November 11, 2026 | Freeport, IL
Presented by Elena Reyes
RED, RIGHT & BLUE | F4F NEWS
With all 36 precincts reporting, Stephenson County's 2026 general election results reveal a political landscape in which Republicans continue to dominate countywide offices, Democrats have demonstrated their ability to win competitive local races, and thousands of registered voters did not participate.
Republican Jazmin L. Wingert defeated Democrat Suzanne M. Cook by more than 4,100 votes in the race for County Clerk and Recorder. Republicans also secured the offices of County Treasurer, Sheriff, and Circuit Court Judge without Democratic opposition. But the County Board elections told a different story. Democrats won three of the five contested races included in the reported results, while one Republican victory was decided by just 62 votes.
Beyond the individual races, voter participation deserves attention. Of Stephenson County's 28,360 registered voters, 15,946 cast ballots, producing a turnout of 56.2%. That left 12,414 registered voters who did not participate. A comparison of the county's last three midterm elections reveals an interesting trend: voter registration has declined substantially since 2018, yet the percentage of registered voters participating remains higher than it was eight years ago.
Eight Years, Three Midterm Elections: What the Numbers Reveal
To understand the 2026 election, it is important to compare it with similar elections. Presidential elections typically attract substantially more voters, making midterm elections a more appropriate comparison for understanding local participation trends.
In 2018, Stephenson County had 34,461 registered voters. Of those, 16,612 cast ballots, producing a turnout of 48.21%. Four years later, in the 2022 midterm election, the county had 28,385 registered voters, with 16,932 casting ballots. Turnout increased to 59.65%. In 2026, the county reported 28,360 registered voters and 15,946 ballots cast, resulting in turnout of 56.2%.
These numbers reveal two important developments. First, Stephenson County has experienced a substantial decline in its registered voter population. Between 2018 and 2026, the number of registered voters fell by 6,101, approximately 17.7%. That does not necessarily mean more than 6,000 residents moved away. Population changes, voter registration maintenance, and other administrative factors can influence registration totals. Nevertheless, the decline deserves further examination.
Second, despite having considerably fewer registered voters than in 2018, the county's turnout percentage has improved. In 2018, fewer than half of registered voters participated. In 2026, more than 56% did. However, participation declined compared with the previous midterm election. Stephenson County had virtually the same number of registered voters in 2022 and 2026, a difference of just 25 people, yet 986 fewer ballots were cast this year. That represents a decline of approximately 3.4 percentage points in turnout.
The results do not establish why participation changed, but they raise questions about voter engagement, political interest, and the effectiveness of efforts to encourage residents to vote. The larger story is not a continuous decline in voter participation. Rather, it is a county with a substantially smaller registered electorate than eight years ago and turnout rates that have fluctuated between elections.
Nearly 44% of Registered Voters Did Not Cast a Ballot
Of Stephenson County's 28,360 registered voters, 12,414 did not cast a ballot in the 2026 general election. That means approximately 44 out of every 100 registered voters did not participate.
Some residents may have been dissatisfied with the candidates. Others may have felt disconnected from government, encountered barriers to voting, or believed their participation would not affect the outcome. Without additional research, their reasons remain unknown. But the consequences of the election extend to everyone, regardless of whether they voted.
County officials make decisions involving public finances, law enforcement, elections, records, and services that affect residents throughout Stephenson County. As several County Board races demonstrated, the difference between winning and losing can be surprisingly small, making participation particularly consequential in closely contested elections.
Wingert Delivers a Decisive Republican Victory
Republican Jazmin L. Wingert secured one of the election's strongest contested victories, defeating Democrat Suzanne M. Cook for County Clerk and Recorder. Wingert received 9,878 votes, or 63.22%, compared with Cook's 5,747 votes, or 36.78%. The margin of victory was 4,131 votes, a difference of more than 26 percentage points.
The County Clerk and Recorder's Office carries significant responsibilities, including election administration, voter registration records, and the recording of official documents. Wingert's victory demonstrates the Republican Party's continued strength in countywide elections, particularly when compared with the closer results in several County Board districts.
For Democrats, the result exposes a substantial challenge. While Democratic candidates proved successful in several County Board districts, that support did not translate into a competitive countywide race for Clerk. Winning individual districts and winning an entire county require different levels of voter support, campaign organization, and public recognition. The 2026 results demonstrate the considerable difference between the party's district-level successes and its countywide performance.
Three Major Offices Go Uncontested
Republicans also secured three additional major offices without Democratic opposition. Stephanie A. Helms received 12,058 votes for County Treasurer, Steve Stovall received 12,167 votes for County Sheriff, and Judd Thruman received 11,937 votes for Circuit Court Judge. Each received 100% of the votes counted in their respective races because no opposing candidate appeared in the reported results.
However, that does not mean every voter supported them. Although 15,946 ballots were cast countywide, the Treasurer's race recorded only 12,058 votes. The Sheriff's race recorded 12,167, while the judicial race recorded 11,937. The differences indicate that thousands of ballots did not record a vote in those particular contests.
Voters are not required to select a candidate in every race, and uncontested elections may provide little incentive for voters who do not support the only candidate listed. The results do not establish why individual voters skipped these contests, but they illustrate the distinction between winning every vote cast in a race and receiving support from every person who participated in the election.
For Democrats, these uncontested offices reveal an organizational challenge. Without candidates on the ballot, the party could not present voters with an alternative. For residents, the absence of competition meant fewer opportunities to compare candidates, qualifications, and competing ideas about how these offices should operate.
County Board Results Tell a Different Political Story
While Republicans dominated the countywide races, the County Board results were considerably more competitive. Of the eight County Board positions included in the reported results, Republicans won five and Democrats won three. Two Republican victories and one Democratic victory were uncontested. Among the five contested County Board elections, Democrats won three and Republicans won two.
That distinction is important because it demonstrates that Democratic candidates were capable of winning competitive elections in several parts of Stephenson County, even as Republicans maintained their broader advantage in countywide contests. The results also illustrate how political preferences can differ considerably between districts within the same county.
District B: Newton Wins as Participation Falls Below 40%
Democrat Samuel L. Newton won District B without Republican opposition, receiving 710 votes. But the district recorded the lowest turnout among the County Board districts included in the results. Of 2,512 registered voters, only 941 cast ballots, representing turnout of 37.5%.
That means more than six out of every ten registered voters did not participate. While Newton secured the seat without opposition, the turnout figures reveal a district where voter participation was substantially below the countywide average. The election results alone cannot explain the difference, but the disparity raises questions about what influences participation from one district to another.
District C: Democrats Secure Two Victories
District C delivered two Democratic victories by remarkably similar margins. Joseph R. Cardoso Jr. defeated Republican Lou Hayes for the four-year term, receiving 748 votes, or 57.63%, compared with Hayes' 550 votes, or 42.37%. In the separate contest for the two-year unexpired term, Democrat Casey Marie Jacobs Heneghan defeated Republican Larry Pittsley with 745 votes, or 57.66%, compared with Pittsley's 547 votes, or 42.34%.
Both Democratic candidates won by exactly 198 votes. The nearly identical results suggest consistent Democratic support across the two contests, although individual ballot data would be needed to determine precisely how voters made their selections.
Turnout in District C reached only 43.2%, with 1,345 of 3,117 registered voters participating. Democrats won both seats by comfortable margins among those who voted, but more than half of the district's registered voters did not participate. The results demonstrate that candidates can achieve decisive victories within an electorate even when overall participation remains relatively low.
District D: Just 62 Votes Separate Victory and Defeat
The closest contested County Board race in the supplied results occurred in District D, where Republican Troy Barr defeated Democrat Roxane Rice by just 62 votes. Barr received 1,243 votes, or 51.28%, while Rice received 1,181 votes, or 48.72%.
District D had 4,128 registered voters, but only 2,491 cast ballots, resulting in turnout of 60.3%. That left 1,637 registered voters who did not participate. To understand just how close this election was, consider that 32 additional votes for Rice, with everything else remaining unchanged, would have reversed the outcome.
That does not mean the people who stayed home would have supported Rice. Their political preferences are unknown. But the result demonstrates that local elections can be decided by a remarkably small number of votes. District D offers a particularly clear example of how closely contested elections can become, even in a county where one political party holds a substantial advantage in other races.
District E: Moderow Adds Another Democratic Victory
Democrat Adam I. Moderow defeated Republican Joshua Libby in District E, receiving 1,169 votes, or 54.73%, compared with Libby's 967 votes, or 45.27%. Moderow won by 202 votes, giving Democrats their third contested County Board victory among the reported races.
Turnout reached 56.4%, almost identical to the countywide average. The result reinforces the distinction between the countywide elections, where Republicans secured substantial victories, and individual County Board districts, where Democrats demonstrated competitive support.
Districts F and G: Republicans Win Without Opposition
Republican Clayton Zimmerman won District F with 1,930 votes, while Republican Jerry Clay won District G with 1,684 votes. Neither faced a Democratic opponent.
Interestingly, turnout in both districts exceeded the countywide average. District F recorded 61.1% participation, while District G reached 59.6%. Residents were participating in the election, but voters had no major-party alternative in either County Board contest.
For Republicans, the victories secured two additional seats. For Democrats, the results highlighted the consequences of leaving races uncontested. At the same time, the participation figures demonstrate that voters may continue turning out for other offices and issues even when an individual County Board race offers no competition.
District I: Lawfer Wins by a Commanding Margin
Republican Cynthia J. Lawfer delivered one of the strongest contested County Board victories, defeating Democrat Edward Klein by 822 votes. Lawfer received 1,555 votes, or 67.96%, compared with Klein's 733 votes, or 32.04%.
District I also recorded the highest turnout among the reported County Board districts, at 62.5%. Unlike the uncontested Republican victories elsewhere, this result demonstrates substantial Republican support in a race where voters had a choice between the two major parties.
The outcome also illustrates the differences between districts. While Democrats won both District C contests and District E, Republicans maintained a considerable advantage in District I. Countywide voting patterns do not necessarily describe the political preferences of every community within Stephenson County.
Voter Turnout Varied Dramatically Across the County
The County Board results reveal significant differences in voter participation. District B recorded the lowest turnout at 37.5%, followed by District C at 43.2%. District E reached 56.4%, nearly matching the countywide average. Participation was higher in District G at 59.6%, District D at 60.3%, and District F at 61.1%. District I recorded the highest turnout among the reported districts, at 62.5%.
The difference between the lowest and highest participating districts was 25 percentage points, a substantial gap within the same county during the same election. These differences may reflect variations in demographics, campaign activity, political interest, or other factors. The election results alone cannot determine the cause.
What the figures demonstrate is that voter participation is not consistent throughout Stephenson County. Understanding those differences would require additional examination of voter behavior, district characteristics, and the issues influencing residents' decisions to participate.
Republicans Remain Strong, but Their Advantage Is Not Universal
For Stephenson County Republicans, the 2026 election delivered several important victories. Wingert's decisive win for County Clerk, Lawfer's commanding performance in District I, and the party's uncontested victories demonstrate continued Republican strength in several parts of county government.
But the County Board results also show that the party's advantage is not universal. Republicans lost three contested County Board races, and their District D victory came by only 62 votes. Those outcomes demonstrate that the county's broader political tendencies do not necessarily determine the results of individual local elections.
Local issues, candidate qualifications, campaign organization, and voter engagement can all influence individual races. The 2026 results provide examples of both substantial Republican victories and competitive districts where Democratic candidates prevailed.
Democrats Demonstrate Potential but Face Organizational Challenges
For Democrats, the election presents a mixed picture. Winning three of five contested County Board races is a meaningful result. Cardoso, Heneghan, and Moderow demonstrated that Democratic candidates can earn voter support and defeat Republican opponents in competitive local elections.
But the party's countywide performance was considerably weaker. Cook lost the Clerk's race by more than 4,100 votes, and Democrats did not field candidates for several major county offices or two Republican-won County Board seats. That represents a significant organizational challenge for a party seeking to expand its influence.
Winning individual districts is important, but competing countywide requires consistent candidate recruitment, voter outreach, and public engagement across a much larger electorate. The results identify areas where Democrats have demonstrated electoral support, particularly in Districts C and E, while also highlighting the considerable differences between district-level and countywide outcomes.
The election does not establish what will happen in future races. It does, however, provide a useful picture of where each party succeeded, where competition was absent, and how dramatically results varied across Stephenson County.
What Does This Mean for Freeport's 2027 Municipal Elections?
With the general election behind us, attention now turns toward Freeport's 2027 municipal elections. Countywide and municipal elections involve different offices, different electorates, and different political circumstances. Republican dominance across Stephenson County does not automatically translate into support for individual candidates in Freeport, just as Democratic victories in County Board districts do not guarantee success in city elections.
Municipal campaigns often focus on issues that affect residents directly, including property taxes, streets, public safety, economic development, and the performance of city leadership. The candidates, issues, and levels of participation in 2027 may differ substantially from those seen in the November general election.
Because municipal elections can attract fewer voters than general elections, relatively small differences in participation may have considerable consequences. The 62-vote margin in County Board District D provides a reminder of how closely contested local races can become.
For Freeport residents, the upcoming municipal election will offer another opportunity to evaluate candidates, examine their positions, and decide who should represent them in city government. The 2026 results provide context, but the decisions made by voters in 2027 will determine the outcome of those contests.
Who Will Show Up Next Time?
Stephenson County's 2026 election produced clear winners, but it also revealed important questions for both political parties and the residents they seek to represent. Republicans demonstrated their continued strength in countywide elections, while Democrats won a majority of the contested County Board races included in the results. Several candidates secured office without opposition, and participation varied dramatically between districts.
The comparison of the last three midterm elections adds another dimension to the story. Since 2018, Stephenson County has seen its number of registered voters decline by more than 6,000. Although turnout as a percentage of registered voters remains higher than it was eight years ago, participation declined from the previous midterm election. Nearly 1,000 fewer ballots were cast in 2026 than in 2022, despite virtually no change in the number of registered voters.
Those figures deserve attention, particularly when considered alongside the narrow margins in several County Board contests. District D was decided by 62 votes, both District C contests by 198 votes, and District E by 202 votes. These elections demonstrate that local government representation can be determined by relatively small differences in voter support.
The 2026 election revealed a county where Republicans continue to win major countywide offices, Democrats remain competitive in several County Board districts, and thousands of registered voters did not participate. Eight years of midterm election results show that Stephenson County's registered electorate has changed substantially, even as turnout rates have fluctuated.
The winners of 2026 have been decided. The voters who will shape 2027 have yet to make their voices heard.
Election figures are based on the Stephenson County election reports provided for the 2018, 2022, and 2026 general elections. The 2026 results reflect all 36 precincts reporting; final certification was not independently verified. County Board analysis includes the eight positions provided and does not represent the complete partisan composition of the County Board.