BND 2026 Voter Guide: Madison County clerk Republican primary
Welcome to the Belleville News-Democrat’s Voter Guide for the Madison County clerk Republican primary that features Linda Andreas, the incumbent, and Kurt Prenzler.
The News-Democrat has contacted the candidates running in contested races in the March 17 Illinois primary and asked them to complete a candidate questionnaire.
While this article has information about candidates running in the Madison County clerk primary, you can go to this page at bnd.com to get links to read about other candidates running in the primary.
Below are the responses from Andreas and Prenzler. They are the two candidates running to be the Republican nominee in the Nov. 3 election. (They’re listed alphabetically.)
NAME: LINDA ANDREAS
Age as of March 17, 2026: 71
Campaign website or social media page: www.andreasforclerk.com
Office seeking: Madison County Clerk & Recorder
Are you an incumbent? Yes
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought) Yes. Madison County Clerk & Recorder 2022
Occupation: Incumbent Madison County Clerk and Recorder for the last 4 years, educator, nurse, entrepreneur
Education: BS Education, BS Nursing
Please list highlights of your civic involvement: Consistent participant in local, state and national elections, regular attendee of county government meetings, correspond with state and federal legislators regarding matters of public policy and community interest, served as youth mentor, former member of an Industrial Commission contributing to oversight and economic development initiatives. Organized and coordinated a community patriotic rally promoting civic engagement and public unity, Volunteered at grade school level, supporting educational programs and student enrichment activities. Regional faith-based leader provided oversight, leadership and coordination for 17 churches.
Who are your top three campaign contributors? Friends, family, and small business
How much money have you raised for your campaign? Last quarter report $8,356
Why are you running? When I took office, I made efficiency and streamlining operations one of my top priorities. Drawing from my background as a nurse, educator and entrepreneur, I evaluated internal procedures, improved workflow systems, strengthened staff training, and focused on delivering consistent, professional service to the public.
We have worked to reduce processing times, improve communication with residents, and ensure our elections and record-keeping processes are accurate and transparent. My administration has emphasized accountability, responsiveness and modernization where appropriate.
There is still work to do, and I am committed to continuing to refine operations, expand accessibility, and ensure that the Clerk and Recorder’s Office remains efficient, dependable and service-focused.
What is the top issue in your race, and how would you address it? I have been actively working to clean up the voter registration database, including using local death records from the county coroner’s new database software to quickly verify and remove deceased voters — a step that strengthens the accuracy of the rolls and public confidence in election outcomes.
I have publicly advocated for clearer voter ID standards at the federal level to help with eligibility verification which is part of a broader effort to bolster election security.
Why should people vote for you? Citizens should vote to re-elect me for not only the positive accomplishments I have achieved in the last three years but my dedication to honesty, fairness, and transparency in all matters related to the office of Madison County Clerk and Recorder.
I have worked hard to bring engagement through new initiatives and will continue to expand outreach efforts, strengthen community education, and ensure every resident has clear access to the information and services our office provides. I remain committed to improving efficiency, enhancing transparency, and delivering the highest level of service with integrity and accountability.
Did you use AI to write your responses to these questions? No
NAME: KURT PRENZLER
Age as of March 17, 2026: 70
Campaign website or social media page: www.kurtprenzler.com
Office seeking: Madison County Clerk and Recorder
Are you an incumbent? No
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought) Treasurer (2010 – 2016), Chairman of the County Board (2016 – 2024)
Occupation: Executive director, Eagle Forum Education and Legal, Alton.
Education: B.S. in economics, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, J.D. University of Illinois College of Law, Certified Public Accountant.
Please list highlights of your civic involvement: Led efforts to defeat an additional 1% county wide sales tax (2011, 2017, 2018). Led petition effort to put a county government tax decrease on the November 2016 ballot, which passed 4 to 1. As chairman, put another county government tax decrease on the November 2018 ballot, which also passed 4 to 1. As chairman, reduced the county tax levy by $1.8 million and did not raise the property tax levy for eight years. Four times (2018, 2020, 2022, 2023) asked the County Board to put PTELL property tax caps on the ballot for voters to decide, but each time enough Republicans voted with the Democrats to keep it off the ballot.
Who are your top three campaign contributors? Myself, Margie and Carlo Hansen, Justin Hopkins, Jim Henrichs.
How much money have you raised for your campaign? Approx. $20,000
Why are you running? Two reasons: #1 to make sure we have clean and honest elections, and #2 property taxes. The county clerk receives tax levies and calculates taxes. To keep an eye on tax increases and bond issues.
What is the top issue in your race, and how would you address it? #1 Election management. My promise is honest and clean elections. The first thing I will do is to go to work cleaning the voter rolls. Despite the fact that Madison County’s population has declined from 269,000 (2010) to 261,000 (today), the number of registered voters has increased from 176,000 (2013) to more than 192,000 (today). To repeat, county population declined by 8,000, but the number of registered voters increased by 16,000. Does that compute?
I will make sure voters who died are taken off the rolls, and I will check and double check voters who moved out of the county. To leave voters on the voter rolls who should not be there is a big problem - an invitation to fraud.
I support President Trump’s SAVE Act, which requires proof of citizenship to register to vote and requires displaying an ID when voting.
Mail-in ballots are unreliable. That’s why most countries don’t allow them. We should return to absentee ballots - available to military and only those who have valid reasons.
#2 Property taxes. I am pro-taxpayer. The County Clerk’s office receives tax increase and bond issue notices from taxing districts. I will be a watchdog, to make sure citizens know about tax increases and bond issues. I will notify taxpayers at the first notice of tax increases / bond issues.
During my eight years as chairman, I reduced the county government tax levy from $32.6 to $30.8 million and didn’t increase it for eight years. Three times (2011, 2017, 2018) I led the fight to defeat a 1% county-wide sales tax, which would have pushed the sales tax rate above 10% in parts of the county.
Four times (2018, 2020, 2022, 2023) I asked the County Board to put PTELL tax caps on the ballots - for the people to decide. Unfortunately, the County Board didn’t do that. I continue to support putting PTELL on the ballot.
Why should people vote for you? As a CPA, I will manage accurate, clean and fair elections and keep an eye on property taxes. I have kept my promises to the taxpayer. As an example, before I was Chairman, Madison County Animal Control euthanized 2/3 of dogs and cats. I promised to change the policy to “no kill” and we achieved that. As a result, more than 10,000 dogs and cats have been saved and found new homes.
Did you use AI to write your responses to these questions? No