* We can’t be sure what actually happened until we talk to the Board of Elections, but I’d bet a buck that this is a true story…

Mayor Jerry Schweighart says he reported a $1,000 campaign contribution the day he received it but that a software glitch prevented the donation from being recorded until Friday morning.

Under Illinois’ newly revised election law, contributions of $1,000 or more are supposed to be reported to the State Board of Elections within at least five business days. But a $1,000 contribution from Donald Dodds Real Estate of Champaign, dated March 8, wasn’t reported on the Elections Board’s website until 8:09 a.m. Friday.

Because the contribution came within the 30-day period before the election, it was supposed to be reported within two business days.

“We reported it March 8. I have a receipt from the state election board that we reported it March 8,” Schweighart said. “When we found out there was a problem, we called them and they said it’s not in their computer and apparently one button wasn’t hit. We talked to the election guy when we filed it and I have a receipt that says we filed it March 8.”

Anybody who has ever filed anything on the Board of Elections’ website knows whereof Schweighart speaks. The problem was that he didn’t go back and check to make sure the update registered. Experienced state campaign folks know better. The locals are far less experienced with the clunky old piece of junk that is the ISBE’s computer system.

I remember talking to a pal last summer who had spent the past few years working federal races and had recently taken a job on a campaign covered under state election law. He was practically tearing his hair out one day because he couldn’t get the Board’s website to work. And this is no dummie. Far from it. The site is just not user friendly.

* Speaking of elections…

This spring, at least five communities in Sangamon don’t have enough candidates running to fill open seats on municipal boards: Curran, Illiopolis, Loami, Pawnee and Thayer. In Christian County, seven governmental bodies lack enough candidates, including the village of Harvel, where no candidates filed for four open trustee seats.

Christian County Clerk Linda Curtin said that’s unusual.

“Usually, (local governments) have just enough (candidates),” she said. “I don’t know if it’s about taxing bodies not having money and people are having trouble at home (financially).”

Stacey Kern, Sangamon County’s director of elections, said it isn’t uncommon for small communities to lack candidates for open offices due to their size.

These aren’t obscure little commissions, these are village council seats. Maybe they ought to reduce the size of their councils, but that wouldn’t help in Harvel, would it? Nobody filed? Why not just dissolve if nobody cares? Become an unincorporated part of the county or something. Or merge with a nearby town - although a merger for Harvel probably wouldn’t be possible, either.

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