Mid-morning precinct reports
Tuesday, Nov 6, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
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* County clerk behaving badly. WSIL TV…
Investigators with the Illinois Attorney General’s office have been called to Saline County after county officials voiced concerns that the openness and transparency of this year’s election could be at risk.
Saline County State’s Attorney Jayson Clark said he received a number of complaints Monday morning that County Clerk Kim Buchanan was refusing to allow poll watchers to oversee the processing of early voting results.
“I came right over here and intervened this morning,” Clark said. […]
“This is America,” Clark said. “We have open elections that everyone gets to watch what happens.”
He says this morning was especially important, because due to an equipment malfunction, the county had to rerun all of the early voting ballots through a new machine.
Clark says after getting the poll watchers inside to oversee the processing, Buchanan kicked them out the moment he left.
“She didn’t just kick them out, she built a barricade where they couldn’t even see what was going on back there when they were running the ballots through the machine for the second time,” Clark said. “That’s pretty egregious.”
He says that’s when he got the attorney general’s office involved.
She barricaded herself in her office? What the heck?
* Text messages from Democrats involved with looking into precinct polling place problems…
Kendall County Clerk is now directing precinct judges not to vote any voter who comes to a polling place with mail ballot to vote in person (they bring the ballot to surrender and vote in person). Instead she says they must go to the Clerk’s Office. Under the law they can vote a regular ballot. The Attorney General and State Board were notified.
One of the heaviest D precincts in [Rep. Tom Morrison’s district] has “Road Closed” signs blocking all entrances. Voters are going around
…Adding… Here are pictures of what I am told are the barricades in front of all three entrances to those precinct polling places in Rep. Morrison’s district. Salt Creek Park District, 530 S Williams Ave, Palatine, IL…
There does look to be construction behind that first sign, but not the others.
* More shenanigans…
* Sign of the times…
…Adding… From last night…
* What are you seeing out there?
- Actual Red - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 9:31 am:
Barricading herself in her office? This is like Russia-level election shenanigans. I have a terrible feeling that the results across the country are going to be significantly tampered with. If things can be this bad in Illinois, I can only imagine what’s going on in Georgia.
- 47th Ward - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 9:31 am:
Joel Quenneville is having a worse day than Bruce Rauner.
- Sine Die - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 9:33 am:
Just voted on westside of Springfield. Polling place has 6 precincts. Big turnout. Waited 10 minutes to vote. Election judges said it was “a voter per minute” so far. Similar to a Presidential year.
- Come on, man! - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 9:34 am:
Jerry Long was on the radio complaining about Yednock campaigning.
- jabes - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 9:35 am:
I was voter 110 in the 19th precinct in Lakeview, which is a bit higher than usual for 8 am, and while there wasn’t a line to get a ballot, there was a line for the polling booths. Unusually poor signage for my precinct inside the school auditorium - two precincts share the same place, and the 19th didn’t have a sign up. They also appeared to be short some election volunteers, with no one directing voters to which end of the table they should approach to get a ballot. Felt strangely disorganized.
- Simple Simon - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 9:35 am:
Champaign 20 has in line, most booths taken, 136 votes at 9 AM. Same as 2016.
- Real - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 9:37 am:
Why was Kim left there in the first place after the first incident? It should be zero tolerance and she should definitely not be there today!
- Archpundit - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 9:37 am:
Nah, Coach Q will be missed at least
- Anon - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 9:42 am:
Just voted in Peoria County. Was told that there were 20 people waiting for the polls to open, and the line was out the door the entire time I was there. Heavier turnout than 2016.
- JoanP - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 9:45 am:
Look here, young man. I know you were trying to be polite and helpful, but having gray hair does not mean that I need the accessible voting booth.
To the post:
I’m in the 5th Ward, south side of Chicago. Two precincts vote at my polling place. As is always the case, there was hardly any line for my precinct and a long one for the other other precinct. I have no idea why that is.
Voted shortly before 9:00, and one of the judges said it had been very busy. Everything seemed to be going smoothly.
There were people taking advantage of the same-day registration.
No signs outside, no palm cards, but someone was gathering signatures for Susana Mendoza’s mayoral run. I declined to sign, saying she’s doing a good job in Springfield and should stay there.
- Dance Band on the Titanic - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 9:45 am:
Nearly 3x as many votes in by 8 a.m. as compared to past midterms in my northwest DuPage County precinct.
- Anono - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 9:47 am:
The Morrison district is also in Rooney’s district…. and part of Aaron Del Mar’s Republican Palatine Township.
Voters are also remarking about Rooney’s shady letter-writing shenanigans this past weekend.
- Southsider - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 9:49 am:
Heavy turn out in my precinct of the 19th Ward. Election judges were even surprised considering the big up tick in early voting.
- Roadiepig - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 9:53 am:
I have a thought about losing Coach Q and someone else on the same day, but to avoid bad juju I will save it for around 8 pm tonight ….
- Anon - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 9:55 am:
DuPage Township, Will County. Wife and I early voted, but drove past our regular polling place on my way to work. Hard to judge as it is a school and parent teacher conferences were scheduled for all day today, but there was no line out the door at 7:50 a.m.
Parents also live in same township, different precinct, and my dad said that when they went at 7:00 a.m., there were 17 voter booths setup and about 70% of them were occupied. He seemed to think turnout was up compared to past midterms.
- Hard working Art Student - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 9:58 am:
29th ward West side of Chicago. 127 ballots by 9:10am, no wait but a steady stream of people.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 9:59 am:
–One of the heaviest D precincts in [Rep. Tom Morrison’s district] has “Road Closed” signs blocking all entrances. Voters are going around–
To those around the country who actively work to deny “the others” from legally voting…
..you know you’re un-American losers, correct, children of Ol’ Jim Crow?
By your actions, you admit you can’t win in a fair-and-square contest on the value of your ideas.
Must be sad to be you.
- Six Degrees of Separation - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 10:00 am:
In and out in 2 minutes at my precinct. Glad I wasn’t voting in Chicago-the line outside the early voting yesterday at work was a few blocks long. More yard signs outside the polling place than usual, and a cop was there.
- Buford - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 10:01 am:
Voted at my new precinct in Arlington Heights at 7 am, was pretty quiet. Surprised by that.
- Give Me A Break - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 10:06 am:
Voted in Capitol 96 which is on Springfield’s near west side. Lots of state employees live in the area. Turnout seemed a little heavier than usual. Waited about 10 mins to vote.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 10:07 am:
Kim Buchanan apparently likes to do things her own way, laws be damned.
https://www.wpsdlocal6.com/2018/01/26/audit-finds-saline-county-clerk-mismanaged-funds/
- Soccermom - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 10:09 am:
Could someone please get out there and move those barricades out of the way?
What’s happening in Lake County? they have an “interesting” clerk as well, I believe.
- City Bird - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 10:11 am:
Ward 1 Pct 38 had a machine that worked only half the time.
- Hyperbolic Chamber - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 10:17 am:
In a solid D precinct in the 13th CD working off of an expanded D list and there are young people showing up that aren’t on it. Turnout already over 40%.
- Moe Berg - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 10:27 am:
Hope voting rights legislation is high on the Pritzker agenda. Need serious criminal penalties for denying people the franchise. Heartily second Wordslinger’s comment.
- illini - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 10:29 am:
By 10 am 25% of my downstate, largely rural and heavily Republican precinct had voted. Less than 5% voted early or absentee.
- Joe Bidenopolous - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 10:32 am:
===By your actions, you admit you can’t win in a fair-and-square contest on the value of your ideas.===
These are Republicans today. They cheat.
- Anono - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 10:35 am:
@ Buford - Arlington Heights area has two nearby early voting locations (Arlington Heights village hall and Rolling Meadows Courthouse) so thousands of people early voted.
- Sheetrock Bobby - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 10:39 am:
Wondering how the Saline County shenanigans are going to affect HD118 if it’s close. Rep. Phelps-Finnie’s father, David (the former state rep and congressman) is on the Saline County Board, which was in a big spat with the same county clerk a year ago over mismanagement in the clerk’s office, that Anon @ 10:07 posted a link about.
- GC - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 10:41 am:
No Fritz Kaegi AND no Cam Davis (MWRD) on the palm card? Unity…
- Precinct Captain - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 10:47 am:
Over 3/4 of 2014 turnout at a precinct in the NW Burbs and half of 2016 already
- Flapdoodle - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 10:48 am:
No direct observations today (voted a while ago), but Saturday chatted with staff at McDonough County Courthouse in Macomb — they said early voting was through the roof this year. Hammond/Curtis contest may be the reason, not just JB/Rauner.
- illini - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 11:02 am:
@Anonymous and @Sheetrock - I’ve been in touch with a close friend in Saline County - big problems once again with Kim.
- Pick a Name - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 11:06 am:
Joe, to quote Demoralized, quit playing a victim.
- Ken_in_Aurora - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 11:06 am:
Voted at 8:15 on the far west side of Aurora – no idea of how many votes had been cast, but all booths were continuously full. It was a bit of a goat-rope since this is the first election since the Aurora Election Commission was finally abolished back in the spring. Kane County does things differently, so it was like having nothing but first time voters. The machine worked fine for me but was a change from the color-the-dot ballots we were using – some voters were obviously struggling. I have continued my decades long tradition of wearing my “I voted!” flag upside down to protest the general state of the political process.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 11:21 am:
“If you have to suppress the vote in order to win,maybe it’s because your ideas suck.”
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Nov 6, 18 @ 11:29 am:
I’m shutting this thread down because I have a fresh one: https://capitolfax.com/2018/11/06/late-morningearly-afternoon-precinct-reports/