Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.
The Cook County Board Finance Committee, chaired by Chairman Daly, convened on October 29, 2026, to review the Fiscal Year 2027 budget request for the Cook County Clerk's Office. Clerk Monica Gordon presented the budget, highlighting the upcoming November 3rd election, technological improvements, and significant challenges with the Tyler property tax system. Commissioners engaged in detailed questioning on election integrity, budget line items, and vendor accountability.
clerk recording system. She reported that as of that morning, more than 157,000 residents had cast early ballots and nearly 84,000 mail ballots had been returned. The clerk's office serves 1.7 million registered voters in suburban Cook County. She described the Tyler project as the office's most significant operational challenge, noting critical defects remain unresolved as the December 15th tax sale approaches.election lens real-time analytics platform, paper ballot backups, and a clear chain of command requiring election judges to report incidents to an election center. Commissioner Degman directly questioned a claim about voting machines flipping votes, which Deputy Clerk Michaelowski stated is impossible with the county's equipment. Clerk Gordon declared misinformation the biggest threat to democracy.The Finance of the Committee on the Courtney County Board for reconvene. We have the Cook County Clerk. The Honorable Monica Gordon. Monica, welcome. Thank you. Thank you. Good afternoon, Chairman Daly and members of the Finance Committee. In five days, democracy will be on the ballot in Cook County. Hundreds of thousands of Cook County voters will have the opportunity to make their voices heard. They will choose their elected leaders and help shape the future of their communities, our county, and the state of Illinois. That means our Cook County election teams is working around the clock to coordinate thousands of election workers, prepare polling locations, and manage voting equipment, all to ensure that the 1.7 million registered voters in suburban Cook County have the opportunity to cast their ballots safely and securely. But our work does not begin and end with election day. The clerk's office is responsible for essential services that touch the lives of residents throughout the year. From maintaining vital records to recording property documents, providing real estate and tax services, and helping residents access the documents and information they need. Today I am pleased to present the fiscal year 2027 budget request for the Cook County Clerk's Office. Over the past year, we have made meaningful progress in modernizing operations, improving customer service, and expanding community engagement. We're embracing technology more than ever before and developing more in-house solutions to automate outdated processes and improve efficiency. At the same time, we recognize the fiscal realities of facing Cook County government. Rising costs for goods and services and economic uncertainty present real challenges that require careful consideration and sound financial decisions. We cannot ignore these challenges, but we can respond thoughtfully and strategically. I am committed to making responsible investments in ensuring that every dollar in our budget supports effective and reliable public service. As of this morning, more than 157,000 residents have cast ballots during early voting, and we have nearly 84,000 mail ballots that have been returned. Thanks to your continued support, the clerk's office is conducting this election with more advanced tools than ever before to help us monitor polling place activity, identify potential issues, and respond rapidly. All 56 early voting locations are equipped with smart ballot drop boxes that have built-in surveillance cameras and advanced ballot tracking technology. We have expanded the capabilities of election lens, our real-time elections analytics platform. For this election, the platform provides improved tracking of mail ballots and greater visibility into voter check-ins and the distributed distribution of voting equipment. I visited schools where early voting was taking place, and excitement and energy among the students and teachers was amazing. We call it the Teen Takeover for Democracy. But this team takeover is centered on leadership, civic responsibility, and the power of young people to shape their future. The program is already exceeding our expectations and establishing Cook County as a national model for engaging high school students in a democratic process. In its very first year, the program has earned an award for excellence from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and a national achievement award from National Association of Counties. At the same time, we continue to combat election misinformation and provide rapid response and trusted information to the public about election operations. We remain vigilant about cybersecurity and other potential threats at our polling locations. We are in regular contact with the sheriff's office and local law enforcement to help ensure that every Cook County voter can cast the ballot in a safe and secure environment. While the election represents one of our most visible responsibilities, it is only one part of the work we're doing on behalf of Cook County residents. In recording operations, we are continuing to develop our clerk recording system, an in house enterprise platform designed to replace an outdated land record system. This represents a significant investment in our ability to manage property records more effectively and build technology around the needs of our operations. We have also developed mail tracking improvements that give us better visibility and to document processing and help us strengthen accountability. We're working to give customers greater visibility into their transactions and improve communication throughout the vital records request process. Our real estate and tax services department is also making important progress. We have begun adapting new cash sharing and mail tracking systems to support future integration. We have also developed a secure online tax buyer take notice portal that streamlines the submission and processing of required notices. The system supports document uploads, stamping, indexing, and document storage. The Tyler project remains our most significant operational challenge. We have assumed full project management responsibility for the clerk's office portion of the project, engaging a project manager and reallocating resources to maintain continuity of service. With the December 15th tax sale approaching, we have requested that Tyler complete our module and bring it online by December 1st. However, after more than two years of request, critical defects remain unsolved, including inconsistent fee calculations and incorrect billing outputs. Major issues remain unresolved as the deadline approaches. However, we do remain committed to working with other county stakeholders to ensure that the project reaches successful completion.