DUPAGE DEMOCRATS DEMAND SAMPLE BALLOT CORRECTED

Blatant GOP Fraud on Sample Ballot

LOMBARD, IL --- Gayl Ferraro, Chair of the Democratic Party of DuPage County, today demanded a reprint and redistribution of the sample ballots that were distributed this morning to hundreds of thousands of newspaper readers in DuPage County containing inaccurate and misleading information that has the impact to sway voters to vote Republican for U.S. Congress, DuPage County Board and Forest Preserve. The DuPage Democrats demand that the reprint include extra pages which display a full apology, a detailed explanation of the error, the ramifications of the original sample ballot, and instructions to delete the originally distributed sample ballot.

“If this reprint is not performed to our satisfaction,” Ferraro began, “we will take legal action over this blatant and coordinated effort by DuPage County Republican officials to turn the election in their favor.”

The DuPage County Election Commission today distributed hundreds of thousands of “sample ballots” as inserts in over 40 newspapers throughout DuPage County for voters to use in their decision making process.

Republican Henry Hyde is listed as facing no opposition, even though Hyde is facing a tough race from Democratic opponent, Christine Cegelis. To make matters even more confusing, Cegelis is listed incorrectly as a candidate for State Senate in the 41st Legislative District. “Senate” is also misspelled as “Sentate”. Ms. Rodono, the Republican candidate for State Senate in the 41st Legislative District is running unopposed, so it does not affect her race.

On the sample ballots under Members of the County Board, each of the six districts show “two to be elected” after the district listing. The same is displayed for Members of the Forest Preserve on the sample ballot, with “two to be elected” also being listed. The error is that only one candidate is to be elected.

The problem is that entrenched Republican voters are exceptionally familiar with the voting process in DuPage and will vote for their one Republican County Board and Forest Preserve candidate as they have in the past.

New voters, the young or first-timers, are unfamiliar with this process, heavily Democratic thanks to a strong voter registration and campaigning effort, and will bring the sample ballot into the polling place and use it as their guide for voting. However, voting for two will spoil the ballot and negate a heavy Democratic voter turnout.

The nine DuPage Democratic Candidates affected are:

County Board District 1 - Tim Gingras
County Board District 2 - Doug Cole
County Board District 3 - Rich Moss
County Board District 4 - Dan Bailey
County Board District 5 - Hiram Wurf
County Board District 6 - Doug Henk

Forest Preserve District 1 - Linda Hilbert
Forest Preserve District 3 - Don Evans
Forest Preserve District 5 – Tina Beaird

“The DuPage Republicans started feeling the heat because of our strong slate of candidates at both the county and congressional level, and rather than play fair, they stooped to dirty tricks,” said Ferraro. “This is the direct result of a one-party system, and is exactly why you should not vote Republican in DuPage County. If there is a chance they will lose, they cheat. This is the top-to-bottom win-at-all-costs attitude of the Republican Party that we saw in Florida in 2000, and has now slithered its way into DuPage County.”

The error could cost Christine Cegelis the election in the Sixth Congressional District.

“I cannot believe that with all of the problems with the election in 2000, that the DuPage Election Commission does not triple-check their work. I thought that this would be a fair election, but I was wrong,” Cegelis stated upon seeing the sample ballot imprinted with the “Legal Notice” on it.

“This was not an honest mistake,” Cegelis added. “Considering that I won the Primary Election, I cannot believe that anyone at the DuPage County Election Commission did not know that I was running against Henry Hyde. This does not give me any confidence in DuPage County’s ability to hold a fair election.”

“This is an obvious ploy to disenfranchise and confuse the electorate that is becoming more and more Democratic,” Ferraro continued. “I am appalled that Bob Saar would even consider signing off on a sample ballot that is so erroneous.”

Upon hearing the news about the sample ballot error, Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn stated, “The DuPage County Election Commission has a solemn duty to conduct elections with competence and without bias. It is imperative that this board immediately rectify the blunder it has committed in describing the sixth congressional district and county races.”

Wheaton Barack Obama for Senate October Meetup

Wheaton Barack Obama for Senate October Meetup

When:
Wednesday, October 20, 2004 at 7:30 PM

Where:
Panera Bread
541 Roosevelt Rd
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
630.942.8955
Map

Barack Obama at College of DuPage

DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF DUPAGE COUNTY
GET OUT THE VOTE
RALLY
WITH SPECIAL GUEST
Barack Obama

And:

CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES
Christine Cegelis – 6th District
Gloria Andersen – 13th District
Ruben Zamora – 14th District

All IL State Representative Candidates
All County Candidates

WEDNESDAY,OCTOBER 27TH
Auditorium at McAninch Arts Center,
College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn

MAP
7-9 P.M.

For more information call the DuPage County Democratic Party at 630/629-1125
Sponsored by the College of DuPage Democrats

LET'S ROCK THE HOUSE!

Michelle Obama to visit Naperville

Michelle Obama Sunday in Naperville

Public invited to event with Michelle Obama, this Sunday, October 17th.
Michelle Obama is Executive Director of Community Affairs for University of Chicago Hospitals, and will join community leaders for a conversation about "Women at Work in the 21st Century."

The event will be held from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM Sunday, October 17th on the North Central College Campus at Smith Hall, located in Old Main building, 30 N. Brainard, Naperville.

Refreshments will be served.

Directions: From I-88 west; take Naperville Road exit; right at bottom of ramp onto Naperville Road (south) toward Naperville. Naperville Road changes its name to Naper Blvd. almost immediately. Make a right at Ogden Ave. (Rte. 34) going west. Make a left (south) on Washington St. Take Washington St. to School St.; left (east) on School St. a few blocks to Loomis. Right (south) on Loomis to parking lot of Old Main, a large white building with a steeple that is the most recognizable campus building.

Although the street address is Brainard, the parking lot is on Loomis. Smith Hall is on the second floor of the building.

The hall seats 100, first come, first served!

For directions from other locations, visit: http://www.noctrl.edu/stud_prospective/visit/directions_to_campus.shtml