What Was the Cook County Clerk’s Office Hiding on Friday November 16th, 2012?
[ Click above to embiggen: the supposedly "public viewing" schedule of Cook County Clerk David Orr's activities; note the November 16th Canvass of Votes that was listed as "open to the public" at the Hawthorne Distribution Center...but in fact the Clerk's Office would not allow the public to view what was happening there. ]
On Friday November 16th, 2012, the Cook County Clerk’s Office held what was supposed to be an open-to-the-public “5% audit and canvassing” of the 2012 election results for Chicagoland.
At 10am last Friday, I traveled to the Clerk’s Office Hawthorne Distribution Center warehouse at 4545 W. Cermak to observe what was happening and to find out exactly what a “5% audit and canvassing” was…but I was denied entry into the facility and the Clerk’s Office would not allow me to observe what they were doing, despite the fact that the Clerk’s Office website listed this event as being open to public viewing (see: last entry on calendar, for November 14-16th 2012).
In Illinois, both the state “open meetings act” and the statutes governing elections in Cook County require events like the “5% audit and canvassing” to be open to the public.
So, the question of the day is “What was the Cook County Clerk’s Office hiding on Friday November 16th, 2012?” when it barred me from viewing what it was up to in that warehouse?
I’ve spent the last few days trying to figure out what, exactly, these people didn’t want me to see…or why they thought they could get away with preventing me from viewing something that is listed as being open to the public. This being Illinois, no one was quite sure whose office is responsible for taking a complaint about the Clerk’s Office not allowing a member of the public to view what it was doing. Chances are that not very many members of the public ever actually WANT to view these sorts of things…and poorly trained staff who aren’t accustomed to people wanting to see what’s going on could be an explanation for what happened.
Or, Cook County Clerk David Orr could have been hiding something.
Here in Chicago, when government agencies do something like this there are two options for how people can respond:
1. Do nothing and just walk away, letting them get away with it…
OR
2. Invest the time and energy to file a formal complaint against the agency and FOIA everything related to what it was up to
I’ve decided to pursue this with the State’s Attorney’s Office, which apparently is who I need to speak to today. When I was first barred from viewing what was happening on Friday, I called the Chicago police…but they sent me to the state police, because they thought they didn’t have jurisdiction over a county warehouse. The state police sent me to the Board of Elections…but that agency told me I needed to call the Illinois Attorney General’s office; that office, of course, told me to call the State’s Attorney’s Office (which is where I’m at now).
The actual Cook County Clerk’s Office would not discuss this matter with me and kept sending my calls to the voicemail of their Public Relations person, Courtney Greeve. The actual County Clerk (David Orr) had a particularly rude assistant who called me “a troublemaker” and said “we encourage you to speak with the State’s Attorney if you like but no one from this office will talk to you”.
This is what it’s like dealing with the elected officials in the Illinois Puzzle Palace…and it’s why people just give up…and why officials like David Orr believe they can get away with whatever they want in this state.
Isn’t it time that changed?
I’ll document the progress I make on this today…and the days ahead…as I move forward with my complaint against the Clerk’s Office and compel David Orr to explain why a member of the public was barred from viewing activities that were supposed to be open to the public.
I believe that if you didn’t like the results of the November 6th election and you want things to be different in 2014 and 2016, then you have to start doing things differently and becoming more personally involved in what’s happening to our country. That starts with the place you call home, where you live. In my case, it just happens to be the most corrupt and obstructionist county in the country…where the people elected to office apparently are always hiding something. Normally, I’d just research and write about this kind of thing online…but is that enough anymore?
I don’t think so.
I think it’s time to draw a line in the sand and push back against Democrats in this state…and to file every complaint, FOIA every document, and attend every Board meeting to openly start calling out people like David Orr for their bad behavior.
This is my new hobby. I hope you’ll chime in below in comments with any experiences you’ve had where you live that might have been similar.
Welcome to the puzzle palace.
© 2012, Kevin DuJan. All rights reserved.
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Even in our county which is small compared to Cook, we had irregularities. Nothing major, and nothing that was and is a blatant as this. I have come to the conclusion that you must have fair and impartial people working in the registrar’s office and also working the polls. It is so possible to cheat out at the polls on election day. That doesn’t even cover messing with electronic voting beforehand.
Our votes are counted right at the machine. Pollworkers just make sure that the paperwork just matches up. Counting absentee and provisional votes is just asking for trouble when Dems count them. There must be rules against what they are doing, but no one seems to care. Heck, we can’t even get our Supreme Court to care about the Constitution.
Kevin,
Thank you so much for leading the way for all of us.
Living in Oklahoma, the reddest state, Romney was going to win here—–I donated to his campaign—but I knew that was not enough.
Having said that— evaluation of our future political leanings (based on this past election and demographic growth) points to the fifth district of Oklahoma turning blue—–unless–the people recognize the costs of loss of Liberty.
For my hobby, I would like to work with others to develope and implement a plan — to communicate these values in our communities. We need “Liberty” teachers.
Well done Kevin, and if there is anything we readers can do (send emails, make phone calls etc) please let us know.
God Bless You, Kevin, for all the work you do for Freedom and America.
God bless you Keven. I agree that we all have to get involved, and although here in SC our votes went to Mitt, our Richland County voting system was a nightmare. Few machines, votes found in bags all over, just a mess. They are still working on figuring stuff out. I want badly to get involved in the voting system in this country, because I never, ever, want to feel as demoralized and helpless as I did on 11/7/12. This should not be the end, and even if we have to suffer through a President Obama again, we need to work to expose the fraud in this election and prevent it from happening again. Thank you for your involvement, your passion and your ability to share it with all of us!
Kevin, you R-O-C-K !!
I am so impressed with all you do to make a difference! Keep up the great work.
By the way, my political dream would be for Sarah Palin to run in 2016 and for her to hire you as one of her top campaign managers because you would be such a positive asset for the team!
Thanks for always keeping us posted on what you are doing.
Hang in there and Godspeed.
It would also be helpful, when u get a chance, to gather a list of states that will have photo ID by the 2014/2016 elections.
We need to start getting photo ID established in the Republican governed states NOW and not wait until 3 months outside the next election.
Nina. If you find a list please post it here for us
. Thanks
We are in an abusive relationship with our government. Read everything you can about abusive relationships and they tactics used against the victims, and your eyes will be opened to the reality of our relationship with government.
THIS!
With the DNC-RNC lawsuit…
http://fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com/2012/11/15/why-the-gop-will-not-do-anything-about-vote-fraud/
I think we must do everything we can to have honest, just elections. Why have them otherwise??
Right after the election, the following comment was written on the NYT website. It just proved to me how cheaply we currently value our right to vote…when that right was nearly sacred to our forefathers:
Want to know something funny? I just got back from voting here in Puerto Rico. And in Puerto Rico, we have a fantastic voter-ID system. First, at least a month before the election, you have to show up at the voter registry in your district. You have to show proof of residency, plus proof of U.S. citizenship. Then, right there on the spot, they take your photo and they issue you a fantastic voter-ID card that looks as bulletproof as any U.S. driver’s license – colors, watermarks, chip, magnetic stripe, and hologram. Impossible to fake. And completely free. No poll tax, no people being turned away or disenfranchised. When you show up to vote, they have all the polling stations divided into different rooms based on the first letter of your last name. Then as you enter, a person with an ultraviolet wand checks your hands for evidence of ink. Upon seeing none, they let you pass to the registration table where you give your name and two people – two – check the lists for your name and photo. They cross reference to be sure your photo, voter ID card, and the address on it matches. Then they cross it off. And finally they dunk your right hand in invisible, unwashable yellow ink (shows up under the wand). Then someone hands you the ballots, you fill them out, and place them in the urns. On the way out, they once again check your card and wave you out. So . . . how is it that Puerto Rico, comprised of “minorities,” values a transparent and fair voter ID system? Why is it that when we go to the States, we suddenly join the chorus of aggrieved “minorities” who are being “disenfranchised” by awful white Republicans who want to force us to do what we already do to ourselves? I am very impressed with our Puerto Rican system, which I saw in action for the first time this year. I think you Republicans up there should come down here and hire some of the people who run our Elections Board to help you write voter-ID laws up there.
By the way, the government pairs this effort with a gigantic public-relations campaign reminding people to sign up. They use big name music stars, actors, etc. to push the word out on billboards, bus stops, the radio, television, and posters on every unused wall. It’s almost annoyingly-well orchestrated. There is NO WAY to not know about the need to sign up, or what the last day is. In spite of this, some 340,000 people this year never bothered to sign up at least a month in advance. They went whining to court for a special waiver and the judge tossed them out telling them that if they hadn’t bothered to use the free system, they shouldn’t complain about being disenfranchised and they probably didn’t know enough to vote anyway.
Mexico also has strict Photo ID, you also are fingerprinted. If we tried to apply those same rules here, you can hear the screams from the Left, racistsssssssssss, Jim Crow, voter suppression!!!!!!!!
All we want is fair elections, one citizen, one vote.
Everywhere in the world I’ve traveled (Europe, Asia, South America…) voter ID is required. When I explain to people that the U.S. does not because this would “disenfranchise” voters they are shocked. In Turkey, you get inked after voting, and if you forget your ID you must have two witnesses with proper IDs to certify that you are who you say you are. This opens the system to fraud, of course, but it’s still better than the green light we have at the moment.
The US needs to adopt the Puerto Rico system!!
Here in Australia we have an independent commission. You are not allowed to belong to a political party.
The big difference is that we do not register per political party. If you want to nominate a candidate then you must join the party!!
The US needs to learn more about what other nations do, and then they must adopt a new system.
This election was full of election fraud and it is the system that helped this fraud. This goes right down to Election Boards. Scrap them. They must not be run by elected officials. On top of that anyone who behaves the way that woman in PA did when she threw out the minor officials needs to lose her job… or at least never be allowed near another polling station.!!
Make it independent. It is the only way.
Good for you Kevin.
This is something that conservatives have to get better about. We’ve done the rallies and started doing our homework but unless we make sure everyone plays by the rules it won’t matter. Along with that we need to get more people running for local offices so we can try to prevent this from the inside.
I’ll be looking into my county here in GA to see what I can learn and keep an eye on.
This kind of stuff has been going on around the country. We need a phalanx of lawyers and the money to file lawsuits around the country. Look what is happening in Allen West’s campaign. Fraud is going on all the time and the Republicans sit on their hands. Here in California a couple of years back there was a supposedly non partisan commission that was supposed to be picked by lottery among qualified candidates. I applied, I am an attorney. I was ruled “not qualified” as were thousands of others who clearly were qualified. I didn’t sue and I should have. The commission was hand picked to be Democrats and the Republicans paid no attention. So now we have a 2/3 Democrat legislature.
Should have noted that the committee drew the new district lines for the state legislature with the aid of experts. The new district lines, drawn by the hand picked members of the “non-partisan” commission, favored the Democrats so overwhelmingly that we now have a 2/3 Democrat legislature.
The voter fraud in this election is beyond anything we’ve seen nationally. Obama has succeeded in exporting the Daly tactics to local Democratic Parties all over the nation in their winning strategies. My riends in VA said they were out knocking on doors there offering anyone a ride to the polls — until you indicated you were voting GOP, of course. This is straight out of Chicago.
To add insult to injury, you’ve now got Republicans ignoring the fraud and using the loss to try and push the party to the center left. This is coming from the Jeb Bush faction mostly.
I recall on Western Avenue, north of 290 (main artery going into
Chicago from the western suburbs) I was going to a meeting that
was unintentionally scheduled on election day. As I drove past,
there were many yellow Chicago school buses lined up outside
the housing projects. Men with bullhorns were announcing the
buses, people were being escorted out of the buildings to the
buses.
I was sitting in traffic watching all this on the day Mayor Harold
Washington was elected.
You go! To quote one of the best movies EVER, “Never give up…and never surrender!
I find myself coming back here more and more often to read your blogs….now I find myself waiting impatiently for the answers (or non answers) that you got from the AG’s office.
What’s the scoop my man?
Hats off to you for your hard work, Kevin.
Thank God for you. If we’re EVER to have a fair election, we need to address fraud NOW. No more early voting unless you’re in the armed services or specifically hampered, voter ID should be required, etc.
For too long we’ve allowed ourselves to be put off with cries of, “Racist!” and “Disenfranchised!”
Well, I think a good 52%+ were disenfranchised this past November 6th and it makes me sick to my stomach.
The county I live in is sparsely populated and conservative, but I’ll do whatever I can to help. I can’t believe IOWA went for Obama. I DON”T believe it did.
The people who cast votes decide nothing…. JS
Bless you Kevin for your tenacious spirit to fight the injustices in this country. It was impowering to work on project ORCA election day until anonymous hacked the system. Once again, we must learn from this evil that robs us of a fair vote. It’s onward and upward…we have lots to do before the next election.
Kevin, I am impressed with your courage at standing up in Chicago, of all places. Hang tough!
What are the chances of passing voter ID laws everywhere possible? There are many many locations around the US where Republicans are in control locally. Would it not be for the best to make a push for that? Then as we conservatives march forward ( progressively) we can install voter ID laws in more and more locations, until Americans will one day think it odd NOT to vote without an ID.
I believe there are now 36 states that have repub governors; that is where we start with photo ID laws. Romney won in each state
that has them. Which tells the voter fraud tale all by itself.
Have you seen this article:
http://www.defendthevote.com/108-audit-2012-defend-the-vote/357-temp-worker-for-david-orr-caught-attempting-fraud-orr-does-nothing#.UKP96XlxXIo.twitter
Your friend David Orr sounds like a real weasel.
The leftists have been tuning up election fraud to an art. It has gotten worse every year and I really do not think that we will be able to beat it. The election system is so stacked with dems that we will only take it back by sending people to jail for their actions. This is not going to happen. The R party is just going to keep going along to get along. If actions do not have consequences, those actions will only continue and get worse. The normal decline of a culture is progressing as usual. Kust try to protect yourself and family.
Very gutsy! You are my hero! Love reading your daily tweets. Keep them coming.
Hey! Do you know whatever happened to Forrest Claypool after he jumped enthusiastically to join Rahm’s administration. I thought he was the only decent p
God bless you Kevin – and thank you for all you do!
Hey Kevin,
What did they say was the reason that they turned you away?
I am one who has been on the front lines of local politics for the past ten years. We had illegal voters in my town on a school referendum. It was all because our Town Clerk and the R & D Registrars did not understand the meaning of the word “elector.” An elector is a registered voter. Period. However, there are, in some communities, people who can vote who are not registered voters. These are taxpayers. Here is the main difference. If you are an elector, you have to be a U.S. citizen. If you are a taxpayer, you do not have to be a U.S. citizen. Each community is different as to who they permit to vote. Find out who can vote in your town.
I would like to suggest that for those of you who want to become involved in local politics, first find out what form of government your town has. Some towns in CT, in particular, rural communities, go by state statutes. In other towns, they have a Charter. Each Charter is different and can only grant MORE rights than what the State Consitution and U.S. Constitution grant. They cannot take more rights away.
I would also encourage each of you to start attending Council and Board of Finance meetings, if you have them. Or, you could attend Planning & Zoning or Inland/Wetland or Board of Education meetings. But, the key is consistancy and knowing what your charter says. In CT, I believe all Town Charters on on-line and so are state statutes. Begin to know how to find things in these documents.
Start learning about Freedom of Information (FOI) requests and use them. Start learning about Robert’s Rule of Order, for I believe, most communities use them in order to maintain order in a meeting.
Also, in CT, now is the time when you should be approaching your Republican Town Committees to see if there are openings. You may want to consider putting your name out there as being willing to run for local office. In many cases, the RTCs are looking for people who are willing to run. What usually surprises them is when they think you are a sacrificial lamb, only to find out that you ran to win and did better than they ever suspected!
Remember, “all politics is local.”
All the right moves, CTmom.
I’d add a suggestion for folks to learn the open meeting laws (sunshine laws) for their states and how they’re enforced, or if they are enforced.
It’s also a very good thing to become an elections worker through county volunteer programs. It’s a huge service to the community, and a really eye-opening experience.
There are many good books that explain Robert’s Rules. There’s even a “Robert Rules for Dummies” – start off with that and also invest in a copy of “Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised”(current edition is 11th) – its the only current and authorized edition of the classic work. The paperback version is really cheap – just about $19 new and can easily be carried around in a pocketbook or backback. Unfortunately, it’s not available in e-book format – I just don’t know why as that is a perfect format.
Hi Kevin -
Someone sent me this article this morning:
http://fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com/2012/11/15/why-the-gop-will-not-do-anything-about-vote-fraud/
I’m not sure if it’s true and haven’t had time to look into it yet. If it is true, it seems like some good lawyers should be able to figure out what to do about it.
Thanks for all you do!
I have a question. Does anyone know if this “deal” is legal?
How can a deal/law/whatever that promises not to investigate
illegal activities be legal?
Rock on, Kevin. Andrew Breitbart is smiling right now.
Thank you Kevin for pursuing this- be careful and be sure to keep what you find in a separate place then your home….Keep us posted.
I think we need Citizen thinker groups who can brain-storm and then present the ideas to the GOP- if they’d listen. I sent so many emails with suggestions and never got an email in reply.
Kevin, could a group like Judicial Watch provide any assistance…should it come to legal redress? Thanks for all you do. Single-handedly you have helped maintain my sanity. My daily mantra is “Thy will be done” and knowing you have brought together many others to this group who feel the same way gives me even more encouragement.
The more I hear from Republican poll observers via email, the more I incidents I hear about in Ohio. Dem workers taking junk mail with their names, rather than their utility bills or official ID, some republican observers being refused mandated access to read who voted at the posted times so they could find out which republicans hadn’t voted, more voters voting than were registered in many precincts, intimidating republican observers outside the polling precincts and the list goes on. So, it’s vital to at least be given our legal right to observe a 5% recount of tally and I’m grateful you’re going to push these Democrats in Chicago to make them follow the law! God Bless you and keep you safe. Yes, I know you aren’t scared but it doesn’t stop me from caring and saying a prayer for your success and health!
Kevin! WTH happened!?! This election happened in an alternate universe! The after-action polls had people saying Rs were space aliens or something.
We need you! Now more than ever, we need you!
I find myself wrapped up in 50 and 60 hour weeks at work, for no good reason. I wish I could join you on the front lines. Sadly, I cannot.
We need a champion. We need a David to take on Goliath. We need a Kevin Dujan to fight the Soros machine that took down Hillary and gave us Obama, and the slick marketed him to the gel-heads and soft-skulled people who decided to trust Ds over Rs.
Kevin, God Bless You!
We love you and need you to see us through the next 4 years!