In response to a perceived “slow rolling” of the release of mail-in ballot data in DuPage County following the November 5 election, today State Senator Seth Lewis (R-Bartlett) issued the following statement:
“Illinoisans deserve full transparency when it comes to elections, and in the three days that have passed since the November 5 election, DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek has not released any additional information from mail-in ballots that have been processed. While many county clerks across the state are updating vote totals daily or every other day, we’ve heard nothing from our DuPage County Clerk. There are some very tight races in this area and the outcomes remain in flux as candidates await mail-in ballot data.
“Slow-rolling the release of updated vote totals is unacceptable. As the push for increased mail-in voting continues in this state, our county clerks have a responsibility to release updated vote totals in a timely manner.
“This is not an issue we should have to legislate, but if Kaczmarek and other county clerks are not going to provide regular updates I will consider filing legislation that requires a schedule for the release of mail-in ballot information. County Clerks have 14 days following an election to certify the results, but voters and candidates should not have to wait that long to learn about the progress of their races.”
