ROCK ISLAND COUNTY, Illinois -
Last night News 8 cameras captured the exchange of election equipment in a high school parking lot. Tonight Rock Island County officials and a candidate who lost his race are reacting to the video that has drawn concern. News 8's Chris Williams spent the day trying to get to the bottom of this election controversy.
The election results were announced at the County Building in downtown Rock Island but about 8 miles away a little known second election information site is now getting a lot of attention and state officials say what was happening there appears to have been legal despite what one candidate feared.
Confusion swirled around the United Township High School parking lot in East Moline as supporters of Democratic County Clerk candidate, Larry Toppert, questioned what was going on. Election workers would not explain why they moved voting items from cars into the voter trolley or what the information in the clear plastic envelopes was and why it was being taken into the school. They referred us to their boss, Dick Leibovitz, who has had little to say to us since News 8's Chris Minor broke the story of the federal investigation into the long time county clerk.
"It puts those employees in a spot", acknowledged Rock Island County Chairman, Jim Bohnsack, "and I think they're handling it well."
In the light of day Bohnsack talked, as did several sources in and around the Clerk's Office frustrated by the lack of transparency about what happened in that parking lot.
We now know that U.T.H.S. has been used as an election night results transmitting station for at least five years. A Democrat and a Republican captain, from each outlying Rock Island County precinct, deliver election results and supplies. According to the county election judge manual, the plastic envelopes include copies of computer voting equipment hard drives, the yellow and black plastic cases carry supplies and the green tubs hold ballots. Information from the hard drives is transmitted from U.T.H.S. to county headquarters in an attempt to speed up results.
Late this afternoon a spokesperson for the State Board of Elections told me, at face-value, it appeared there was nothing illegal about the situation. County clerk's often find procedural ways to speed results in their county and this appears to have been the case. While Larry Toppert and his supporters are suspicious, Chairman Bohnsack tried to reassure voters that their ballots are safe.
"I just want to make sure the public understands that these elections are safe and secure and it's a closed systemÂ… nobody can tamper with them", said Bohnsack.
Larry Toppert released this statement: "I want to thank news Channel 8 for their ongoing investigation of the Rock Island County Clerk's Office. This is the first we are learning of a remote tallying location. Again, this is another blatant disregard for open and verifiable elections. The fact that this tallying location was kept secret for five years is disturbing. I hope that the next Rock Island County Clerk follows the Illinois Election Code as it is written."
Larry Toppert says he wants more transparency in the Fall election, but he won't be in the race. He fell short to Karen Kinney last night in the Democratic primary. Kinney faces Republican, Harrison Wallace who ran unopposed in his party's primary.
The election results were announced at the County Building in downtown Rock Island but about 8 miles away a little known second election information site is now getting a lot of attention and state officials say what was happening there appears to have been legal despite what one candidate feared.
Confusion swirled around the United Township High School parking lot in East Moline as supporters of Democratic County Clerk candidate, Larry Toppert, questioned what was going on. Election workers would not explain why they moved voting items from cars into the voter trolley or what the information in the clear plastic envelopes was and why it was being taken into the school. They referred us to their boss, Dick Leibovitz, who has had little to say to us since News 8's Chris Minor broke the story of the federal investigation into the long time county clerk.
"It puts those employees in a spot", acknowledged Rock Island County Chairman, Jim Bohnsack, "and I think they're handling it well."
In the light of day Bohnsack talked, as did several sources in and around the Clerk's Office frustrated by the lack of transparency about what happened in that parking lot.
We now know that U.T.H.S. has been used as an election night results transmitting station for at least five years. A Democrat and a Republican captain, from each outlying Rock Island County precinct, deliver election results and supplies. According to the county election judge manual, the plastic envelopes include copies of computer voting equipment hard drives, the yellow and black plastic cases carry supplies and the green tubs hold ballots. Information from the hard drives is transmitted from U.T.H.S. to county headquarters in an attempt to speed up results.
Late this afternoon a spokesperson for the State Board of Elections told me, at face-value, it appeared there was nothing illegal about the situation. County clerk's often find procedural ways to speed results in their county and this appears to have been the case. While Larry Toppert and his supporters are suspicious, Chairman Bohnsack tried to reassure voters that their ballots are safe.
"I just want to make sure the public understands that these elections are safe and secure and it's a closed systemÂ… nobody can tamper with them", said Bohnsack.
Larry Toppert released this statement: "I want to thank news Channel 8 for their ongoing investigation of the Rock Island County Clerk's Office. This is the first we are learning of a remote tallying location. Again, this is another blatant disregard for open and verifiable elections. The fact that this tallying location was kept secret for five years is disturbing. I hope that the next Rock Island County Clerk follows the Illinois Election Code as it is written."
Larry Toppert says he wants more transparency in the Fall election, but he won't be in the race. He fell short to Karen Kinney last night in the Democratic primary. Kinney faces Republican, Harrison Wallace who ran unopposed in his party's primary.
