WHEATON, IL – Today the DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek hosted a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the paving of the parking lot at the DuPage County Fairgrounds, 2015 Manchester Road, Wheaton. Funding for the paving of the parking lot was made possible by a $149,000 grant from the Illinois State Board of Elections to the County Clerk’s Office for polling place improvement and safety.
“Nearly 34,000 people voted at the Fairgrounds during the 2020 General Election. Voters returning in 2022 will notice a night-and-day difference in the condition of the main parking lot,” Kaczmarek said. “All the bumps, potholes, gravel and puddles are now gone.”
The County Clerk’s Office began to partner with the Fairgrounds as their main Early Voting site and Central Vote Center in 2020 out of necessity during COVID as a location to keep voters and election judges safe. Many things came together to make the 2020 election successful – the availability of the Fairgrounds was among them. Because the Fairgrounds worked so well for elections, the partnership will continue.
“When this polling place grant opportunity was presented last year, Election Deputy Scott MacKay suggested a much-needed fresh parking lot for our most popular polling site – the Fairgrounds,” Kaczmarek added. “Here we are.”
DuPage County Fairgrounds Association Manager and CEO Jim McGuire said, “All of the citizens of DuPage County visiting the Fairgrounds for voting, COVID testing or to enjoy a show will benefit from our beautiful, new parking lot for years to come. We really want to thank the County Clerk’s Office for changing our world.”
The County Clerk’s office thanks Director Christopher Snyder and the staff of the DuPage County Division of Transportation for their outstanding work ensuring this project would be completed in time for the start of voting.
Photo by Tim Meyer on Unsplash