Mayoral Candidates Take Opposing Positions on Early Voting Site

An organization of local clergy members, along with mayoral candidate Joseph Faso and other Integrity Party candidates, have called for the closure of City Hall in Chicago Heights as an early voting location.

At a press conference Thursday morning, the Rev. Lawrence Blackful Jr., President of the Chicago Heights Area Ministerial Council, referred to incidents that occurred on the first day of early voting, in which people were entering the voting area and harassing voters. Blackful also said employees of the city were feeling the effects.

"There are employees of the city that have been intimidated, as well as their jobs have been threatened," Blackful said. "We are totally against it, and we want it to stop."

Blackful also cited incidents in which people attempted to vote without proper identification. Faso agreed, and stood behind Blackful at the press conference.

"They've been harassing people," Faso said. "They've been electioneering. They [the Cook County Clerk's office] need to close it if they can't control the situation."

But Faso's opponent in the election, David Gonzalez, disagreed with closing the site, saying early voting is too important to take away.

"Early voting allows everybody the opportunity to vote," Gonzalez said. "You've got a lot of college kids coming home from school that are participating in early voting."

Gonzalez said he has not heard of any incidents of intimidation at the polls since the first day of early voting.

"I was surprised to hear about that they even called a press conference when we heard that there was nothing going on," Gonzalez said. "We thought it was working pretty smoothly besides the fiasco that happened on the first day."

Blackful also said, during the press conference, that individuals were attempting to vote in the Chicago Heights City Elections who were not residents of Chicago Heights. But Gonzalez said he only knew of issues related to Ford Heights elections.

"We knew they were coming from Ford Heights and they were supporting the Ford Heights candidates," Gonzalez said.

Blackful commended the Cook County Clerk's office for its handling of the incidents that have occurred during early voting, but said the site still needed to be closed.

Clerk’s office spokeswoman Courtney Greve said Blackful correctly identified some of the issues that have occurred at City Hall, but said the office has kept things under control.

"We've seen some of the voters come in without proper ID, without being accurately registered in Chicago Heights, and those voters have been turned away," Greve said. "We've been taking a closer look at voters who have cast ballots here. So far, we have found no irregularities."

Greve said there are no plans in place to close City Hall as an early voting site, but has gotten help from the Chicago Heights Police Department and the Cook County Sheriff's office in addressing complaints at the site.

When asked why no Unity Party candidates were at the press conference, Blackful responded, "I made contact with members of the Unity Party. Everyone had an opportunity to be at this press conference."