Chambana Sun

Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons is facing stiff criticism after Champaign County experienced widespread system malfunctions on Election Day that caused delays at polling locations throughout the county where many voters initially turned away, while others had to wait to cast their ballots until after the issues were resolved. 

State Rep. Dan Caulkins (R-Macon), who is not running for election and will finish his legislative career in January, said Ammons has a history of flubbing Election Day voting. 

“Champaign County has a systemic problem with an incompetent clerk who refuses to accept any help or react or take responsibility,” Caulkins told Chambana Sun. "You call him up, you'll get a thousand excuses as to what happened. Never his problem. Never his fault.” 

Chambana Sun called Ammons office for comments but its voicemail was full. 

Ammons, whose wife is State Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) apologized for the issues in an interview with WCIA this morning. 

“I've sent numerous messages and numerous calls to our current vendor who's in control of this,” Ammons told WCIA. “I have not gotten a response at this particular point. That's what we are working on at this time. I've also spoken with the state's attorney to see if we can get an injunction to extend the hours of voting today. I think we'll be able to do that. But right now, that's where we stand.” 

The delays, compounded by heavy rain and poor weather conditions, left many voters frustrated and angry.

“I attempted to vote in Champaign County, IL early this morning and was told the internet for the entire county is down and I couldn’t vote,” Donna Raines said on X. “ I then requested a paper ballot and was told that they aren’t set up for that. I asked what is the manual process in the event that the internet fails. There is not a manual process.” 

Raines later added to the post noting that she returned to her polling place three hours later and was able to vote. 

After more than an hour, the voting issues in Champaign County were resolved, and the lines at polling locations began moving again. 

A request to extend voting hours to 9 p.m. was made but later rescinded by the Champaign County State’s Attorney’s Office. 

Polls will close at 7 p.m., and voters are encouraged to be in line by then to ensure they can cast their ballots.

Despite the resolution of the issues and the resumption of voting by late morning, Caulkins remains critical of Ammons' leadership. 

“Why wouldn’t he be able to be prepared for an election?” Caulkins said. “Every two years, and this is every four years for a presidential election. This is gross incompetence on his part, his inability to run an election.” 

Caulkins said the delay causes “voter disenfranchisement,” noting Ammons has a history of Election Day problems.

“The county clerk in Champaign County is totally incompetent and probably corrupt,” Caulkins said. “This isn’t the first time we’ve had problems with the elections in Champaign County. He’s unresponsive to any outside group. You talk to the State Clerk’s Association, and members are open about his incompetence and his unwillingness to take any advice, any help.”

Caulkins pointed to past election failures as evidence of a systemic issue with the clerk’s office. 

“One year he claimed that his system had been hacked,” he said. “That was the reason why he had problems. That was the only county in Illinois, by the way, that had that problem. So if nefarious operators are going to hack into a county election system, do you really think they're only going to hack into Champaign?” 

Caulkins suggested that repeated failures point to deeper issues within the office.

“This is inexcusable,” he said. “And today, in a world where people are already skeptical of their vote, you’ve got Champaign County that’s had this problem over and over again, and this individual has failed to address the problem, failed to solve the problem, failed to conduct an election over and over again.”

Ammons’ repeated failures to properly count votes, continued distribution of mail-in ballots to non-residents, inability to prevent voting delays, and lying about a cyber attack have destroyed Champaign County voters’ confidence in our elections.

Susan Mantell, Chairwoman of the Champaign County Republicans, provided a statement to Chambana Sun about the incident this morning that caused delays for voters. 

"Ammons’ repeated failures to properly count votes, continued distribution of mail-in ballots to non-residents, inability to prevent voting delays, and lying about a cyber attack have destroyed Champaign County voters’ confidence in our elections," Mantell said in the statement. "Our democracy demands free, fair, and efficient elections so that every legal vote can be counted."

Ammons was convicted in the 1990s for heroin possession with intent to distribute, but after a series of legal issues, he petitioned for a pardon in 2015 from then-Governor Pat Quinn. 

The petition process, however, raised several red flags, including Ammons' failure to follow procedural rules, such as submitting his application too late and not properly notifying key legal parties about his request. 

However, Ammons was granted a pardon, which included a controversial exclusion regarding his right to possess a firearm.

“He is a convicted felon for being a drug dealer,” Caulkins said. “He was convicted and sent to prison for dealing drugs. His wife is a state representative…and she bypassed all of the protocols of all of the checks and balances in the system. And on his way out the door, she persuaded Governor Quinn to pardon her husband.” 

The Edgar County Watchdogs questioned the integrity of the pardon process, noting that Ammons did not complete all the required probation tasks before being discharged, yet he later claimed to have learned "integrity" from his experiences. 

The Watchdogs also highlighted Ammons’ use of political connections, especially his wife, State Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana), who has been involved in her own controversies, such as falsely claiming a college degree and securing a school board seat despite not being a legal resident. 

The Watchdogs suggested that the pardon, which bypassed standard procedures, may have been politically motivated. 

Caulkins referred to Ammons' past conviction for drug-related charges and his eventual pardon.

"Democrat machine corruption, but you can't hide the fact it did happen," Caulkins said. 

Caulkins also argued that the use of electronic voting machines, which are central to the county's election system, is problematic. He called for a return to paper ballots, citing the skepticism many voters have about the integrity of electronic systems. 

"Just like here in Macon County, we should be using paper ballots," Caulkins said. "The only reason you should ever use an electronic voting machine is if you're handicapped and you can't fill in a circle or you have a problem voting on a piece of paper.”

Caulkins empathized with those who had shown up to vote, only to be turned away due to technical failures. 

“I keep imagining how the people feel over there when they can’t vote,” he said. “Their vote doesn’t count. It’s raining, it’s 65 degrees, and it’s been raining all day. You show up at the polls to vote, and they say, ‘Sorry, our machines are down, and you can’t vote. There’s no paper ballots. There’s no backup system.’ It’s just...well, in today’s age, how many times have you had your computer or phone go down? You have to restart it. There’s no excuse for this. Pure incompetence.”

The long-standing issues in the county, Caulkins argued, reflect a broader failure in leadership. 

“This alarm has been ringing for years. It’s not just today. We’ve been talking about this for years,” he said. "They need to get rid of their clerk. They need to vote him out. You need somebody in there who can run the office fairly and make things work.”

Caulkins also placed blame on voters for electing Ammons despite his track record. 

“This is what happens when you vote for a party and not the most qualified person,” he said. 

“This is on the voters in Champaign County. You get what you vote for. You vote for someone just because they have a D behind their name and not based on qualifications.”

He reiterated the importance of holding election officials accountable. 

“We need a more competent person. We need someone better, particularly someone better at this job,” he said. “This is one of the most critical offices in the county. You want someone who can run that office effectively.”