Madison County Board adds 3 nonbinding referendums to November ballot – Alton Telegraph

EDWARDSVILLE – Madison County voters will have three more decisions to make on the November ballot after the County Board approved three nonbinding referendums.

One, passed unanimously, deals with local zoning control for solar farm developments.

The other two were approved 17-2, with seven members absent. Alton Democrats Bill Stoutenborough and Michael “Doc” Holliday voted “no.”

Board members Frank Dickerson, Shawndell Wilson, Brynn Kincheloe, Terry Eaker, Robert Meyer, Victor Valentine and Alison Lamothe were absent.

Those referendums ask the Illinois General Assembly to pass legislation requiring government-issued identification to vote, and property tax reform calling for a maximum tax of 1% of assessed value.

The three referendums had been approved at a Government Relations Committee meeting held prior to the County Board meeting.

The Board can approve up to three referendums to appear on a ballot. County Clerk Linda Andreas said that as of Wednesday, there were no other referendums set to be voted on.

The referendums say:

The voter ID issue was the most controversial, with Stoutenborough and Holliday equating it to the federal “SAVE Act,” an unsuccessful piece of legislation that would have imposed a number of new rules on voting identification.

Proponents argued that asking for ID is reasonable, and several noted it is difficult to function in modern society without such ID.

In addition to Board discussion, one public speaker, identified as Cindy Klein-Webb, criticized the proposal, calling it a “waste of time.”

The County Board has been criticized in the past for placing nonbinding referendums on the ballot.

A nonbinding referendum does not force any action, but is a way to allow voters to voice their opinion.

Critics have said such referendums are a waste of time and resources.

“We need to stop playing this game,” said Klein-Webb, who at one point waved a protest sign while speaking.

Several Board members defended the referendum.

Chrissy Wiley said nonbinding referendums in general and this one, specifically, “allows voters to tell us and eventually the General Assembly what they think.”

Stoutenborough countered by saying the referendum was based on a “lack of adequate controls,” adding that he thought the current system worked.

He cited the case of Audrey Cook, a Madison County election judge found guilty of submitting a ballot on behalf of her dead husband in the 2016 election.

In 2017, she was found guilty of tampering with an absentee ballot, a Class A misdemeanor. Cook died in 2024.

Stoutenborough said since then, there have been eight specific issues, including three people voting for deceased spouses, and three people intentionally voting twice.

Stoutenborough also brought up the SAVE Act, specifically sections of that bill dealing with married women. It was highly criticized for creating difficult hurdles for women changing their names.

He then asked that the resolution be tabled. Holliday, who also referenced the SAVE Act, seconded the motion, but it was defeated 17-2.

When debate resumed on the referendum, Wiley noted that simply asking for ID would create “offensive” burdens for women. Others said that everybody needs to have an ID anyway.

“You cannot function without state ID,” said Paul Nicolussi. “If that is a problem, it needs to be fixed.”

Some debate on property tax referendum, all in agreement on solar/wind farms

There was also some discussion about the property tax referendum.

Dalton Gray said that when he was campaigning, the biggest concern among voters was property tax. That was echoed by several Board members.

Holliday asked how schools would be funded.

Board Chairman Chris Slusser noted Illinois “has the highest property tax rate in the nation because of how we fund our schools.”

He said there were a number of states that fund it differently, and the state could look at those.

He specifically cited Indiana, which shifted much of the burden to sales tax several years ago.

There was no debate on the solar/wind farm resolution.

“We’ve had our local control stripped away by the state government,” Slusser said.

He added they had a choice of approving solar projects the community was against, or siding with voters and getting sued.

The county had faced several lawsuits filed earlier this year over solar projects that had been denied. At least one has been settled, and the board eventually approved it.

July 16, 2026