The corrupt machine of Illinois politics is in full swing this week at the Chicago Board of Elections.
An army of petition checkers has descended upon boards of elections across the state, seeking to limit voter choice in the 2010 elections by invalidating signatures collected by candidates.
Operating under a veil of secrecy, the petition checkers at the Chicago Board of Elections were quite standoffish when quizzed recently by an ABC7 reporter. Few were willing to give their names or their employers.
Here are a few highlights from the story:
“Petition checkers are the secret soldiers of so many political armies. Dozens of people–most of whom would not reveal their names– were using every available computer terminal on three different floors Friday at the Chicago Board of Elections.
When asked what he was looking for, one checker told ABC7 Chicago, “I’d rather not go into the discussion. I’m just following my instructions.”
“Your instruction from whom?” asked ABC7 political reporter Charles Thomas.
“That doesn’t matter,” the man responded.
The man admitted later that he was an employee of Circuit Clerk Dorothy Brown. He said, on his day off, he was looking for unqualified signatures on the nominating petitions of county Board President Todd Stroger, whom Brown is challenging in the 2010 Democratic primary.”
This story raises significant questions about the use of government employees in campaign capacities. Such activity is blatantly illegal.
The actions of petition checkers in Chicago is a perfect example of how those in the power parties seek to eliminate voter choice in elections.
