A bill filed by State Representative Mike Marron of Fithian could result with combining the duties of two local election offices. ‘’Recently, several County Board members from both parties approached me to write legislation in Springfield to make it easier to put a referendum on the ballot to combine the duties of the Danville Election Commission into the purview of the Vermilion County Clerk,’’ said Marron.
‘’The idea of combining the two would be strictly to save taxpayer money by eliminating one of the two departments that are doing the same job,’’ added Representative Marron. He says there would be no change as far as voter access or precinct structure. ‘’The legislation would simply allow the County Board to put the measure on the ballot for the voters to decide.’’
Vermilion County Board Chairman Larry Baughn says he approached Representative Marron with the proposal after some County Board members from both political parties approached him (Baughn). ‘’I believe this issue has been long debated and it is time to put the question up to the voters to decide on the election committee consolidation,’’ added Baughn.
Representative Marron says he appreciates the support he has received from elected county officials from both sides of the aisle regarding the legislation. Marron added as the legislative session continues, he looks forward to continuing the discussion and doing what he can to improve efficiency at every level of government.
