Ron Michaelson spent 29 years with the Illinois State Board of Elections, 27 of those as its executive director. During those years he observed much of the state's turbulent political history first-hand, including a contested gubernatorial election in 1982, and the bizarre 1986 gubernatorial election. Michaelson resigned his position at the beginning of the Rod Blagojevich administration.
Interview Links
Feature Excerpt
Classroom Politics
Abstract
Interview Session 01 (Audio)
Early life thru appointment to Board of Elections
Interview Session 02 (Audio)
Board of Elections service, 1978-1988
Interview Session 03 (Audio)
Board of Elections service, 1988-2003
Transcript
Related Materials
See also
Ron Michaelson's 1981 interview with Dr. Cullom Davis (UIS) where they discuss Michaelson's years in the Governor Richard Ogilvie administration.
Photos
Caption
Ron Michaelson meets with two former governors, William Stratton on the left, and Sam Shapiro on the right, in Chicago sometime in the 1970s.
Where:
Chicago, Illinois
When:
1970s
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Ron Michaelson chats with Governor Jim Thompson and Illinois Chief Justice Robert Underwood during the swearing-in ceremony for the State Board of Elections board members, circa July, 1977.
Where:
Unknown
When:
circa July, 1977
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Executive Director Ron Michaelson accepts Jim Edgar’s nominating petitions for Governor in the Springfield office of the State Board of Elections, circa December, 1989.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
circa December, 1989
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
In March, 1992 Ron Michaelson was part of a U.S. delegation of election officials that traveled to the former Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan. Michaelson and a Russian official exchanged gifts.
Where:
Kazakhstan
When:
March, 1992
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
In March, 1992 Ron Michaelson and others in a ten person U.S. delegation of election officials dine with counterparts from Russia and Kazakhstan.
Where:
Kazakhstan
When:
March, 1992
Ownership:
Narrator's photo
Caption
Illinois State Board of Elections Executive Director Ron Michaelson met with an unidentified Russian official during his visit to Russia and Kazakhstan in March, 1992.
Where:
Kazakhstan
When:
1992
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Illinois State Board of Elections Executive Director Ron Michaelson formally met with Kazakhstan’s president, Nursultan Nazarbayev and an interpreter in the capital of Almaty during the U.S. delegation’s visit in March, 1992.
Where:
Kazakhstan
When:
March, 1992
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
On election night in November, 1992, Administrative Assistant Becky Glazier and Ron Michaelson had an opportunity to host the chief electoral officer for Russia at the Swiss Hotel in Chicago.
Where:
Swiss Hotel in Chicago, Illinois
When:
November, 1992
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Gov. Jim Edgar signed the Illinois Gift Ban Act in 1998 at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Ron Michaelson stands next to Senator Paul Simon, who backed the initiative. In the center is Sen. David Luechtefeld, with Mike Lawrence on the right.
Where:
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
When:
1998
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
Gov. Jim Edgar signed the Illinois Gift Ban Act in 1998 at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Ron Michaelson stands next to Senator Paul Simon, who backed the initiative. In the center is Sen. David Luechtefeld, with Mike Lawrence on the right.
Where:
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
When:
1998
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.