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Dem coordinated committee asks to intervene in Bost lawsuit over vote by mail

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Illinois

* Press release…

Organize Illinois 2022, the coordinated campaign for Illinois Democrats, announced the Democratic Party of Illinois filed a motion late Friday night to intervene in a lawsuit brought by a right-wing organization attempting to disenfranchise Illinois voters. The suit, filed by Judicial Watch along with U.S. Congressman Mike Bost and others, would prohibit counting any mail ballots received after Election Day, even if those ballots were postmarked and received in accordance with state law.

“The right to vote is sacred and must be protected,” said Organize Illinois 2022 Chair and Secretary of State Jesse White. “This lawsuit is a frivolous attempt to restrict access to the ballot box. Illinois state law is clear: as long as mail ballots are postmarked by Election Day and received up to 14 days after Election Day, they should be counted. This long standing practice is shared by many other states in accordance with federal law. Our hope is that this lawsuit is dismissed promptly and Illinois can continue as a leader in ballot access.”

The suit (Rep. Michael J. Bost, Laura Pollastrini, and Susan Sweeney v. The Illinois State Board of Elections and Bernadette Matthews (No. 1:22-cv-02754)) was filed by the dark money organization Judicial Watch, which has filed numerous similar lawsuits around the country to restrict electoral access and aid Republican candidates and causes. The motion to intervene, filed by the Democratic Party of Illinois, argues the extended ballot receipt deadline is in accordance with federal law and without it, the millions of Illinois voters who cast timely ballots by mail risk disenfranchisement.

Illinois state law allows election authorities to count mail ballots as long as those ballots are postmarked by Election Day and received up to 14 days after Election Day. Currently, 17 other states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands have extended ballot receipt deadlines. This is not the first time that litigants have attempted this type of claim. In 2020, several courts considered nearly identical challenges to post-election day ballot receipt deadlines around the country, and all failed.

The lawsuit will not impact vote-by-mail for the June 28 primary. To read to motion to intervene, click HERE.

I think you’re going to see the coordinated committee taking a much more active role in state party functions.

The Bost lawsuit is here, by the way.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jun 21, 22 @ 10:50 am

Comments

Law requires ballots without postmarks be counted. Many pieces of mail are no longer postmarked these days. Only problem I ran into during my tenure.

Comment by Former election official Tuesday, Jun 21, 22 @ 11:07 am
The attorney who filed this goofy lawsuit is also running for the circuit court.

Comment by Big Dipper Tuesday, Jun 21, 22 @ 12:17 pm
== Law requires ballots without postmarks be counted. ==

IMO they should have a shorter period for those without postmarks, like the typical 2 - 3 delivery time for local mail.

Comment by RNUG Tuesday, Jun 21, 22 @ 1:15 pm
=== the typical 2 - 3 delivery time for local mail. ===

1. A lot of mail-in ballots come from out-of-county, out of state and out of country in November.

2. There is no reasonable basis to presume that a ballot with no postmark was mailed after Election Day. You think there are tens of thousands of people sitting on mail in ballots who are gonna not mail in their ballot, see their candidate lost, try to reverse the outcome the next day by mailing in ballot and…somehow convince post office not to stamp???

3. A lot of mail is taking 10+ days now.

4. Interpretation of rules and statutes should err on the side of enfranchisement and protecting voter rights.

Comment by Thomas Paine Tuesday, Jun 21, 22 @ 3:41 pm
Update….

Kennie Grif mehbee outta spout: “…deserve fair and objective judges rather than the hand-picked candidates BOUGHT BY MEE.”

Comment by sal-says Tuesday, Jun 21, 22 @ 5:12 pm