FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUESTS—GALESBURG BOARD OF ELECTION’S OFFICE
How to File a Freedom of Information Act Request with the Office of the Galesburg Board of Elections:
Members of the public may make requests for inspection or for copies of public records for the Galesburg Board of Elections under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 ILCS 140/1 et seq.
Process for Submitting Requests (Per section 4(b), 5 ILCS 140/4):
The following are instructions on how to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Galesburg Board of Elections.
All FOIA requests for public records must be in writing, and should include the following information:
- The name, mailing address and contact information of the requester.
- A description of the records that are being requested.
- Whether the request is for commercial purposes.
To make a request for inspection or for copies of office records, please submit your request by mail, fax, email, or deliver it to:
FOIA Officer for the Office of the Galesburg Board of Elections:
Lisa M. Watson, Executive Director
Galesburg Board of Elections
PO Box 1387
55 W. Tompkins St.
Galesburg, IL 61402-1387
Fax: (309) 345-5706
Email: Click E-mail Elections
Please be as specific as possible when describing the records you are seeking. Please indicate if you would like copies of the requested records, or whether you wish to examine the records in person. You have the right to choose either option.
Remember, the Freedom of Information Act is designed to allow you to inspect or receive copies of records – it does not require staff of the public body to answer questions. To the extend that you wish to ask questions of a representative of the Galesburg Board of Elections, you may call our office at (309) 342-5563 to be directed to the proper person.
Fees
There is no fee for the first 50 pages of standard paper copies. A fee of $0.15 per page will be charged per additional page more than 50 pages. A fee will not be charged for documents that may be scanned and sent electronically or may otherwise be made available by email.
You are permitted to ask for a waiver of copying fees. To do so, please include the following statement (or a similar statement) in your written FOIA request: “I request a waiver of all fees associated with this request.” In addition, you must include a specific explanation as to why your request for information is in the public interest—not simply your personal interest—and merits a fee waiver.
Declarations (Per Section 4(a), 5 ILCS 140/4)
The Galesburg Board of Elections Executive Director Lisa M. Watson is the constitutional officer appointed by the Galesburg Board of Election Commissioners for recruiting and training of election judges, training and certification of deputy registrars, voter registration, district re-mapping, precinct redistricting, maintaining and safeguarding records, including signature cards and ballots, and election operations in the City of Galesburg.
Functional Division: Elections (no subdivisions)
Annual Operating Budget (Per 55 ILCS 5/5-1025)
Approximately $130,000.00
Office Locations
The Galesburg Board of Elections has operating facilities at one location:
Galesburg City Hall
55 W. Tompkins St.
Galesburg, IL 61401
Appropriate Number of Employees
The Galesburg Board of Elections office has approximately 2 full-time employees. Its part-time election-day employees can number up to 120.
Board, Commission, Committee, or Council (Per 10 ILCS 5/6-21)
The Galesburg Board of Election Commissioners is responsible for election operations within the city limits of Galesburg, IL. The Board of Elections was established in 1908 by a vote of the citizens of Galesburg in order to provide an accurate and unbiased election as well as to maintain an accurate and up-to-date list of registered voters. The voters transferred the control of the electoral franchise from elected officials to independent election professionals.
The Board of Elections is run under the auspices of a bi-partisan board consisting of three persons. The independent Board of Election Commissioners whose members can be neither elected officials nor participate in political campaigns serves as an extension of the Judicial branch of the government - the same branch of government already involved in deciding other election matters, such as candidate access to the ballot and election recounts. The commissioners are appointed by the Circuit Court and serve a three year term. The terms are staggered with one commissioner up for re-appointment each year.
The Galesburg Board of Election Commissioners through its executive director. Lisa M. Watson, overseas recruiting and training of election judges, training and certification of deputy registrars, voter registration, district re-mapping, precinct redistricting, maintaining and safeguarding records, including signature cards and ballots, and election operations.
List of Records (Per section 5, 5 ILCS 140/5)
The Galesburg Board of Elections maintains public records relating to voter registration, the conduct and results of elections, the official agendas and minutes of the Galesburg Board of Election Commissioners.
Election Results posted on the city website do not require a FOIA request.
In response to FOIA requests, the Executive Director furnishes, or make available for inspection, documents that are (1) printed out on paper in a form that requires no additional equipment to comprehend, or (2) emails documents or information in a form readily rendered readable by commonly available computer programs. While the documents are often prepared in the forms used by proprietary programs such as Microsoft Excel or Word, such documents are easily read by programs available for free, such as Open Office. Documents made available as PDF’s are read by components on all commonly used computer operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows, the Apple OS or freely-distributed versions of Linux, such as Ubuntu or Debian.