CHAMPAIGN – With Urbana’s Primary Election just days away, Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons says that nearly half of expected voters have already cast their ballots through early voting or mail-in options. More than 1,500 people had voted early as of Wednesday morning. Ammons estimates, based on previous years, that there will be around 2,700 people who will participate in the primary election.
The election on Feb. 25 includes two contested city council seats and a mayoral primary, between Democrats Annie Adams and DeShawn Williams.
Ammons reassured voters that “the election judges will have everything they need to process voters.” This comes after systemwide issues with processing voters during the November 2024 presidential election that led to long lines and delays at polling locations across the county.
Ammons also said his office is fully prepared for election day and expects to have unofficial results ready in the evening after polls close, with official results coming in mid March.
The County Clerk’s office is already making preparations for what will be a much more complicated ballot in the April General Election, he noted.
“We will have roughly 500 candidates all across the county,” Ammons said. “That’s a huge undertaking to get all the names correct and the correct races and things like that.”
Voters in April will elect Champaign city council members, a new Savoy Village President and a Rantoul Village Mayor among several other races.
For voters looking to learn more about Urbana’s primary election, IPM News has put together a digital voter guide, which includes interviews with both mayoral candidates and information on city council races.
Early voting is available at the Brookens Center during business hours on weekdays. Additional hours and early voting is also available at the Illini Union.
More on the mayoral race
The winner of the primary election for mayor will move on to the Urbana municipal election on April 1. There are no Republican candidates for the mayor’s post.
Adams sits on the Urbana Pedestrian and Bicycling Advisory Commission and works for the University of Illinois Grainger College of Engineering. She said she supports community policing, lowering property taxes and improving city streets. Williams, a former Champaign County Board member who went from serving as Assistant Vice President at Busey Bank to Chief Deputy Treasurer for the county. He said he would support community policing as mayor and propose an education initiative to give residents the chance to learn practical skills.
More on the city council races
The race to represent Ward 6 in Southeast Urbana is a repeat of the election in 2021, when Grace Wilken defeated former Republican Alderman Bill Colbrook. This year, Colbrook is challenging Wilken for her seat. Ward 6 extends southeast from Philo Road to the city’s border. It includes the Stone Creek, Myra Ridge and South Ridge subdivisions.
There is also a contested Democratic primary in Ward 2, where incumbent Christopher Evans is running against challenger Larry Lister. Lister and Evans did not appear at the forum.
IPM Newsroom’s Jim Meadows and Arjun Thakkar contributed reporting.