Illinois County Clerks Fight Back Against Election Lies and Misinformation

Trust in American elections is tanking, and the fallout is hitting hard across party lines. A recent University of California San Diego poll found confidence in accurate vote counts dropped 17 percent in just one year. Republicans worry about redistricting; Democrats fear immigration agents at the polls. Both sides are haunted by unproven claims of widespread fraud — claims relentlessly pushed by Donald Trump and echoed by officials he placed in federal posts.

Illinois county clerks are on the front lines of this crisis. With authority over local election administration, these officials operate under state laws but face unique challenges in their diverse communities—from Chicago’s urban sprawl to rural counties. Their bipartisan coalition is working hard to combat the flood of misinformation that threatens to erode voter confidence even further.

John Ackerman, Republican clerk in Tazewell County, points to 2016 as the real starting point of today’s distrust, when foreign hackers breached Illinois voter databases. Although no vote tabulation machines were compromised, the breach sowed fear that Trump later exploited by labeling the system “rigged.” Since then, false narratives have metastasized, fueled by Trump’s repeated lies about the 2020 election and carried forward by federal officials like FBI Director Kash Patel, who refuse to acknowledge Biden’s legitimate victory.

Despite these headwinds, Illinois clerks report their efforts to educate voters and increase transparency are paying off. They emphasize the strength of local control, where voters can directly hold their election officials accountable—a stark contrast to the shadowy federal interference that has stoked conspiracy theories. By engaging their communities and correcting falsehoods, these clerks are proving that democracy can be defended from the ground up.

But the challenge is immense. The fractured nature of U.S. election administration means messaging varies widely, making it harder to counter misinformation on a national scale. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court’s recent gutting of key Voting Rights Act provisions and ongoing DOJ actions against election offices feed the toxic narrative that elections are anything but fair.

As the country barrels toward the 2026 midterms and eyes the 2028 presidential race, the stakes could not be higher. Illinois county clerks offer a blueprint for restoring faith in elections—rooted in transparency, local accountability, and relentless truth-telling. If we want to stop the slide toward authoritarianism, supporting these local defenders of democracy is essential.