Aaron Ammons
Aaron Ammons | |
|---|---|
| County Clerk of Champaign County | |
| In office 2018 – Present | |
| Preceded by | Gordy Hulten |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Carol Ammons |
| Relations | Titianna Ammons, Daughter |
| Children | Three |
| Residence | Urbana, Illinois |
| Website | https://www.ammons4clerk.com/bio |
Aaron Ammons is the current County Clerk and Recorder of the county of Champaign, Illinois, former Alderman for the City of Urbana, and an advocate for criminal justice reform.
Ammons is married to Illinois State Representative Carol Ammons and father of former Champaign County Board Member Titianna Ammons.
Ammons is a convicted felon who was pardoned by Pat Quinn (politician) and went on to run for public office.[1][2][3][4]
Offices & Elections
In 2014, Ammons was appointed to a seat vacated by his wife on the Urbana City Council. Ammons' wife, Carol Ammons, had vacated the seat when she was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives.[5]
In 2018, Ammons defeated incumbent Gordy Hulten for the position of County Clerk in Champaign County.
In 2022, Ammons defeated Terrence Stuber and retained the position of County Clerk in Champaign County.[6]
Actions & Achievements
Under Ammons' leadership, vote by mail in Champaign County has increased significantly and other early voting measures have been expanded.[7][8]
In 2022, Champaign County launched Universal Voting. Ammons' staff made it possible for voters to vote at any polling location.[9]
Controversies
Immediately after the election of Ammons' wife, Carol Ammons, to the Illinois House of Representatives, the outgoing governor of Illinois pardoned Ammons of various crimes, including heroin possession. This set off calls of favoritism and lack of transparency in the pardoning process. The pardon allowed Ammons to be appointed to the Urbana City Council seat that was vacated by his wife, as Urbana does not allow convicted felons to serve on their council.[10][11][12][13][14][15][3]
Since taking office as County Clerk, Ammons has been criticized for his office's delay in reporting election results and has claimed on at least one occasion that his office was hacked, though local media, state officials, and election experts found no proof of that claim. When media representatives attempted to ask questions about the claim, Ammons' staff directed them to a "media room" for nearly an hour while Ammons left the building.[16][17][18][19][20]
In 2022, Ammons and his County Clerk staff were accused in a lawsuit of failing to properly handle and store election ballots. This led to an emergency restraining order being put into place against members of Ammons' office for 24 hours and then withdrawn.[21][22][23]
In 2023, Ammons was highly critical of others being considered for an Illinois State Senate seat vacated by Scott Bennett, saying his wife was the most highly qualified and that the process constituted "moving the goalposts."[24][25]
Personal Life
Aaron Ammons is married to Illinois State Representative Carol Ammons. Their daughter, Titianna Ammons, served on the Champaign County Board until her resignation in 2021.
References
- ↑ "Meet the Clerk | Champaign County Clerk". champaigncountyclerk.com.
- ↑ https://www.smilepolitely.com/splog/champaign_county_clerk_aaron_ammons_defeats_terrence_stuber/. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://dailyillini.com/life_and_culture-stories/2022/02/01/from-addiction-to-election-how-to-break-the-glass-ceiling/. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ https://cu-citizenaccess.org/2012/12/aaron-ammons-leader-social-justice-advocacy/. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ https://will.illinois.edu/news/story/aaron-ammons-slated-to-replace-wife-on-urbana-council. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ https://dailyillini.com/special-sections/election-coverage/2022/11/08/live-updates-champaign-county-election-results/. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://www.co.champaign.il.us/CountyBoard/Committee_Of_The_Whole/2022/220412_Meeting/220412_County_Clerk_Presentation.pdf. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ https://illinoisnewsroom.org/champaign-county-clerk-aaron-ammons-expands-access-to-early-voting/. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.smilepolitely.com/culture/a_new_era_in_the_county_clerks_office/. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ "Aaron Ammons For County Clerk". Aaron Ammons For County Clerk.
- ↑ (PDF) https://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Ammons-Pardon-Petition.pdf. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ http://publici.ucimc.org/2015/01/uc-imcs-own-aaron-ammons-receives-pardon/. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.news-gazette.com/opinion/letters-editor/ammons-pardon-not-fair-to-others/article_a766e595-a7c7-52d5-bab2-683d5d1b2fd1.html. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.news-gazette.com/opinion/columns/jim-dey-politics-at-play-in-this-pardon/article_33348092-ca32-5341-b76c-c0193bcef32e.html. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ https://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2018/10/illinois-when-do-laws-matter/. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.wcia.com/news/local-news/two-weeks-post-election-results-finalized/. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.wcia.com/news/thousands-more-votes-counted-champaign-county-still-waiting-for-final-results/. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/midterm-election-results-livestream-voting-11-08-2022/h_45b0794002eb0307174ae0af4c8df924. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ https://foxillinois.com/news/local/champaign-county-clerk-investigates-election-result-site-crash. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ https://will.illinois.edu/studentnewsroom/story/cybersecurity-expert-questions-voting-officials-claim-of-cyberattack. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.news-gazette.com/news/lawsuit-filed-against-county-clerk-and-employee-over-ballots-in-workers-car/article_40115144-407b-5934-be50-10b7cde28d90.html. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.wcia.com/news/local-news/lawsuit-alleges-champaign-county-election-official-mishandled-ballots-official-says-they-are-sample-ballots/. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ https://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2022/11/judge-issued-emergency-restraining-order-against-champaign-county-clerk-unsecure-ballots-in-private-vehicle/. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.news-gazette.com/news/what-theyre-posting-emotions-run-high-as-decision-nears/article_f7170454-98a3-5029-aceb-6527c88aace6.html. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.news-gazette.com/news/updated-township-assessor-faraci-selected-for-52nd-district-senate-seat/article_61dca5b0-622f-5e7f-9efc-80f57a8413a0.html. Missing or empty
|title=(help)
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