Based on the fact that the Democratic candidate for county clerk received more votes than the state's governor, the losing candidate for Will County clerk is alleging election fraud. | Pexels/Emdond Dantes
Based on the fact that the Democratic candidate for county clerk received more votes than the state's governor, the losing candidate for Will County clerk is alleging election fraud. | Pexels/Emdond Dantes
Losing Will County clerk candidate Gretchen Fritz (R) asked a judge to order a new election, alleging fraud in the total vote count, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Fritz initially filed suit on Dec. 28, 2022, alleging that “mistakes and fraud have been committed in the casting and counting of ballots” in the Will County clerk's race. Her major source of evidence is that her opponent, Will County Clerk Lauren Staley-Ferry (D), received more votes than Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL).
Fritz's attorney, David Shestokas, argued that the lawsuit surrounds a "21st Century approach to manipulating the election process," also admitting that ticket-splitting, or voting for candidates of different parties for different government positions, is a plausible explanation, as many have suggested.
The lawsuit also cites an analysis by Walter Daugherity, who is a senior lecturer emeritus in computer science and engineering for Texas A&M University, who came to the conclusion that the vote totals were “artificially contrived according to a predetermined plan or algorithm.”
Allegations of voter fraud have become more prevalent in recent years following the 2020 presidential election between former President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden. Trump and his allies have repeatedly suggested that Biden and other Democrats conspired to "steal" the election, a claim repeated by many other Republicans in the context of other elections.
Alerts Sign-up