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The ‘Big Lie’ lives on in Illinois through GOP ‘election integrity’ efforts

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Illinois

Hiring precinct election judges and poll watchers has traditionally been routine work for state political parties and candidates trying to ensure ballots are cast and counted properly leading up to Election Day.

But this year, the Illinois Republican Party and its candidate for governor, Darren Bailey, have classified those roles as part of a broad “election integrity” effort that is a follow-up to baseless claims the 2020 presidential election was stolen. What’s more, that effort is being led in part by individuals who support former President Donald Trump’s debunked assertions. […]

For their “election integrity” efforts, Bailey and the state GOP have enlisted help from Carol Davis of Carol Stream. She is a former west suburban tea party activist who for years has held election training sessions as head of the Illinois Conservative Union and now is a leader in a national network of election deniers along with top former Trump aides. […]

Davis contends “there is fraud in every election in this country.” She has signaled belief that left-wing, anti-fascist or antifa groups, rather than Trump supporters, were behind the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. She expressed disappointment that a cold kept her away from the “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington, D.C., on that day. She has questioned the integrity of election machinery. And she has said vote-by-mail ballots are susceptible to fraud and are part of a Democratic plot to do away with in-person voting.

* Davis on the conservative Illinois Family Institute podcast after November 2020…

Q: Was this a free and fair election?

Davis: Well, absolutely not. Monty and our experience over years of investigating elections, learning everything there is to know about elections and learning how to spot fraud teaches us that there is fraud in every election in this country.

Q: Especially here in Illinois, we’re the champion of that.

Davis: Absolutely. You know, Illinois, unfortunately, has got that reputation and it’s well deserved and their methodology of how to swing an election has been taught throughout the country. And I’m not saying they put people in classrooms, or private meetings and teach it. But I’m saying that the things that have worked to sway elections in the Chicago area and throughout the state are working now across the country. Let’s say the best practices of deceit have been picked up by many organizations.

Oof

* When poll watchers were brought up during the debate, Bailey dodged…

Q: Let’s talk about the popular subject these days, threats to democracy. A NextStar, Emerson College, the Hill poll found that threats to democracy is the second most important issue driving voters to the polls this November. Senator Bailey, on Facebook you said your campaign has signed up nearly 2,500 people to be poll watchers on November 8, but very few instances of fraud have been reported here. What specifically are your concerns for election security?

Bailey: My entire concern is the fact that people have lost confidence in the election process. And the very fact that this last primary only drew out 18% of eligible voters. That’s a problem. Peoria County, 9% of the voters showed up, registered voters. And as a matter of fact most times during general elections 40%, sometimes 50% at a high show up to vote. They’re not showing up because they have lost confidence in our election. There’s constitutional positions called election judges and poll watchers. And we need to make sure that we put people in place so that we rebuild integrity to our election process and that we make sure that people show up to vote. The brave men and women that served our country, they fought to protect our freedoms. And today it’s up to us, we the people to get involved with the process and uphold our freedoms. Otherwise, as you suggest, constitutional freedoms are at risk.

* The Sun-Times Editorial Board…

Swarms of form letters have been sent to election officials here threatening legal action for unsubstantiated claims of wrongdoing and voter fraud, WBEZ reporters Dan Mihalopoulos and Dave McKinney reported last week.

The letters, which of course offer no proof of misconduct, demand access to voter records the nonpartisan website Votebeat said cannot even be used to demonstrate fraud. But that detail isn’t important to these scribes, who sent the copycat missives to places across the country, including Chicago’s Board of Election Commissioners, the Cook County clerk’s office and the Illinois State Board of Elections. […]

Here in Illinois, Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey said there is no doubt Biden won the election fair and square. Still, he keeps pushing the narrative that election fraud is rampant and has vowed to get close to 4,000 poll watchers for the November general elections.

David Paul Blumenshine, the man Bailey enlisted to recruit poll watchers, also doesn’t deny the 2020 election results. But it is hardly comforting to know Blumenshine attended the Jan. 6 rally that descended into violent chaos at the U.S. Capitol.

posted by Isabel Miller
Thursday, Oct 20, 22 @ 12:51 pm

Comments

-Q: Was this a free and fair election?

Davis: Well, absolutely not.-

Followed by a word salad with no actual evidence of anything.

Comment by Ron Burgundy Thursday, Oct 20, 22 @ 1:00 pm
My question to Ms. Davis and all of the election- fraud conspiracists is, so all of the Republicans that got elected to Congress and state legislatures, etc., those are all fraudulent too?

Comment by Steve Rogers Thursday, Oct 20, 22 @ 1:02 pm
On the one hand, anyone who has worked an election as a judge or poll watcher knows that it is not much more exciting than watvhing paint dry and that fraud is next to nonexistent. On the other hand, people will see and believe what they want.

Comment by The Way I See It Thursday, Oct 20, 22 @ 1:02 pm
And yet, not one reporter that I’m aware of has asked Darren Bailey if he will accept the results of the election. He should be made to state how he feels.

Comment by Curious citizen Thursday, Oct 20, 22 @ 1:04 pm
Election integrity is on the ballot.

All conspiracy theorists are a danger to our democracy

The party embracing such folks is a danger to the country too

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Oct 20, 22 @ 1:05 pm
Bailey- “They’re not showing up because they have lost confidence in our election.”

Maybe they just didn’t show up because they didn’t want to vote for anyone listed on the ballot in the primary??? Or, in some local races because of how our primary is set up as a choice between only two parties (for the most part), there was no opposing party candidate. Ergo, in some folks’ minds, no need to vote. I bet if there was a “None of the Above” choice for some of these offices, the GOTV would be much higher. (just a little snark)

Comment by Anon221 Thursday, Oct 20, 22 @ 1:07 pm
==My entire concern is the fact that people have lost confidence in the election process.==

You know why that is? Because of people in your party continually pushing a lie. You are your party are trying to destroy democracy as we know it by claiming fraud in any election where your party does not win.

Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Oct 20, 22 @ 1:09 pm
People have complained about my use of MAGA GOP. This is a main reason it applies. I would have loved to see my former colleagues save the IL GOP by rejecting the big lies, conspiracies and hateful rhetoric, but alas that’s not the case. They either acquiesce to this cancer or actively engage.

The MAGA GOP election integrity program can be summed up as voter suppression and intimidation.

Comment by Norseman Thursday, Oct 20, 22 @ 1:12 pm
Obviously Darrell’s primary win is fraudulent. Is he dropping out because it’s the Christian thing to do?

Comment by Jerry Thursday, Oct 20, 22 @ 1:12 pm
== and that fraud is next to nonexistent ==

My faith in the abilities of Bailey’s 2500-poll-watcher-militia to identify actual fraud, in any form, is exactly nonexistent.

Comment by XonXoff Thursday, Oct 20, 22 @ 1:19 pm
== My entire concern is the fact that people have lost confidence in the election process. ==

The GOP loves bootstrapping. Just lie constantly about literally any X topic, then say “people are unhappy and are saying X” as justification for whatever bad behavior you were already planning to do.

At no point does what is actually true ever matter to them.

Comment by Homebody Thursday, Oct 20, 22 @ 1:19 pm
…David Paul Bluminshine … 🙄… lololol 😂

Comment by McCleaniac Thursday, Oct 20, 22 @ 1:22 pm
==I bet if there was a “None of the Above” choice for some of these offices, the GOTV would be much higher.==

Or go back to the days when we could let voters write in their own candidates on the ballot–with the write ins not having to be registered by the State Board of Elections.

Comment by AcademicUnionStateEmployee Thursday, Oct 20, 22 @ 1:23 pm
==I bet if there was a “None of the Above” choice for some of these offices, the GOTV would be much higher.==

===Or go back to the days when we could let voters write in their own candidates on the ballot===

So you can either get up really early in the dark and cold, take time off work, or rush after work in the dark before the polls close, and possibly stand in longs lines and wait an hour or more to vote, all so that you can write in a candidate that has zero chance of winning?

I guess I have better things to do with my time.

Comment by Baloneymous Thursday, Oct 20, 22 @ 1:31 pm
Carol Davis everyone https://twitter.com/Sutibuandason/status/1578586852981760000?s=20&t=B6kz6hIRuAU47DcugE_rtg

Comment by ste_with a v_en Thursday, Oct 20, 22 @ 1:31 pm
I have signed up to be an election judge in DuPage county. Crossing my fingers that I don’t get a nutter at my polling place who starts a ruckus.

Comment by Nathan Thursday, Oct 20, 22 @ 2:06 pm
== Was this a free and fair election? ==

My opinion, Illinois centric, is it was about as fair as any Illinois election. (I know, damning with faint praise) Were there a few shenanigans in one or two places? Probably, but not enough to matter to the overall election results. As long as the County Clerks have integrity (and the ones I know do), the system used in Illinois is pretty good at ensuring votes are properly cast.

I can’t speak to other States because I have not worked as an Election Judge in those States, so I don’t know their processes.

Comment by RNUG Thursday, Oct 20, 22 @ 2:08 pm
Bailey’s debate answer on this subject was, pretty much like his other answers, convoluted and confused. He seemed to suggest the evidence of fraud can be found in poor voter turnout, if I understood him correctly, and that was difficult for most of the debate.

An effective campaign election day operation should be designed to boost turnout and increase participation (preferably among voters you’ve identified as supporters). Bailey, however, seems to be recruiting volunteers to hang around polling places looking for fraud. If he wants to boost turnout, he ought to train his volunteers to bring his voters to the polling places where he has the bodies. If not, these volunteers are in for a long, boring day of standing around with nothing to do.

Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, Oct 20, 22 @ 2:12 pm
“And the very fact that this last primary only drew out 18% of eligible voters. That’s a problem.” “They’re not showing up because they have lost confidence in our election.”

I agree with Bailey’s assessment of the low turnout for primaries, but in my opinion he’s wrong about why. For myself, I rarely vote in primaries because I have to vote a party ballot. If we had some type of open primary or ranked choice voting, I would vote in every primary.

Comment by Steve Polite Thursday, Oct 20, 22 @ 2:12 pm
“The election was rigged” - say those hiring election integrity personnel

“Don’t believe the fake media” - say those printing fake newspapers

I’m noticing a pattern…

Comment by Vote Quimby Thursday, Oct 20, 22 @ 3:12 pm
It is no wonder that election confidence is low. MAGAites and conspiracy theorists have been convinced that their votes will be thrown out or overwhelmed by fraud. Meanwhile other, more reality-based voters see all the desperate efforts made by the former president and his minions to strongarm election officials and outright disrupt the lawful certification of an election by the US Congress. I worry a lot more about the will of the people being overthrown by force after an election than about fraudulent voting during an election. There are safeguards in place to prevent voter fraud, as long as election officials do their duty as they overwhelmingly have done. There needs to be more, on the other hand, to prevent a repeat of the January 6 Insurrection by those who refuse to accept the results of a free and fair election because candidates of their choosing did not win.

Comment by MoralMinority Thursday, Oct 20, 22 @ 3:49 pm
“Hiring precinct election judges and poll watchers has traditionally been routine work for state political parties and candidates trying to ensure ballots are cast and counted properly leading up to Election Day.”

So political parties and candidates are doing routine work?

Where’s the story?

Comment by Confused Thursday, Oct 20, 22 @ 5:41 pm
== so that you can write in a candidate that has zero chance of winning==

It would be worthwhile if the third party candidate was someone of integrity, such as Rich Whitney. I wish it was possible to write him in for the SOS race.

Comment by AcademicUnionStateEmployee Thursday, Oct 20, 22 @ 8:04 pm
I have worked the last 2 elections as a judge, Lake County. I can confirm its not very exciting; its a very long day ( 5:15 am to 8:30 pm ), and it lake County, doesnt pay nearly as well as Cook or DuPage.
I saw nothing even remotely suspicious at all. And I am a republican conservative that so many here love to bash.

Comment by Mr. Big Trouble Friday, Oct 21, 22 @ 8:16 am