Name: Brian Pollock
What office are you seeking: Kane County Clerk
What is your current age? 48
Occupation and employer: Kane County Clerk
What offices, if any, have you previously held? Kane County Board Member (chair for Legislative Committee and Jobs Committee; served as county’s in-house lobbyist, wrote legislation that generates more than $1 million annually for Kane County)
City: Aurora
Education: BA, Northwestern University, JD, DePaul University College of Law
Community involvement: -Legislative co-chair, Illinois Association of County Clerks and Recorders, -Vote by Mail Task Force, Illinois Association of County Clerks and Recorders, -Parliamentarian, Aurora Township Democratic Central Committee (previously held other executive board positions), -Executive Board Member and Legal Counsel, League of United Latin American Citizens Council 5218 (Local council of nation’s largest Latino civil rights organization; also providing tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships to Kane County students), -Pro bono legal work providing assistance in areas including immigration, probate, and foreclosure, -Constituent services work for state legislators, -Campaign staff for Democratic campaigns in Kane County since 1992, -Board member/volunteer for various community and civic organizations
Marital status/Immediate family: Single
Why are you running for this office?
I’m the only candidate with experience to run the office on day one. With 9 years of experience as second in command, I’ve represented the Clerk’s Office at the county, state, and federal level. I’ve created budgets which kept the office under budget every year and secured millions in external grants to protect county taxpayers. I’ve developed policies and standards for our office and have been intricately involved in evaluating and implementing major technological upgrades in the office, including vote by mail processing equipment, ballot tracking system, new voting machines, and wait time tool. I’ve built a national network of clerks and election authorities to share best practices, discuss new ideas, and solve problems. My experience as an attorney and former county board member is also beneficial to the position.
As Trump threatens to eliminate Vote by Mail and Early Voting options used by more than 60% of Kane’s voters, we need a Clerk with a proven history of protecting and expanding voting rights. I’m proud to have written language passed by the state legislature to expand voting rights in Illinois.
The Clerk’s Office handles the complex tax extension process, administers elections to protect democracy, manages vital records, and accepts passport applications. County Clerk is not an entry level position and demands someone with experience, skills, and temperament. I am best qualified to serve.
What are your top three priorities for this position?
- Increasing transparency and communication
- Working to protect voting rights and increase accessibility
- Providing excellent customer service while maintaining fiscal responsibility
Is the office adequately staffed and funded? Would you seek additional funding for the office if elected? How would you spend it and how would you justify that to taxpayers?
Any countywide elected official in Kane County can justifiably say that the office requires more money to be adequately funded. Kane County has historically seen staff leave for other counties due to significant salary disparities. For example, the Clerk’s Office lost 20% of its frontline staff during the 3-year term of the last CBA. Staffing a customer service-oriented office like the Clerk’s Office is a challenge with that kind of turnover.
That said, I have a proven record of fiscal responsibility. During my time on the county board, I never voted for any property tax levy increases.
I am well aware of the County’s current financial situation. The county board determines the annual allocation from the general fund that is sent to the clerk’s office, and I appreciate the need to live within a budget.
I’m also proud to have secured millions of dollars in external grants for the clerk’s office for equipment, contractual services, and salaries. Securing these external grants, including grants from non-governmental entities, helps to protect Kane County taxpayers from levy increases. As Clerk, I will continue to be aggressive in securing grant funds to help fund our office.
What, if any, deficiencies do you see in how the office is run, and how would you address them?
One area of deficiency for the Clerk’s Office and perhaps much of the County, is the use of artificial intelligence. Whether we like it or not, AI’s role in our lives continues to expand. Our office currently does not actively use AI. I’m committed to protecting personal identifying information (PII) such as addresses, phone numbers, SSN, etc and maintaining security for documents we keep (voter registration information, vital records, etc), so any use of AI must protect this information. At the same time, AI can be helpful to synthesize information and automate certain processes to save time and money. With recent budget cuts, we need to spend wisely.
At conferences and seminars, I’ve discussed with clerks and election authorities the ways in which they are using AI safely and responsibly. I’m proud of the network I’ve built because it brings more resources to Kane County and can help develop an AI plan for the office.
I was able to use those relationships to create Kane County’s new vote center wait time tool. As a result of my relationship with a nationwide association of election authorities, my idea for a voter-focused tool which displays voting wait times at Kane County polling locations is now available for Kane County voters. This tool was built specifically for Kane County, and we are the first to have it.
These are the types of resources that I bring to the office and can use to help implement an AI plan.
As clerk, you would be responsible for running elections in Kane County. Do you believe that the 2020 presidential election was stolen?
No. I believe that the official canvass from the 2020 general election in Kane County accurately reflects the votes cast in the November 2020 election.
Misinformation/disinformation/malinformation (MDM) is one of the biggest challenges to the office and to our election system. The “stolen election” myth is an example of MDM and is damaging to democracy. It is especially disappointing when candidates and elected officials who either don’t understand or recklessly don’t care how much damage is caused by their spreading MDM.
Repeating the false allegation that “voters don’t trust elections” is just as damaging, and even more when said by those seeking to administer elections. The overwhelming majority of voters trust elections in Kane County and believe that elections are fair, secure, and accurate.
I helped to develop and implement our comprehensive election security plan in the office. Bipartisan election judges are present at every step of the process from ballot printing, folding, and inserting on the outbound side, to the processing, signature verification, tabulation, and storage of ballots on the inbound side. I created educational materials and presented them in person to community organizations, local governments, and political groups to help dispel MDM and increase awareness of the facts regarding our elections. As Clerk, I look forward to continuing and expanding voter education.