DuPage County Republican Chairman Kevin Coyne says the Democratic-led County Board — which he blames for underfunding elections — is "clearly a bigger threat to democracy than Donald Trump." The remark backs a claim County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek made on a Sept. 1 podcast.

The statement lands amid a dispute over election funding. The Board approved an extra $665,000 for Kaczmarek's election division, on top of roughly $2.7 million already budgeted. That falls well short of the $2.5 million Kaczmarek said she needed to run the Nov. 3 general election, her last before leaving office.

Kaczmarek made the comment on the podcast "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez."

"I'm feeling that the biggest threat to our elections isn't at the moment Donald Trump, it's the underfunding of our elections," she said.

Coyne responded in comments to the DuPage Policy Journal. He called Kaczmarek "a complete disaster for the county" and said she would "leave a legacy of lawsuits, screw-ups, and controversy." He then turned the criticism toward the Board itself, saying the county's problems "have absolutely no connection to Donald Trump" and stem from Democratic leadership.

The DuPage County GOP amplified the message on Facebook, paraphrasing Kaczmarek's remark as an inadvertent admission and adding: "We agree totally."

No response to Coyne's remarks from Board Chair Deb Conroy, Democratic clerk nominee Paula Deacon Garcia, or Republican candidate Patricia Kladis-Schiappa was available in public statements as of Sept. 9.

Without additional money, Kaczmarek has warned, early voting could start later and the county could see fewer polling locations and election judges. Conroy countered that the election budget is already 14% higher than what DuPage spent during the 2022 gubernatorial election, with postage costs up 201% and printing costs up 15%.

County officials said Kaczmarek did not provide the detailed budget justification normally required and declined to meet with the Board to discuss her request, according to the DuPage Policy Journal.

The Daily Herald reported Aug. 25 that Conroy proposed the $665,000 transfer. The paper's Aug. 28 editorial described the Board as "backed into a corner."

The tensions between Kaczmarek and the Board are not new. The Board censured her in late 2025 for defying financial oversight and stonewalling budget management. The Illinois Attorney General's Office investigated roughly $229,000 in no-bid contracts and election spending tied to her office. Kaczmarek was first elected clerk in 2018.

Hinsdale activist Kristina McCloy, founder of Concerned Parents of Illinois, argued the clerk's office already had enough money and needed to reallocate existing funds rather than receive new taxpayer dollars. She also questioned Republican board members who voted for the transfer.

Kaczmarek lost the backing of DuPage Democrats as her tenure grew contentious. Board member Paula Deacon Garcia defeated her in the March 17 Democratic primary. Garcia will face Kladis-Schiappa, a Burr Ridge attorney, in the Nov. 3 clerk's race.

The next regular DuPage County Board meeting is Sept. 22 at 10 a.m. in the County Board Room. Meeting agendas are posted on the county's Legistar page.