North Cook News

Schaumburg, IL - October 17, 2022 

Since June Illinois For America First sponsored by the America Project, a non-profit social welfare and educational organization, has conducted an investigation in to the Illinois election system. The conclusion is the Illinois election system is ripe for fraud. 

Research has revealed that the Illinois election procedures are a mix of ill-defined, non-transparent, inefficient, and constantly changing processes. Laws and regulations fail to establish voting systems and processes that inspire public confidence in the integrity of our polling processes, and consequently many people doubt the democratic legitimacy of elected representatives.  

The existing confusion, inefficiency, and opacity of Illinois elections was multiplied in 2020 through ill advised changes in procedures in response to the COVID pandemic, all of which weakened the security of the election process. Two of the COVID measures: early voting and mail-in voting; did the most damage to confidence in the integrity of our elections.  

Early voting, the replacement of election day by an extended election season, created an extended and non-transparent process impossible for poll watchers or non-partisan observers to effectively monitor  and verify. The huge expansion in mail-in voting came with weakened security measures for absentee ballots, inadequate “chain of custody” processes for the movement of ballots, and inadequate oversight  for the seemingly ubiquitous drop boxes The introduction of universal mail-in voting—voting from home  rather than at the polling station—eliminated the transparent process required to deter malpractice;  and for the first time in the modern era enabled criminal vote fraud, coercion, intimidation, and vote buying to occur in the home or workplace.  

Confidence that elections are fair, and that the results accurately reflect the will of the people, is  foundational for a functional democracy. Unfortunately, Illinois has adopted machine-based voting,  counting, and registration processes that decrease public confidence in elections. Machine-based processes are not transparent or even comprehensible for ordinary citizens and poll workers; and  computer experts are prevented from understanding the internal workings of these machines because  foolish state officials signed contracts protecting the “intellectual property” of machine manufacturers.  

Unfortunately, Illinois allows same day voter registration, and that combined with ID requirements for  voter registration and voting that are woefully inadequate to ensure identity and citizenship, enables  cheating and diminishes confidence that only eligible citizens can vote in elections. Illinois is also  plagued with an inaccurate voter list bloated with many fraudulent registrations; a gaping security hole  potentially facilitating many types of election fraud. Illinois elections were also corrupted by a massive  influx of dark money from outside the state. Some of the money went to candidates, and some was  used to bribe election officials and influence election processes to unfairly favor one party. 

Fundamental reforms in law and procedures are required to restore lasting public confidence in the integrity of Illinois elections, but these reforms will take time.  

The people of Illinois must not cease to advocate for fundamental reforms. In the near term we believe that the most important action Illinois residents can take to strengthen the integrity of elections, and confidence in the democratic legitimacy of elected representatives, is to increase transparency in electoral processes.  

The American republic was founded on the principle and promise of self-government. Now that promise  is threatened by a loss of faith in the integrity of the very process that enables self-government, and the republic that so many struggled and fought and died to establish, is at risk. Now, as our forefathers once  did, we are called to lead; to secure again the right to self-government for ourselves and our families  

and our fellow citizens. If we are to save our republic, it must begin here, now, and with this election. As has ever been, success will require sacrifice and hard work, but with your help, and the guiding hand of God, it is not too late to restore our republic.  

Your participation is essential to achieving this goal. The attached guide aims to provide you, a citizen, with the knowledge and tools needed to help ensure a free and fair election process for all voters. In the guide you will find information on election reform advocacy, becoming an officer of election, and  monitoring election processes; all activities aimed at increasing transparency in the elections, and public ownership of that process. 

Illinois Poll Watcher Guide: 

https://electionobserver.us/files/Illinois%20Poll%20Watcher%20Guide.pdf 

Websites: 

www.AmericaProject.com 

www.IL.ForAmericaFirst.com

– Josh Pratt is National Training Director with The America Project and Statewide Director, Illinois For America First. He can be reached at Josh@ForAmericaFirst.com.