LINCOLNSHIRE, IL — Americans for Prosperity–Illinois (AFP-IL) today announced it has filed an ethics complaint and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request calling for an independent investigation into the Vernon Area Public Library District over the alleged use of taxpayer funds to conduct voter polling and message testing ahead of the District’s $39.5 million November bond referendum.
AFP-IL Deputy State Director Brian Costin issued the following statement:
“Taxpayers footed the bill for a poll of likely voters that tested ballot language and continued to do so after receiving a warning in May. The District’s decision to continue collecting data and ultimately put the bond in question on the ballot shows a total disregard for Illinois taxpayers and our hard-earned dollars.
“Illinois residents have a right to know whether their tax dollars and their library’s voter and patron data were used to build a campaign playbook for a tax hike. AFP-IL calls on the Lake County State’s Attorney and the Illinois Attorney General to investigate and hold those accountable.”
BACKGROUND:
The complaint, filed with the District’s Ethics Commissioner, the Lake County State’s Attorney, and the Illinois Attorney General, alleges that the District commissioned a scientific survey of 433 registered, likely voters — drawn from county voter databases and weighted by partisan primary-voting history — that tested proposed ballot language, measured support and opposition, evaluated eight arguments for the referendum and seven against it, and tracked how voters’ support shifted after hearing those arguments.
The complaint alleges the District continued the survey, received the results, and paid the final invoice even after AFP-IL sent a cease-and-desist letter on May 19, 2026, warning that the activity could violate Illinois law. The Board subsequently voted on August 4, 2026, to place the $39.5 million bond question on the November ballot.
In addition to Costin, Gilbert L. Adams, Sue Baker, Pat Tamney, and Robert Spielman, of Lincolnshire, Illinois; John Fox, of Bannockburn, Illinois; and Rick Scardino, of Long Grove, Illinois signed on to the complaint.