WurfWhile

From the Joe Vosicky campaign this afternoon:

“Joe Vosicky telephoned Dennis Reboletti on December 28/2006 to concede in the race for State Representative of District 46 and to congratulate him and wish him well in representing his constituents.

The Vosicky Campaign had asked for a recount and to review election documents because of irregularities that could have changed the result in the contest, the closest race in Illinois. On election night there was a 153 vote difference between the candidates, with the DuPage County Election Commission stating that 100% of the precincts had reported. However, on November 28, when the DuPage County Election Commission certified the vote, the difference almost doubled.

Countywide, 19 memory cards from both the Optical Scan machines and the new Touch Screen machines were left unsecured overnight at polling sites. Some of the memory cards were not tabulated for 3 days after the election. Many absentee votes were tabulated as “early votes” and early voting itself added complexity to the election validation.

In District 46, 5 memory cards were left unsecured at polling sites overnight, including 2 Optical Scan cards which contained almost all of the votes at 2 polling locations. Because of all of these irregularities and a difference of only 3.4 votes a precinct, the Vosicky Campaign asked for a discovery recount and related documents as provided in the Election Code. On Friday, December 22, the Election Commission produced the last of the data which the Campaign had requested 2 weeks previously, thus bringing the recount to an end.

Although a sizable number of questionable votes exist, it does not appear to be enough to overturn the election. Vosicky said that the irregularities found during the recount illustrate why it is essential to tighten up the election process to make it more transparent and to protect sensitive election materials. All citizens want to be confident that their votes count.

The Vosicky Campaign, which paid for the costs of the vote recount and photocopying, appreciates the sustained support of its volunteers and thanks and acknowledges the cooperation provided by the DuPage County Election Commission.”

It’s important to acknowledge the Joe Vosicky campaign, which traveled through locally uncharted territory in their bid for a fair count of every vote cast. For Democrats Joe also showed, at the ballot box where it counts, that we can win in DuPage. I also think it important to acknowledge the people who have been advocating fair elections in DuPage for quite some time now - and the just criticisms of the DuPage County Election Commission. Bottom-line: when the DuPage County Election Commission says it has counted all the votes, but has missed counting some electronic votes, and does not tabulate them until days after the election, they’ve lost their credibility in the election. That’s a disservice to the voters and residents of DuPage County, and a disservice to candidates like Democrat Joe Vosicky and Republican State Representative Dennis Reboletti. We all deserve better elections than this. Fair and free elections are the foundation of our democracy - their integrity and proper execution matters.