Most of us show up to vote in presidential years, and that’s good. But too many of us sit out the elections that actually decide who runs McLean County day-to-day: the primaries and the spring local elections for county board, sheriff, circuit clerk, coroner, regional school board, township officials, and even the judges who will decide cases in our courthouse for the next decade.

When we skip those elections, we hand our voice to someone else. And in McLean County, “someone else” is often a very small group of people.

Here’s the reality most folks don’t realize:

• In the 2022 Republican primary for McLean County Board (the election that essentially decided the winners in most districts because November was non-competitive), the average turnout was under 19%. That means roughly one out of every five registered Republicans picked our county board members—while four out of five stayed home.
• In the 2023 consolidated election (school boards, library boards, park districts, city councils in places like LeRoy and Lexington), turnout across the county averaged 12–15%. In some precincts it was below 8%. A few hundred votes—or sometimes a few dozen—decided million-dollar budgets and property tax levies.
• Judicial races are even worse. In 2024, a circuit judge seat covering McLean, Livingston, Ford, Woodford, and Marshall counties was decided in a primary by fewer than 9,000 total votes across five counties. That judge will serve for ten years and rule on everything from felony cases to child custody disputes. Voters say they want term limits and then vote yes on retention. That says you don’t want term limits.

When turnout is that low, a tiny, highly motivated group gets to choose who sets your property taxes, who runs the jail, who decides zoning for that new subdivision next to your farm, and even who educates your kids or grandkids. You may not like the outcome, but if you didn’t vote in the primary or the local election, you effectively gave your proxy to the people who did show up.

It’s not just about “both sides.” Sometimes only one candidate even files paperwork for a county board seat because no one else bothered to run. Sometimes school board races are decided by people who show up with an agenda and a plan to pack the meeting—because they know most of us won’t.

You wouldn’t let a stranger make decisions about your household budget or your children’s schooling without having a say. Yet that’s exactly what happens when we treat primaries and local elections as optional.

The next primary election is March 17, 2026. Early voting starts weeks before. You can vote at the Election Commission office in Bloomington, at the Government Center, or even request a mail ballot. It takes less time than a trip to Sams Club. Of course you may have few if any people to vote for because most races are uncontested.

Please don’t wake up in 2027 upset about a property tax increase, a school policy, or a zoning decision and realize the election that mattered happened two years earlier—when almost nobody voted. You are going to be upset with your 2026 property tax bill because few elected officials care about your wallet – just theirs.

McLean County works because neighbors care. Let’s show it—not just every four years in November, but every time there’s an election.

Mark your calendar. Bring a friend. Vote in the primary. Vote in the local elections. Our community deserves nothing less.

With hope for a stronger McLean County,

Diane Benjamin