Mail-in ballots flip Harlem School Board race as election results are certified
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
Get our mobile app
MACHESNEY PARK — Mail-in ballots that filtered in after Election Day have flipped the results of an 11-way race for Harlem School Board.
Diana Johnson, who trailed for the fourth and final position on the board on election night, overtook Katie Littlefield by 27 votes when when all ballots were counted. Those official tallies were posted Tuesday after the Winnebago County Clerk and Rockford Board of Elections certified election results.
By law, mail-in ballots post-marked by April 1 are counted until the election is certified on April 15.
An additional 2,792 ballots were counted after election night, and Johnson’s total grew from 1,620 to 1,831 while Littlefield made gains from 1,641 votes to 1,804.
Johnson, the longtime executive director of the Parks Chamber of Commerce and wife of Machesney Park Mayor Steve Johnson, will join the board with incumbents Evelyn Meeks and Kurt William Thompson and newcomer Diane McKinney. Thompson serves as vice president on the board and Meeks as secretary.
Here’s a look at the final tally:
| Votes | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|
| Patti Lawrence | 1,064 | 6.20% |
| Diana Johnson | 1,831 | 10.67% |
| Evelyn Meeks | 2,151 | 12.53% |
| Katie Littlefield | 1,804 | 10.51% |
| Karen Bell | 1,636 | 9.53% |
| Paul Hofmann | 1,699 | 9.90% |
| Diane McKinney | 2,050 | 11.94% |
| Kurt William Thompson | 1,880 | 10.95% |
| Larry Smith | 714 | 4.16% |
| Jeremy Hissong | 1,362 | 7.93% |
| Richard Jancek | 974 | 5.67% |
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct information about the incumbent board members.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas
