Cook County Republicans Say Ill. Mail-In Voting Program Violates Voter Rights

Illinois voters will have their rights violated by the state’s mail-in ballot program, according to a recent lawsuit from Cook County Republicans.

According to the Republicans, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker overstepped his authority by implementing a statewide mail-in voting program, the Chicago Tribune reported. Although the program intends to help Illinois voters participate in the 2020 election in a safe way amidst the global pandemic, the Cook County Republican Party argues that the scheme will actually “disenfranchise” voters and encourage voter fraud.

“The best way to proceed this November without inviting massive potential for fraud and disenfranchisement is for people who are uncomfortable voting in person — a perfectly reasonable position — to request absentee ballots,” Cook County Republican chairman Sean Morrison said in a statement.

The mail-in ballot program was outlined in Senate Bill 1863, giving Illinois voters the ability to vote through the mail. However, the Cook County Republican Party argues that the “new” program is irrelevant since Illinois voters have always had the ability to vote via the mail by requesting an absentee ballot, according to FOX 23.

Unfortunately, the Illinois Republicans argue that a universal mail-in ballot system opens up the opportunity for voter fraud. Specifically, the party argues they could fall victim to ballot harvesting – in which “paid, partisan operative[s]” collect Democratic mail-in ballots and ensure that they are counted while suppressing Republican mail-in ballot applications.

For example, in the last voting cycle, a North Carolina election for Congress was overturned and ordered to be redone after it was revealed that ballot harvesting contributed to the Republican candidate’s victory.

In 2003, Illinois itself was the victim of such a scheme, when the race for the Democratic mayoral primary was overturned due to voter fraud.

Combined with the fact that Election Day is an Illinois state holiday, an “army” of workers will allegedly be able to visit polls to fraudulently “cast a provisional ballot with no identification at all and a fraudulent signature.”

The Cook County Republican Party argues that these fraudulent voters will be able to convince impersonated voters to validate the fraudulent vote by showing their legitimate identification to the authorities.

The Illinois voters lawsuit says the state governor’s mail-in ballot system is “designed to harvest Democratic ballots, dilute Republican ballots, and, if the election still doesn’t turn out the way he wants it, to generate enough Democratic ballots after election day to sway the result.”

The Cook County Republicans also note mail-in voting has faced significant hurdles in other states around the country.

For example, the party argues, some people received mail-in ballots for states where they no longer lived. In the New York Democratic primaries this year, 21% of ballots were reportedly not counted due to late arrival, lack of postage or signatures and numerous other defects.

The Illinois voters lawsuit further challenges the “hurried” nature of the new mail-in program.

Initially, the bill behind the system was intended to be an amendment to the Freedom of Information Act.

Although it “languished for a year” in its original program, the bill was reportedly rewritten suddenly to push the mail-in voting program – resulting in the law being passed within five days.

However, due to the numerous problems that can allegedly occur as a result of mail-in ballots, Cook County Republicans contend that Illinois hasn’t had the time it needs to work out the kinks of their project.

As a result, the Republicans argue, the plan is sure to fail.

The party argues that, based on the failure of mail-in ballots in other states, Illinois doesn’t stand a chance. Combined with the rushed mail-in ballot system, the Cook County Republicans say, the program will be a resounding failure.

“The sum of this incompetence from the leaders of state government shows that Illinois is woefully unprepared to implement a vote-by-mail system this year,” the Illinois voter lawsuit contends.

“Illinois state government is one of the most inept in the Union, and the public has no reason to expect a vote-by-mail system to work any more smoothly than a variety of projects Illinois has stumbled through in recent years.”

Do you think mail-in ballots will encourage voter fraud? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

The Cook County Republican Party is represented by Brian Kelsey and James McQuaid of the Liberty Justice Center.

The Illinois Voters 2020 Election Lawsuit is Cook County Republican Party v. Pritzker, et al., Case No. 1:20-cv-04676, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

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