More registered voters than residents?
Thursday, Apr 21, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This may look worse than it might be. But still…
More than 10 percent of Illinois’ 102 counties have more registered voters than residents who are old enough to vote, according to a new report.
The 14 counties, as well as the board governing elections in East St. Louis, have been notified of the problem by state election regulators after the release of new U.S. Census bureau population figures earlier this year.
Among counties grappling with the disparity is Alexander County, which has experienced voter fraud issues in the past. Numbers released by the Illinois State Board of Elections show there are 7,806 registered voters in a county that has just 6,353 residents age 18 or older.
Other counties facing similar circumstances include Hardin, Jasper, Massac, Mercer, Pulaski, Rock Island and Union.
Illinois has a ton of tiny counties, and pretty much all of those 14 fit that description except for Rock Island County, which is quite large. Rock Island apparently hasn’t done a purge since the last census, which could account for the problem. People move and don’t drop their prior registration, people die, etc. The state thinks there are more than 11,500 people in that county who have either moved or are dead. Still, that seems a bit weird that they’d have more registered voters there than people.
* Related…
* Meeks considers resigning from IL Senate
* Conservative Lipinski Draws Well-Funded Primary Challenger
* 2 suburban elections decided by coin flips
* Reminder: Map drawing rooms open to the public
* Redistricting Process Comes to Northern Suburbs
* Voters want politics out of legislative redistricting
* House Redistricting Hearings Underway Around State
- Cincinnatus - Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 11:52 am:
Finally, CapFax highlights a proper role of government!
Voting registrars should be funded so that with each new voter registration, the voter’s previous jurisdiction is notified, and the voter stricken from the old records. A one-time purge of lists should also be funded to establish a baseline for the program.
- walkinfool - Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 11:53 am:
How good was the census? I would question the accuracy of both.
- Because I say so - Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 12:33 pm:
Interesting to see Lipinski up against what may be the first strong challenger.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 12:44 pm:
Illinois will never be ready for reform until it breaks the stranglehold of crooked Alexander County politics.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 1:15 pm:
LOL word…….
- overcooked - Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 1:22 pm:
Lipinski voted his district on Obamacare. Depending on the map, a liberal democrat may have problems in a conservative, suburban oriented Congressional district, if the GOP can find a credible opponent.
- Skirmisher - Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 1:33 pm:
The resignation of Mr. Meeks from the State Senate would be a very great loss. He is one of a small handful worthy of respect.
- The Captain - Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 2:14 pm:
Many of these county clerk’s offices are very small and underfunded. In the last ten years new laws have required that they 1) move all their records to electronic format so they could be easily and quickly transmitted to the state, 2) provide early voting 6 days a week, and 3) allow for no-fault absentee voting such that the day they receive an application they have to post that voter’s name and send out a ballot the very next day. Throw in grace period registration and all sorts of other wrinkles and new duties amid all the budget problems of the last ten years and it’s not really fair to these clerks for what they have to keep up with.
And you’ll notice that there really isn’t a partisan bent to that list. E. St. Louis and Rock Island are traditional Democratic voting bases while I think Alan Keyes won Jasper county. Sure, they should have purged their voter rolls, especially Rock Island given it’s size compared to the rest, but I’m not shocked to learn that some counties were behind.
- Quinn T. Sential - Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 3:18 pm:
Michael Rendina? I’ll bet old man Lipinski is just shaking in his boots over that (~ tongue frimly planted in cheek.
Before it is over with, they will have three women, two Irish men, a Greek, a Lithuanian, and LGBT candidates in that primary and Mr. Atkinson $270,000 will be swirling around the bottom of his toilet bowl before being flushed out to sea the day after the primary.
- Conservative Veteran - Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 3:20 pm:
Since congressional candidates aren’t required to live in the districts in which they run, the candidates don’t need to wait for the maps. I hope that this month, a Republican will start campaigning against Rep. Lipinski. Lyons and Proviso Township probably have at least one township official or mayor who can win.
- Honest Abe - Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 4:35 pm:
No room for Lipinski in the Democrats’ “Big Tent”?