In his March 20 column, Tribune political writer Tom Hardy personally blamed me for “awful” Chicago voter registration and turnout and failed election judge recruitment.
Lest his opinions be mistaken for facts, thereby besmirching the hard work of dozens of Board of Election employees, please allow me to correct the record:
First, thanks to media attention and board employees, some 13,700 judges of election, the full complement, were placed for primary day. Our judge deficit was 2,700 two weeks before the primary. Board employees also made a success of our new judge recruitment program. Some 65 companies participated for the first time in the election process, providing more than 100 judges.
Second, turnout in Chicago, 40 percent, exceeded that of the state, 28 percent; suburban Cook County, 28 percent; and DuPage County, 33 percent. Chicago’s turnout approximated city results for 1990, 43 percent, and 1986, 40 percent, the two most recent off-year primaries. However, turnout is only indirectly related to board functions. It is the province, ultimately, of each individual voter.
Third, Chicago’s registration rate of voting-age population, 66 percent, is in line with our state’s, 72 percent; suburban Cook County’s, 72 percent; and DuPage County’s, 67 percent. Here again, despite our wide range of registration activities, the choice to register remains with the individual citizen, not the board.
After administering a primary in which 554,282 voters voted on 1,026 different ballot styles in 2,544 precincts at 1,876 polling places without systemic fraud or error, the board’s employees deserve better from the Tribune’s political writer. The board welcomes scrutiny, but we expect accuracy.
