28.2% Voter Turnout In Geneva For 2021 Election

GENEVA, IL — Voter turnout in Geneva dropped significantly in this spring’s local races compared to the 2017 election, despite a rematch for the mayor’s office at the top of the ballot.

Kevin Burns won a sixth term in office last week after defeating two-time challenger Tom Simonian, unofficial election results show. The rematch between Burns and Simonian didn’t drive voters to the polls at the same level as their first race in 2017, according to statistics from the Kane County Clerk’s Office.

Nearly 39 percent of registered voters in Geneva cast ballots during the 2017 local election; just 28.2 percent voted in city elections in 2021, the clerk’s data shows.

Geneva posted a voter turnout of about 83.5 percent in the 2020 presidential election, with more than 17,300 residents casting ballots. Just 4,729 residents voted in 2021, while 6,422 residents voted in 2017, according to election data.

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Burns won 2,518 votes (53.25 percent) to Simonian’s 2,176 votes (46 percent) in the 2021 consolidated election, unofficial election results show. About 7.2 percent of all votes were cast through the mail, while 37.2 percent were cast in person before Election Day, the clerk’s data shows.

Burns held a lead of more than 300 votes over Simonian when polls opened April 6, but Simonian ran a close race at polling machines on Election Day, losing that subset by just 28 votes (1,316 to 1,288), unofficial results show.

Simonian narrowed Burns’ margin of victory in 2021 compared to 2017, but both earned significantly more votes four years ago. Burns won 3,921 votes (61.1 percent) in his 2017 matchup with Simonian, who earned 2,418 votes (37.7 percent), according to the Kane County Clerk’s Office.

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There were also no contested races for the Geneva City Council, park district, library district or Geneva Township offices to encourage voters to participate in the 2021 election.

Four incumbents — Michael Bruno (Ward 1), Richard Marks (Ward 2), Becky Hruby (Ward 3) and Robert Swanson (Ward 5) — were re-elected without opposition, while Amy Mayer won her unopposed race to represent Ward 4.

John Frankenthal was the only candidate for a seat on the Geneva Park District Board of Commissioners. Mark Adams, Zachary Craft and Arad Chaim Boxenbaum are all projected to win terms on the Geneva Public Library District Board of Trustees, according to unofficial election results.

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J. Patrick Jaeger and Geoffrey Carreiro were re-elected as Geneva Township supervisor and clerk, respectively. Incumbent Trustees Sharon Brazill, John Connolly, Robert Kovacs and Scott Queen also won re-election after facing no competition.