Paula Deacon Garcia (DuPage County Clerk, Illinois, candidate 2026)
Paula Deacon Garcia (Democratic Party) is running for election to the DuPage County Clerk in Illinois. Garcia is on the ballot in the Democratic primary on March 17, 2026.[source]
Garcia completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.
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Click here to view Ballotpedia's local election coverage in Illinois by county in 2026.
Biography
Paula Deacon Garcia provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on February 12, 2026:
- High school: Lisle High School
- Bachelor's: Illinois State University, 1982
- Profession: Civil Servant
- Incumbent officeholder: No
- Campaign website
- Campaign endorsements
- Campaign Facebook
Elections
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for DuPage County Clerk
Paula Deacon Garcia (D) and Jean Kaczmarek (D) are running in the Democratic primary for DuPage County Clerk on March 17, 2026.
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Paula Deacon Garcia  | ||
| Jean Kaczmarek | ||
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Republican primary
Republican primary for DuPage County Clerk
Patricia Kladis-Schiappa (R) is running in the Republican primary for DuPage County Clerk on March 17, 2026.
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| Patricia Kladis-Schiappa | ||
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Endorsements
Garcia received the following endorsements. To view a full list of Garcia's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. To send us additional endorsements, click here.
- U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (D)
- U.S. Rep. Bill Foster (D)
- Cement Masons Local 502
- Chicago Laborers' District Council
- DuPage County Building Trades Council
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 701
- International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 150
- Laborers' International Union of North America (LiUNA) Local 68
- Plumbers Union Local 130
- Western Suburbs Women for Progress (Sway viewpoint group by Western Suburbs Women for Progress)
Campaign themes
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Paula Deacon Garcia completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Garcia's responses.
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- Protect the progress DuPage County has made in expanding voter access: I am genuinely fearful of the future we are leaving to our children and grandchildren. We are seeing before our eyes democracy under attack throughout the country, and our elections are our first and last line of defense. We cannot go back. We cannot be distracted. Here in DuPage County, we must ensure that the person we elect in November is committed to protecting voter access, safeguarding voter data, and making it easier for voters to engage in the democratic process. As Clerk, I will protect our county’s access to early voting, vote anywhere, and vote by mail to ensure that every eligible voter has the opportunity to vote regardless of their work schedules or access
- Implement transparent budgeting: The public has a right to know how and where their tax dollars are spent. My office will create and make publicly available all proposed budgets, make it easy for members of the public to provide feedback and ideas, and follow standard accounting principles so voters and taxpayers can have confidence in the office and its processes.
- Internal audit of the Clerk’s Office: Because the current Clerk has not prepared or presented budgets or followed the county’s accounting protocols, we simply do not know what the financial situation is in the office. When elected, I will conduct an internal audit so we have a clear picture of the vendors, the office’s spending and long-term budgeting, and the internal policies that have been used in the decision-making process.
- Congressman Bill Foster
- DuPage County Building Trades Council
- Chicago Laborers’ District Council
- Laborers’ Union Local 68
- International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 701
- Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Local Union 130 UA
- Cement Masons Local 502
- DuPage County Board Chair Deb Conroy
- DuPage County Board Member Andrew Honig
- DuPage County Board Member Lucy Chang Evans
- DuPage County Board Member Mary Fitzgerald Ozog
- DuPage County Board Member Melissa Martinez
- DuPage County Board Member Saba Haider
- DuPage County Board Member Sadia Covert
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign website
Garcia's campaign website stated the following:
PLATFORM
Integrity
Integrity means multiple things: truth, honesty, and fact-based work. It is crucial that in our elections, voters know there is integrity. DuPage County has been forward-thinking and a leader in Vote by Mail, Vote Anywhere, and new election equipment. Integrity must also be a part of the clerk's office in record keeping and the respect of staff. My prior experience, including 21 years working for the Village of Lisle and serving on the County Board as Finance Chair and Vice Chair of Human Services, brings me to this office.
Transparency
The work being done - whether it is the election division, marriage licenses, tax redemptions, vital records, or property tax lookup divisions - needs to be open and available to all residents of the county. The Clerk also needs to be open with the budget, so residents can see that their taxpayer dollars are being used properly and efficiently.
Dedication
Every job I have been given or chosen, I have become dedicated to doing my best work. Each Committee on the County Board I have chaired—from Intergovernmental to Public Works to Finance—I took time to meet with staff regularly and discuss how their jobs work and how we could work together to make things better for the County. This year, I am working diligently to ensure each department prepares a budget and presents it to their parent committee. I have had meetings with any elected official, if needed, to explain this decision.
Collaboration
To make any office work smoothly, staff needs to collaborate. DuPage County is a large office that needs to run efficiently to serve the needs of the residents and businesses. My priority if I can earn your vote and become DuPage County Clerk, will be to meet with the clerk’s staff to learn each member’s key strengths and to meet with all other departments to find ways to work as a team. I believe right now the clerk’s office is working as a silo which is causing dysfunction as a county. Residents vote for people to lead in ways that create stability and function, and trust. Collaborating is a key way to get this accomplished.
— Paula Deacon Garcia's campaign website (March 12, 2026)
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
