Unofficial results show Penny Wegman leading race for Kane County Auditor

Unofficial vote totals show Penny Wegman (D) ahead of challenger Gretchen Butler (R) in the race for Kane County Auditor.

As of 11:42 p.m. Nov. 5, with all precincts reporting, unofficial vote totals showed Penny Wegman leading with 112,500 votes over Butler with 99,321 votes. Turnout was 72.76%.

Wegman is a former Kane County Board member and has served as auditor since 2020.

During a candidate forum held by the League of Women Voters in October, Wegman said her office’s goals for the next four years would be to continue looking at internal controls, increase transparency, do all audits, update training and “consistently diving deeper into purchases and contracts.”

In Wegman’s candidate questionnaire, she said her office has worked to increase transparency in the county, most recently receiving the Innovator Award from the International Association of Government Officials. She also vowed to continue to strictly follow the responsibilities of her office and decline assignments and appointments that will jeopardize the integrity of the office.

After the election, Wegman said the most effective part of her campaign was getting out into the communities, going door to door and connecting with voters.

“I think that I’ve been very effective over the past four years and I’ve got the experience and the results to show for that,” Wegman said. "

Looking toward the next four years, Wegman said her office will continue their ongoing pursuit to increase transparency in Kane County. She said she looks forward to continuing that and reviewing and updating financial and travel policies throughout the county.

“I’m really excited that they chose to allow me to continue doing the work that we’ve been doing for the last four years for the next four years,” Wegman said. “It’s just an exciting opportunity to be able to represent my community and help ensure the county is in compliance with their policies.”

Butler said after the election that she is looking towards the future.

“As a newcomer to politics, I’m incredibly proud of my team and everything we achieved in the Kane County Auditor’s race,” Butler said. “We connected with many community members and made substantial progress in getting my name out there. I’m looking forward to seeing what opportunities the future may bring for upcoming races.”