The county clerk said a McHenry man who suddenly collapsed while working as an election judge at the McCullom Lake Village Hall polling place died serving his community in a “profoundly patriotic act.”
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and McHenry Fire Protection District responded around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday to the McCullom Lake Village Hall, 4811 West Orchard Drive in McCullom Lake, for a report of an unresponsive person.
A 911 caller reported they were using an automated external defibrillator (AED) on the victim, who was unconscious and not breathing.
Emergency crews arrived and attempted lifesaving measures, which were unsuccessful.
The McHenry County Coroner’s Office was notified of the death by the McCullom Lake Police Department around 9:15 p.m.
McHenry County Coroner Dr. Michael Rein identified the victim on Wednesday as Petter Culver, 75, of McHenry. However, public records indicate his first name is spelled “Peter.”
Culver was working as an election judge when he suffered a cardiac event at the village hall, Rein said.
The coroner’s office responded and began a thorough investigation before determining that Culver died from natural causes.
Rein said he was in phone contact with McHenry County Clerk Joe Tirio regarding the job his staff was performing at the time.
“I assured Mr. Tirio that we would take every precaution necessary in securing the area where Mr. Culver was,” Rein said.
The coroner’s office turned back the area to Tirio and his team.
“I want to thank Mr. Tirio and his team for the professionalism they showed during this unusual and unfortunate event,” Rein said.
Tirio issued a lengthy statement after the incident, saying that “we lost one of our own” as the polls closed and the final ballots were counted.
The clerk said Culver died doing something he believed in deeply — serving his community as an election judge.
“Petter gave years of faithful service to the Democratic Party and the democratic process in McHenry County. He served because he understood something that too many take for granted: freedom is not self-sustaining. It requires tending. It requires people willing to do the hard and unglamorous work of making democracy real – not just in theory, but in practice, one voter at a time,” Tirio said.
“That work is hard. Let no one tell you otherwise. Our election judges report before dawn and work well past nightfall, fifteen hours or more staying at their post with little opportunity for a break. Most of our judges are past the age of 65, and yet they lift equipment, set up polling places, navigate complicated procedures, and do it all with patience and professionalism. They greet every voter, the grateful and the grumbling alike, with dignity,” he said.
Tirio said election judges understand the gravity of the work and the gift they have been sworn to protect.
“They are a rare breed, and I couldn’t be prouder of Petter and his fellow election judges. McHenry County is truly blessed by these stalwart patriots. They do not do this for the pay. They do not do it for recognition. They do it because they are the kind of people who still believe that showing up matters, and that civic duty is not a burden but a privilege,” Tirio said.
“What Petter Culver did – what all our election judges do – is among the most profoundly patriotic acts available to a private citizen. They are the quiet guardians of the ballot box. They are the human infrastructure of liberty itself. To every election judge serving McHenry County: we appreciate you. We honor you. What you do is sacred work,” he added.
Tirio said Culver gave his “last full measure” of devotion not on a battlefield but at a polling place in the community he loved.
“You did not just talk about democracy. You showed up for it, right until the very end. Rest now, Petter. Your work here is done, and it was done well,” the county clerk said.
Sue Rose of Indivisible McHenry County said Culver was a long-time supporter of democracy and attended of the organization’s protest rallies in the county.
“He showed up with his heartfelt homemade signs and often accompanied his protesting with a cowbell,” Rose said.