Illinois county clerk destroys (2002 election) ballots early

[Newsjock]

http://www.knoxstudio.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=MISCOUNT-DESTROY-10-01-04&cat=AN

By THOMAS HARGROVE
Scripps Howard News Service
October 01, 2004

CAIRO, Ill. - The clerk in Alexander County said she destroyed all of the ballots from the 2002 election shortly before she received a Freedom of Information Act request to allow examination of several hundred questionable votes.

Gloria Patton said she could not honor the Freedom of Information Act filed Sept. 7 by Scripps Howard News Service to produce 3,451 punch-card ballots cast in the Nov. 5, 2002, gubernatorial election. The wire service is investigating ballots cast in Alexander County that did not register votes for the offices of governor, U.S. senator and Illinois attorney general.

... "If government officials violated the rules regulating elections - such as the rule requiring retention of ballots - then that would be very disturbing," said Adam Schwartz of the ACLU's Chicago office.

... Patton replaced former Alexander County Clerk Louis Maze, who pleaded guilty in 2001 to one count of mutilation of election materials from the March 21, 2000, primary election. He originally was indicted on charges of forgery of absentee ballots. Maze was sentenced to one year probation and 100 hours of community service.

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[aquart]

1. What is dear Gloria's provenance?

Where does the bitch come from and what has she done in the past that makes her so eager to avoid being indicted just now?

[Renew Deal]

2. She can share a cell with Martha.

Fuckin criminals.

[ldf]

3. oh please!

comparing this POS with martha is absurd. i'd trust martha to count my votes anytime.

[obelus]

4. Now, now, now...

I am sure it was a rather innocent misunderstanding. She was likely following established office procedure little realizing that it was against the law. This sort of thing happens from time to time.

[papau]

5. Downstate loses ballots - it is good to see nothing has changed since 1960

when they lost all the JFK votes. Thank goodness the Cook County dead still voted that year.

Illinois is a great state to learn "real GOP" politics - and real "Dem politics" !!! :-)

If 80% of the black/Dem ballots are being counted that is a great improvement over 50 years ago!

[LiberalFighter]

8. That was why Nixon did not demand a recount in Illinois in 1960

Because he knew that there were voting irregularities down-state that favored him.

[Jose Diablo]

10. I have always felt a sense of admiration for the old man Daley

You know, Chicago has always been a can-do, innovative city. New York is indeed the Big Apple, yet those boys in Chicago, well they are the perfect examples of American hard-working yankee can-do spirit.

Yes, examples to all of us, what we should strive for this up-coming election. True blue Democrats to the core.

It would not be false pride for those members of a special class of Americans we call "Cubs fans", those that both live in Chicago and would like to live in Chicago, to stand-up and take a bow.

For you see, even though the Cubs lose, consistently, that is not the point. The point is the fans themselves stick by their team, never giving-up and most of all they keep their hope in a better future. That is the American spirit, we never, never, never give-up. And that is how we win.

I love Chicago.

[davsand]

6. Politics is a blood sport in Illinois.

Seems like we elevate it to high "art" sometimes.

I have to figure she was from the same party as her predecessor, but I guess it really is not guaranteed. That is how it works, usually, however. Makes me wonder what they needed to hide.

Blag won by a reasonably decent margin as did Durbin and Lisa Madigan. I can't imagine anything in that one county that would be so awful they needed to destroy evidence of tampering unless it was in a local race. I have to wonder who was on down the ballot that DID register on those ballots.

Just about the time I think our local GOPiglet County Clerk is bad, I see stuff like this...


Laura

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

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[yardwork]

9. Throw her in jail

That's the only way this is going to be stopped.