Edgar County Clerk & Recorder - About The Office
The Edgar County Clerk’s Office has five major responsibilities to the citizens of the County. Those duties and functions include:
ELECTIONS: The County Clerk is responsible for the conduct of all elections in Edgar County, including all Federal, State, County, City, Village, School, Community College, Township, Multi-Township Assessing Districts, Library Districts and one Fire District.
Some of the duties include Voter Registration, Grace Period Registration and Voting, Absentee Voting, Early Voting, Provisional Voting, Election Judge Training, Statement of Economic Interest (Ethics) Filings, Campaign Finance Filings, County Electoral Board, Canvassing Election Results, Certifications of Nominees and Certifications of Elected Officials.
The Election Code (10 ILCS 5/2A-1.1) provides for a consolidated schedule for holding all elections. In even-numbered years, the general election shall be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November; and an election to be known as the general primary election shall be held on the third Tuesday in March. In odd-numbered years, an election to be known as the consolidated election shall be held on the first Tuesday in April (except if it coincides with Passover); and an election to be known as the consolidated primary election shall be held on the last Tuesday in February.
To be qualified to register to vote, you must be a United States Citizen, at least 18 years of age by election day and must have been a resident of the precinct at least 30 days prior to election day.
Links to the left will take you to more information. The “Register” link will take you to the State Board of Elections’ voter registration form and the “Voting Forms” will take you to their Welcome Page with side bar links to all types of election forms and information. The “Voting Results” link will take you to some election results of counties using the Fidlar Election Company as their election services provider.
In addition to the on-line form, persons may register in the County Clerk’s Office, in any Drivers License Facility within the State, with certain state agencies or with the many County Deputy Registration Officers and Precinct Committeemen.
Registrations and transfers of registrations may be taken beginning on the second day after an election to the 27th day before the next election by any of the above mentioned means. Grace period registration and transfers (requiring absentee voting) begins at the close of registration and until the 14th day prior to an election and may only be conducted in the Edgar County Clerk's Office.
To locate your polling place, click on the “Polling Places” link to the left or click here. The name of your precinct and its polling location can also be found on your Voter’s Identification Card.
RECORDER OF DEEDS: Deeds, mortgages, leases, financing statements, military discharges and many other documents are permanently stored in the Recorder’s Office. The Recorder collects the Illinois Transfer Tax on certain exchanges of property. To learn more about the availability of records, click here or on the “Land Records” link to the left.
VITAL RECORDS: Births, deaths and marriages are permanently stored in the County Clerk’s Office. To learn more about the availability of these records, click here or on the “Vital Record Search” link to the left. The County Clerk issues marriage licenses. To obtain more information about how to apply, click here or on the “How To Apply For A Marriage License” link to the left. Click here or on the “Illinois Vital Records” link will take you to the Illinois Department of Public Health website were you can learn more about how to apply for vital records of events throughout the State.
PROPERTY TAXES: The County Clerk receives budget and levy filings from all units of local government operating within the county. The Clerk calculates and extends the tax rates on all parcels of real estate and applies a factor to tax acreages of drainage ditches. The Clerk also collects delinquent tax payments and distributes commercial and industrial tax abatement forms. Contact us for local tax rates. Click here or on the “Tax Services” link to the left to access the State of Illinois Department of Revenue.
EDGAR COUNTY BOARD: The County Clerk records the minutes of all County Board special and regularly scheduled meetings and has all of these proceedings since the County was formed in 1823. The Clerk enters all claims for county expenses in accounts payable, presents a report to the Board for approval and distributes the payable data to the County Treasurer who prints and signs the checks for payments. The Clerk sorts the checks and either mails the payment directly to the vendor or submits them to the department that created the expense for distribution to their vendors.
OTHER SERVICES: The Clerk’s Office provides so many other services. For a list of various operations and documents within the Office, click here or on the “Operations and Documents” link to the left. Click here or on the “Notary” link will take you to the Illinois Secretary of State Notary Services information site. Click here or on the “State of Illinois” link will take you to the Illinois information site of our state government.