Prairie State Wire

Illinois For America First's Joshua Pratt claims the state's electoral system is vulnerable to abuse and fraud.

The Illinois voting process, according to Pratt, is ripe for corruption, exploitation, and fraud.

“In Illinois we are engaged in election integrity efforts, which include looking at the clerk's offices, investigating the election system, including policies, procedures, law, machines and operations of clerk's offices," Pratt said. "We're also engaged in voter registration efforts, voter roll cleanup and proof of life canvasing post-election. So far, we have found an election system that is broken. We have found clerk's offices that are not following proper procedures based on Illinois law. We have found voter suppression and data that is incorrect. Voters who are non-existent, yet they're still receiving voter registration cards. We're providing resources to grassroots organizations and training to concerned citizens on the election process.”

In an op-ed by Pratt written in North Cook News, he says that the conclusion from Illinois For America First's investigation into the state's system is that Illinois is ripe for voter fraud. He claims Illinois' election laws are non-transparent, not clearly defined, and inefficient which leads to people doubting the legitimacy of Illinois elections. Pratt says that mail-in voting and early voting, both COVID-era changes, have done the most to undermine faith in our elections. He claims these practices have made it virtually impossible for poll watchers to do their jobs due to the timespan, and mail-in voting creates a major chain of custody problems making fraud, coercion, and vote buying much easier to perpetrate. 

"The people of Illinois must not cease to advocate for fundamental reforms," Pratt wrote. "In the near term we believe that the most important action Illinois residents can take to strengthen the integrity of elections, and confidence in the democratic legitimacy of elected representatives, is to increase transparency in electoral processes."  

Pratt claims another issue with the voting system is voting machines; he says these are not transparent or understandable for poll watchers and citizens, and computer experts are not allowed to look at them due to "intellectual property" contracts signed by state employees. Pratt goes on to say that same-day voter registration, combined with loose voter ID requirements and inaccurate voter rolls with many fraudulent registered voters, makes cheating easy. Pratt is calling for fundamental reforms to the Illinois election system to increase the integrity and confidence of elections in the state, and he also calls on everyday citizens to step up and get involved.

U.S. Senate candidate Kathy Salvi (R) is demanding answers from Schuyler County Clerk Mindy D. Garrett after the county sent out early ballots with Peggy Hubbard as Sen. Tammy Duckworth's (D) opponent, according to West Central Reporter. It was her name that should have been on the ballot. 

"The clerk needs to provide a written explanation confirming what actions she has already taken regarding the faulty absentee ballots. If she has, in fact, unilaterally acted and mailed new ballots, those need to be sequestered and not counted," Salvi said in an Oct. 20 press conference. "It is unclear how they will be identified and separated out through the U.S. Postal Service mail." 

Salvi is calling for the clerk "to court and allow a judge to provide the remedy for the 45 early votes." She also raised questions after the clerk's office sent ballots to a facility housing violent sex offenders. 

Illinois GOP Chairman Don Tracy released a statement saying, "The events that have taken place with regards to Schuyler County's voting process are alarming to say the least...This inexcusable balloting error requires immediate transparency and a thorough investigation."

State Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) said that the ballot error made by the Schuyler County Clerk was the worst he has ever seen but doesn’t believe that the error was intentional, "but it is a grievous error nonetheless." Halbrook suggested that every voter who used the mistaken ballot needs to be given the opportunity to vote on a clean, mistake-free ballot. He also said that there needs to be a viable solution to correct this error because there may be close local elections that could be affected if certain ballots are deemed invalid, Chambana Sun reported.