GOP fraud suit back to Circuit Court
A federal judge Friday denied a temporary restraining order sought by the Illinois Republican Party, sending the matter of alleged voter registration fraud back to Lake County circuit court.
The decision by U.S. District Judge Virgina Kendall on procedural grounds was a setback for the GOP. The party had sought a court order to create separate codes for voter registration forms collected by Citizen Action/Illinois and an individual worker.
The GOP suit also had asked that ballots cast by voters registered by Citizen Action or the individual be considered provisional and not counted until after the election.
Republican leaders railed against the Democratic Party for stalling. The suit was filed Tuesday in Lake County circuit court. On Wednesday, Associate Judge Mitchel Hoffman agreed to let the federal court hear the case.
Illinois GOP attorney John Fogarty said in a statement Friday that Democrats delayed a speedy conclusion and could have argued the merits before a Lake County judge Wednesday.
"Our goal was not to be in court but to protect the integrity of the electoral system and ensure that legal voters are protected from those select few who cast a shadow on our elections by attempting to scam the process," according to Fogarty.
The Republican Party will review its legal options this weekend and promised to have an "aggressive poll watching system in place that ensures all voters are legal," he added.
As it stood Friday, the election process in Lake County apparently will continue under normal circumstances, said Lynda DeLaforgue, executive director of Citizen Action/Illinois.
"Citizen Action has always maintained we're confident of our voter registration efforts and quality control efforts," she said.
Attorney Matthew Flamm represented the Lake County Democratic Party and Ana Zulvaga, a Waukegan woman who was one of about 28,000 Lake County voters who had registered for the first time.
He said the GOP was trying to suppress voting.
"They're terrified because the majority of those people will vote for Barack Obama and Dan Seals," who is challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk in the 10th District, he said.