pages with any more info or related stories we get.

If you have any questions, concerns or tips, please contact Lemont Patch Editor Amanda Luevano at amanda@patch.com.

The Lemont 2011 Election Log is our main hub for all things election. For more information on individual candidates and races, see our .

Bookmark the link, check in and offer comments. If you know of any election news, want to submit an endorsement or have any questions or suggestions, e-mail amanda@patch.com.