Oberweis seeks to overturn election
Tuesday, Jan 5, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* AP…
Defeated Republican congressional candidate Jim Oberweis has informed the U.S. House of Representatives he will contest the outcome of his race against Democratic Congresswoman Lauren Underwood.
In announcing his intent on Monday, Oberweis said that during the discovery recount process volunteers for his campaign found election jurisdictions around the 14th Congressional District did not follow the law.
He claims that led to an inability to verify those who were legally entitled to vote actually voted.
* OK, I wanted to check with a Democratic election law attorney I know before I posted the Oberweis press release because this was above my pay grade. Here are Oberweis’ claims with the attorney’s responses indented…
· 5,373 voters who cast votes in the 14th District who also filed address changes in the National Change of Address database, which translates to 4,903 allegedly illegal votes cast in the 14th
That does not indicate illegal votes. He doesn’t understand how that system works.
· No Election judge initials on Vote By Mail ballots in Kane County… In Kane County, there were 39,647 VBM ballots cast. None of these ballots were initialed by Election Judges, which is illegal in Illinois. Rep. Lauren Underwood had 68.6 percent of the VBM cast in Kane County while Oberweis had 31.4 percent of the vote. Because the votes are illegal, these votes cannot be counted and when the reduction in vote totals are applied to both candidates’ totals, Oberweis wins the 14th Congressional District by 9,374 votes.
Kane uses pollbooks that record the judges signatures, so they do not appear on the ballot. It’s a more advanced technology that reduces the amount of time and money a county has to spend if they’re reviewing ballots again. That’s why they did the discovery recount so quickly. That doesn’t make those ballots invalid.
· 63 ballot application requests were granted prior to the June date when election jurisdictions were allowed to accept applications from voters to vote by mail
Again, that doesn’t make the ballot invalid just because a person submitted a VBM request before the date by which they could be processed.
· 29 VBM ballot application requests were granted after the Oct. 29, 2020 deadline
VBM requests can be made until the day before the election, usually they’re made in person at this point.
· Kane County voters were not allowed to vote provisionally
· A voter from Kenosha, WI voted illegally in IL-14 and tweeted about it
No idea what he’s talking about, but not sure how that invalidates the election.
· There were more than 1600 ballots cast in DuPage County above and beyond the number of voters who voted
I believe they are mixing ballots received and ballots cast – they’re not the same thing. DuPage had an unprecedented number of new registrations during the early voting period and on election day, and more people who requested VBMs than ever before. Those who appeared in person and surrendered their ballots were given a regular ballot. Thus, more ballots were given out than actual voters – but it doesn’t mean they were all cast.
- So_Ill - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 12:50 pm:
This guy just loves losing, huh?
- Montrose - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 12:52 pm:
“This strategy is working really well for Trump, so lets give it a try.”
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 12:56 pm:
I guess the only question I have left…
Why doesn’t Oberweis wanna go to Florida with his wife?
Its over. What other reason is left to not go to Florida already?
- HL Mencken - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 12:58 pm:
Isn’t there some requirement that a challenge be filed before the winner is sworn in? Otherwise challenges can now be filed against all members of Congress who violate their oath of office.
- Tom - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 1:01 pm:
Kane County has DRE voting (electronic voting) so there is no ballot to initial in Kane county on election day or early voting, plus the electronic polling books
- Ducky LaMoore - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 1:02 pm:
“Why doesn’t Oberweis wanna go to Florida with his wife?”
Leave her alone. I’m sure she is doing great with him occupied.
- Pot calling kettle - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 1:03 pm:
==there is no ballot to initial in Kane county==
Who said facts were important? A rich white guy lost an election, that never used to happen, so there must be fraud.
- OneMan - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 1:10 pm:
The Kane County Clerk (someone I consider a friend) runs a good election process and knows what he is doing. I have every faith this election was run correctly.
- @misterjayem - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 1:13 pm:
Weis up, Jim, it’s ober.
– MrJM
- Lincoln Lad - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 1:15 pm:
This particular candidate has lost so many times, it’s hard to understand how he doesn’t have it down by now. The ridiculousness of his challenge does however, make me laugh. AT him, not with him.
- Amalia - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 1:17 pm:
A Republican judicial candidate in the 13th sub circuit (NW suburbs) has filed a lawsuit about all sorts of alleged irregularities. The lawsuit is against the Cook County Clerk, the candidate who beat him, and asks for $100k. He was ahead the morning after the election…Tribune headlines…but lost when all the votes were counted. very acrimonious contest.
- Boone's is Back - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 1:19 pm:
Fitting that the dairy king would go down toting debunked conspiracy theories the same way his idol did. Don’t let the door hit ya on the way out Jimmy.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 1:23 pm:
===but lost when all the votes were counted===
Funny how that works.
- pool boy - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 1:27 pm:
Not that it probably matters to him, but it looks like I will not be buying Oberweis dairy anymore.
- NotRich - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 1:27 pm:
Good Ice cream..bad politician
- Roadrager - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 1:30 pm:
Look at the state legislature in Pennsylvania today. That’s the ultimate goal here with all of these, whether or not it works for the specific candidate in this first attempt at it.
- Sox Fan - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 1:31 pm:
It’s scary to think about what Republican’s endgame is in all of this. Trump is easiest to figure out. He’s a textbook sociopath. Everyone else though seem to be deliberately assaulting our democracy.
- PublicServant - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 1:34 pm:
He’s good at Ice cream. Not so much politics. Just sayin.
- Cheryl44 - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 1:34 pm:
I don’t buy his dairy products because I’m afraid the crazy might be contagious.
- Jocko - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 1:35 pm:
As a follow-up, Jim also plans on suing Illinois sportsbooks for losses brought about by ‘unforeseen events’
- JS Mill - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 1:42 pm:
====but lost when all the votes were counted====
When all of the runs were counted, the Mudville 9 lost.
- frustrated GOP - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 1:54 pm:
keep in mind the Kane County Clerk’s Office has been under Republican control for close to 3 decades. So his own party failed to get him elected??
So, instead of just losing, he is going to remind everyone several times that he lost again??
ok, you lost. Again
- Turner - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 1:55 pm:
==Weis up, Jim, it’s ober==
That is one of the best. It should be a crime to be that clever.
- Dotnonymous - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 1:56 pm:
- @misterjayem - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 1:13 pm:
Weis up, Jim, it’s ober.
– MrJM
MrJM can not be stopped…or topped.
- Club J - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 1:56 pm:
Maybe Tom DeVore is his Attorney and it’s just not about the winning.
- Dotnonymous - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 2:02 pm:
Losing must hurt…so good?
- Colin O'Scopy - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 2:03 pm:
This clip could be applied to Oberweis or Trump…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPZn4rbiB8g
- Dysfunction Junction - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 2:05 pm:
== Leave her alone. I’m sure she is doing great with him occupied. ==
If Florida’s out of the question, I hear lots of ex-pols from Illinois are heading down to Arizona. Maybe he could find a like-minded neighbor with a pool?
- Dotnonymous - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 2:13 pm:
This type of foolish challenge must have a real world consequence…or we let Democracy perish…foolishly.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 2:16 pm:
===Why doesn’t Oberweis wanna go to Florida===
For the life of me, I can’t figure out why he didn’t just run down in SW Florida for what was a can’t-lose open seat. It’s a perfect district for him. He can golf almost year-round, nice beaches, good restaurants (where you can eat outside), older population, plenty of Illinois transplants and snowbirds to attend his fundraisers. Plus some of the best sunsets I’ve ever seen.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 2:23 pm:
That’s the “millions of dollars wasted” question;
Why this need to be from Illinois in Congress?
I’d love an answer to this.
- Bruce( no not him) - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 2:31 pm:
…Funny how that works….
All votes must be counted. By all, I mean the ones for me.
- Dotnonymous - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 2:52 pm:
Democracy depends on a good loser.
- Dotnonymous - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 2:55 pm:
We find the sore loser offensive and pitiful…where I’m from.
- Precinct Captain - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 3:05 pm:
An old white guy trying to steal an election from a Black person. Is this 2021 or 1871?
- jimbo - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 3:06 pm:
I’m certain I must be missing something but I read yesterday, possibly in a tweet by Hannah, that the notification must happen within 30 days of certification.
Since certification was on Dec 4th, wouldn’t his notification on Jan 4th be one day past the deadline? Or does it get extended because the 30th day was a Sunday?
- John Lopez - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 3:20 pm:
===For the life of me, I can’t figure out why he didn’t just run down in SW Florida for what was a can’t-lose open seat.===
Oberweis didn’t have the funds to compete in that primary. 3rd place finisher put over $3 million of own money in that race, and super PACs spent a million against him. 4th place finisher put in over $2 million. 2nd place finisher backed by Marco Rubio lost to Byron Donalds by 774 votes, and Club for Growth spent nearly $2 million for Donalds. NRA endorsement clinched it. Oberweis wouldn’t have been competitive.
- TheInvisibleMan - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 3:24 pm:
==very acrimonious contest.===
We had a foreshadowing of this out in plainfield back in 2013 when a village local trustee tried to sue residents because he didn’t get enough votes to win, and tried taking a few people to court to pay him the 150k he would not be getting as a salary as a state senator - because he lost the election.
- train111 - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 3:24 pm:
Why doesn’t he just move to Fla. He can golf with Donald Trump and they can bleat on and on about how they were both robbed. After all misery loves company.
- WillRez - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 4:58 pm:
misterjayem has elevated his game to the Wordslinger/Oswego Willy level.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 5:09 pm:
- WillRez -
You have it very backwards;
Humbly, Wordslinger, unmatched, and - @misterjayem -… pithy, wicked smart… I’m not even close to that, next level stuff.
:)
- thoughts matter - Tuesday, Jan 5, 21 @ 5:39 pm:
We’ve gotten to the real issue with Trumps behavior the last several weeks …. many other people are going to think they should do it too. We’ve been a country since 1776 … not sure we are going to make it to 2026.
The rules are the one with the most votes wind. The other one concedes. It’s not really all that complicated, but it’s the basis for our country.