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26th Ward Recount Challenge on Hold Pending Initial Ballot Count

03/11/2019 13:00 - HUMBOLDT PARK - (PR Distribution™)

26th Ward aldermanic candidate, Theresa Siaw, has announced that she may seek a discovery recount in the 26th Ward nonpartisan primary election in which incumbent Alderman Roberto Maldonado avoided a runoff election with Siaw by less than 50 votes.

“The problem with holding a general election so close to a runoff is that there are conflicting laws governing the recount process.  The Illinois Election Code requires any candidate seeking a recount to file for relief in Cook County Circuit Court within five days after the election. However, the Chicago Board of Election starts counting mail-in-ballots a few days after the election and will not complete the process until weeks after the election,” said Siaw.  “Since requests for a recount need specific ballot counts to determine whether the outcome of a primary election will advance to a runoff election, any candidate in a ward where the incumbent alderman received less than 51% of the vote is in a catch 22 situation that denies their state and federal constitutional right of due process.”

Illinois State Law requires all provisional and mail in ballots to be counted by March 12, 2019, yet requires all notifications of a recount to be sent by March 5, 2019 (see 10 ILCS 5/18A-15). 

“I believe we have the basis to reverse the outcome of the primary election due to reports provided to my attorney by Chicago Board of Elections (CBE) investigators regarding vote buying, vote fraud, voter intimidation and election judge bias.  The Latin Kings were specifically identified as threatening and scaring away voters who were supporting anyone but Maldonado.  We found this all out just this week in addition to the reports we compiled internally on election day,” said Siaw.  “One Maldonado campaign worker, who inexplicably was sworn in to serve as an impartial election judge, had to be removed from the polling place by CBE officials because of her unrelenting interference with voters who supported me.”

Siaw called upon Maldonado to join her in seeking a fair and impartial resolution to the determination of whether the 26th Ward aldermanic contest should advance to a runoff election on April 2,2019. 

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