Incumbent county clerk Karen Kinney was re-elected in Rock Island County.
A pre-election controversy over touchscreen voting machines was perceived by some to threaten Kinney’s bid for re-election but, in the end, it was Kinney that the voters chose.
Kinney was at the center of a disagreement between her office and the county’s Republican party, after voters reported touchscreen voting machines were counting their votes for the wrong candidate. Kinney said only four voters had complained and that the machine was pulled for recalibration.
The battle over the calibration of all Rock Island County touchscreen voting machines eventually went to court days before the election, and a judge ruled the county was not compelled to recalibrate all of the touchscreen machines prior to the November 4 election.
With 100% of precincts reporting, Kinney had 52.21% of the vote, which translated to 23,226 ballots cast in her favor. Her opponent, Kim Lazenby, got 21,256 votes, totaling 47.79%.
