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Early voting tops last off-year, some trouble with absentees, and the recall amendment may be unconstitutional

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Illinois

* Nobody in their right mind would suspect that Chicago’s early voting numbers this fall would even come close to matching 2008’s. Sure enough, it’s down, but it’s still way ahead of the 2006 totals…

As of Thursday, according to the Chicago Board of Elections, 28,476 people had cast ballots. That sounds good, but it’s not even one-third of the 103,000 who’d voted by this point in 2008, when a fellow named Barack Obama led the ballot.

Today’s figure roughly equals all of the early voting count in 2006. But early voting was in its infancy then.

You never compare off-year turnout to presidential years and you don’t do that with early voting, either. Top wards are 18 and 19.

* Cook County’s EV totals are ahead of 2006 as well…

County Clerk David Orr said 35,600 people had voted early as of Thursday, while 33,000 did so in 2006.

Early voting started Oct. 12 and ends Thursday.

“What’s significant about early voting so far is because for the first time in history, the suburbanites are voting heavier and earlier than the city folks,” Orr said.

That is interesting. Top EV sites are Orland Park and Matteson, the home of state treasurer candidate Robin Kelly.

* Also keep in mind that “no excuse” absentee voting is legal this year. You don’t have to leave your home to vote any longer. You just mail in your ballot, which is even easier than early voting, and that may impact EV totals. Lots of people are receiving mass absentee ballot applications in the mail. The Republican Party sent theirs out last week and the Democrats’ coordinated campaign mailed theirs this week.

But there was a problem with at least one group this year. They made a stupid mistake, and they’d better hope the Post Office works out the problem…

Some groups trying to take advantage of a new absentee voting law allowing people to cast a ballot by mail without having to give an excuse are having a few problems with their get-out-the-vote-efforts, elections officials said today.

An insert in today’s editions of RedEye (a Chicago Tribune publication) and the Chicago Reader aimed at encouraging younger city voters to fill out a pre-printed, mail-in request for an absentee ballot contained the wrong address for the Chicago Board of Elections. The mail-in form listed the board’s address as 69 N. Washington St., instead of 69 W. Washington St.

The newspaper insert was part of the “Vote Naked Illinois” voter outreach campaign sponsored by Equality Illinois, Rock the Vote and Roosevelt University.

Jim Allen, a spokesman for the city election board, said the office is working with the U.S. Postal Service in hopes that the absentee ballot applications will be delivered to the board offices.

You’d think that with all the money put into the “Vote Naked” campaign they’d have enough cash to hire a proofreader. Sheesh.

Chuck Goudie’s ABC7 piece this week on no excuse absentee voting was headlined “Open absentee voting concerns officials,” but the only official quoted said they’re keeping a close eye on things.

Have you received one of those mass absentee ballot applications yet?

* Meanwhile, the ACLU of Illinois claims the recall provision on the ballot next month violates the US Constitution. From a press release…

The group’s objection centers on the provision in the recall process that requires at least 100 registered voters from each of at least 25 separate counties to sign a petition in order to initiate the recall election process. The ACLU of Illinois argues that this requirement means that “signatures of electors in less populous counties have greater value than the signatures of electors in more populous counties.” This, the ACLU of Illinois notes, undermines the principle of “one person, one vote” that the Supreme Court of the United States has repeatedly required as part of the electoral process.

They make a good point about that. More…

The ACLU’s Grossman notes that voters in Illinois’ 24 most populous counties – which contains 6.4 million voters or 84% of registered voters – could not place a recall question on a future ballot – even if every voter in those 24 counties were supportive of recalling a sitting Governor. Voters in the remaining 78 counties – with only 1.2 million voters or 16% of registered voters – could gather the necessary 530,000 signatures (using the 2006 gubernatorial election as a guide) to begin a recall election. Grossman writes that “(t)his disparity clearly violates the one person, one vote principle.”

I hadn’t thought of it that way, but it makes sense. And a similar state petition provision was struck down by the US Supremes many years ago…

However, a 1969 U. S. Supreme Court – Moore v. Olgilvie – struck down Illinois’ requirement that candidates for office (in this case, presidential electors) garner petition signatures from at least 50 counties. The Court said that all voters must be treated equally, whether urban or rural, or whether they reside in sparsely settled or populous counties.

So, even if it passes, it may very well be doomed.

I am no longer undecided on this one.

But, frankly, it was only passed so legislators (mainly Democrats) could claim they voted for recall. Gov. Pat Quinn has also made the issue a big part of his campaign. This was little more than political cover. And poorly written at that.

* Related…

* Agreement reached: The Illinois State Board of Elections and the U.S. Department of Justice have reached an agreement after at least 35 of the state’s jurisdictions failed to mail absentee ballots to overseas voters before the national deadline.

* Vote early, vote easy: Kane County Clerk Jack Cunningham is tallying more than 500 ballots a day, with an eye to possibly hitting 1,000 a day as voters have embraced early voting.

* Election Day is over for millions of early voters

* Muslim Americans rally to get out vote - Leaders hope to turn frustration into action this fall

* Muslim voters make their voices heard, early

* Parties Ready Armies of Recount Lawyers

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Oct 22, 10 @ 10:48 am

Comments

I requested an absentee ballot by mail in Cook County. I actually got a rejection letter saying that my signature didn’t match my voter registration (which I changed when I moved last year) so I’d have to vote in person. My signature hasn’t changed in years, let alone one. I’m not sure what happened, or how widespread this is.

Comment by Anonymiss Friday, Oct 22, 10 @ 10:53 am
Recall is a perfect example of why things are so briken. Our elected officials would rather vote on things that satisfy the publics irrational taste for blood, but are bad policy. Just like their unwillingness to vote for a necessary revenue enhancement because of voters belief that government is too big and spends too much. The legislators have a job to do and, quite frankly, they understand the situation far better than those who elected them. Our legislators need to legislate responsibly, and not in a way that plays to the masses and paves the way for reelection.

Comment by anon Friday, Oct 22, 10 @ 10:57 am
I hadn’t thought of the constitutional issue myself… never thought of petitions as a one-person one-vote issue, but it makes sense (though I think a bit of a stretch). A better way would be to say X% in Y counties, at which point, it all comes out equal.

Comment by John Bambenek Friday, Oct 22, 10 @ 11:00 am
I imagine lots of early tea party publicans are crusading forth to their early voting oasis’s to set things right. They know that whoever gets the most votes by election day wins the we are the angriest prize.

Then the rest of us poor slobs who aren’t mad as hell and not going to take it anymore come out on Tuesday’s and just ruin their day.

Comment by Phineas J. Whoopee Friday, Oct 22, 10 @ 11:11 am
Its always the simple stuff that gets you….Wrong address…Hilarious. Reminds me of the Illinois Nazi showing up at Wrigley Field looking for Elwood Blues.

Comment by Living in Oklahoma Friday, Oct 22, 10 @ 11:15 am
My wife received an absentee ballot request form from the Democratic Party of Illinois a couple of days ago. I voted in the last Dem primary, didn’t receive one. She’s an IEA member, maybe that’s it.

The IEA has sent three different oversized postcards for Alexi (nothing for anyone else), which I thought kind of strange, it being a federal office.

I voted in the GOP primary in 2008, and have never received mail from any GOP organization or candidate other than Jason Plummer, who sent out four or five before the last primary.

Comment by wordslinger Friday, Oct 22, 10 @ 11:22 am
These early voting numbers out of Cook Co. look good for the Democrats.

Voting ahead of the 2006 pace.

The Democrats did ok in 2006.

Comment by (618) Democrat Friday, Oct 22, 10 @ 11:44 am
New York’s governor petitions must contain X signatures from each of at least Y congressional districts. Since those districts are based upon population, it meets one person, one vote and shows multi-regional support. Too bad the authors here didn’t look elsewhere for guidance.

Comment by Draznnl (Rhymes with orange) Friday, Oct 22, 10 @ 11:57 am
Draz, it’s also possible they knew what they were doing. “One man, one vote” precedent is pretty established. When was the last time counties got a vote in anything?

“Unconstitutional? Doggone it — next time.”

Comment by wordslinger Friday, Oct 22, 10 @ 12:05 pm
“These early voting numbers out of Cook Co. look good for the Democrats.
Voting ahead of the 2006 pace.
The Democrats did ok in 2006. ”

These numbers, by the admission of the site the numbers came from (Chicagobusiness.com) are NOT good for Dems.

Greg Hinz clearly stated “In a not-very-good sign for local Democrats, early voting in Chicago is way, way, way down…”

While the numbers are better then 2006, you have to understand that for Republicans and many Independents this is as important as the 2008 election. That is what the narrative has been this cycle: the enthusiasm gap. Dems know that the Chicago Dem turnout will be good, and might surpass what it was in 2006, but in order to offset some of the negative approval numbers for both Quinn and Alexi, there NEEDS to be as close to a 2008 turnout as possible. To not even reach 1/3 of the 2008 early voting turnout at this point is very bad news for those cheering on Democrats at the top of the ticket.

Comment by ChrisChicago82-Independent Friday, Oct 22, 10 @ 12:14 pm
As the article noted, early voting was in its infancy in ‘06. It is fruitless to try to compare ‘06 and ‘10.

Just compare Facebook and Twitter use in the elections of 2006 and 2010. Say what?

Comment by Wally Friday, Oct 22, 10 @ 12:37 pm
The Recall Amendment is a typical headline bill.

Comment by Cal Skinner Friday, Oct 22, 10 @ 1:10 pm
===This was little more than political cover. And poorly written at that.===
I am going to put on my tinfoil hat and say there is a possibility that this was known ahead of time.

Comment by Been There Friday, Oct 22, 10 @ 2:17 pm
Early voting is not a good thing for this state. It drives up the costs of elections, increases the liklihood of voter fraud, costs too much money, and drives people to the ballot box before they have thoroughly thought through the ballot. Maybe a couple days of voting is ok, but three weeks early coupled with early voting is way too much.

Comment by Just Observing Friday, Oct 22, 10 @ 2:27 pm
The majority of early voting takes place in the last week soooooo anyone who knows what they are talking or actually understands early voting trends realizes that these are actually very, very good numbers for Dems. Either way, the articles are premature. Greg Hinz couldn’t wait a week to compare apples to apples?

Comment by Wizard of Ozzie Friday, Oct 22, 10 @ 2:49 pm
===I voted in the last Dem primary, didn’t receive one.===

I think they only sent those to people who are not 100 percent voters. That is, they voted in a Dem primary, but maybe not the general, or maybe missed a primary.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Oct 22, 10 @ 2:59 pm
Nationwide, GOP early voters outnumber Democrats by 2 to 1.

Comment by Cincinnatus Friday, Oct 22, 10 @ 3:02 pm
Nationwide, Dem early voters outnumber GOP by 2 to 1.

Comment by Ghost Friday, Oct 22, 10 @ 3:28 pm
“The majority of early voting takes place in the last week soooooo anyone who knows what they are talking or actually understands early voting trends realizes that these are actually very, very good numbers for Dems.”

Are you trying to convince us of that, or convince yourself?

I’m not saying you’re wrong, but lets look at the facts… Approximately 75,000 people LESS voted early in Chicago at this point then they did 2 years ago.

You can spin that and we can debate what that actually means, but 75,000 less, regardless of how or why, is REALLY, at face value, good news???

Again… who are you trying to convince of that?

Can you at least see why some might look at that number of 75,000 and say, like Hinz did, that the news is not all that great for Dems statewide?

Comment by ChrisChicago82-Independent Friday, Oct 22, 10 @ 4:46 pm
===then they did 2 years ago.===

Off-year elections are different animals.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Oct 22, 10 @ 5:27 pm