Republican Madison County Clerk Candidates Answer Questions at Candidate Forum

EDWARDSVILLE - The League of Women Voters and the NAACP hosted a candidate forum ahead of the primary election on March 17, 2026. Candidates for Madison County Clerk and Recorder — Linda Andreas and Kurt Prenzler — spoke about their platforms.

During the candidate forum on Feb. 25, 2026, Republicans Andreas and Prenzler introduced themselves and answered questions about the job.

Andreas, the incumbent, shared that she comes from a military family and has a nursing and education background. She expressed her appreciation for her time as the County Clerk.

“It’s been a wonderful experience, and I will say that I had the qualifications to win that office the first round, and it certainly helped me to better that office since I’ve been in there,” Andreas said. “I was well-equipped to take this office as a person who had administrative experience, event coordination experience, people experience.”

Prenzler said that he initially supported Andreas but no longer does.

“I’m disappointed in three ways. Number one, taxes. She promised to be a watchdog to the taxpayer. She’s not done that. Number two, elections. She promised to improve the election process, but it’s actually gotten worse,” he said. He concluded his introduction by handing Andreas a Freedom of Information Act request regarding statements of economic interest for the past few years.

The first question to the candidates was, “What is the greatest challenge you see in guaranteeing fair elections and wide access to the ballot?”

Prenzler said voter rolls are "absolutely job number one in Madison County.” He said Andreas has “admitted” that she needs to trim the voter rolls, and he believes in benchmarking. He added that there are several people who have not filed statements of economic interest over the past few years, which he argues are not clearly listed on Andreas’s website.

Andreas said she has advocated for stronger ID and citizenship verification rules and she supports the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act. She noted that voter registrations have “climbed” over the past few years, meaning more people are registered voters today, which she feels is “actually something to be quite proud of.” She added that adequate staffing at the polls and effectively communicating voting options are other matters of importance.

The second question was, “When are voter rolls purged, and how are those decisions made currently?”

Andreas explained that voter rolls are trimmed or purged every two years, most recently in 2025. The County Clerk works with the Department of Public Health and Social Security, the county coroner, and the U.S. Post Office to keep track of voters who have died or changed addresses.

Prenzler agreed voter rolls are purged every two years but emphasized his argument for benchmarking. He believes voter roll purging should be done “day in, day out, very methodically."

The final question was, “What would you change in the role of Madison County Clerk and Recorder if elected?”

Prenzler said he would “very methodically” check the voter rolls and would not have “secret meetings with public school districts to help them raise their taxes,” which he alleged Andreas has done. He also said he would make sure statements of economic interest are properly displayed.

Andreas clarified that the role of the Clerk and Recorder does not change, but her mission — “to improve confidence in elections, enhance communication through website renewal changes, promote training and alignment with new technology” — would continue. She added she wants to continue the property fraud alert and notary fraud alert programs and to publish an annual voter roll transparency report.

The primary election is scheduled for March 17, 2026.

More like this:

Kurt Prenzler Congratulates Linda Andreas After Election

Mar 18, 2026

Letter To The Editor: Prenzler Says He Stresses Real Republican Values in Campaign

Mar 13, 2026

Madison County Clerk Candidate Kurt Prenzler Argues for Election Integrity and "Pro-Taxpayer" Promises

Feb 2, 2026

Andreas Celebrates Primary Victory For County Clerk Nomination

Mar 17, 2026

Andreas Calls for Voter ID: Clerk Writes Letter To Senators

Feb 10, 2026