Dupage Policy Journal

Illinois GOP chairman Don Tracy is singing the praises of Illinois Conservative Union officer Carol Davis after a federal judge ruled the group’s suit targeting state officials that have refused to turn over voter registration data can move forward.

“I especially want to thank Carol Davis of the Illinois Conservative Union who gave a masterful presentation on the current state of ballot integrity underway by her group in Illinois and others across the nation,” Tracy said in the party’s weekly memo. “As the Illinois Republican Party makes plans to ensure ballot integrity in Illinois for the next election, Carol and her team will be an integral part of that equation.”

ICU officers Davis, Janet Shaw and Loretta Savee are all named as plaintiffs in the suit, which comes after they argue state officials denied their lawful request by refusing to allow them to obtain a copy of the state’s voter registration database.

The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) provides that states “shall make available for public inspection and, where available, photocopying at a reasonable cost, all records concerning the implementation of programs and activities conducted for the purpose of ensuring the accuracy and currency of official lists of eligible voters.”

Elements of the suit further contend when members of the ICU sought access to the state’s voter roils they were told they must view the database one record at a time, on a single computer screen, during “normal business hours,” at the State Board of Elections office in Springfield, Illinois, which is 200 miles from where they live. In addition, the state’s voter rolls top 8 million voters.

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said the group felt compelled to take action in the name of taking a stand for what they group feels is in the state’s best interest.

“Dirty voter rolls can mean dirty elections – which is one reason why federal law requires access to voting rolls,” he said. “This court ruling further affirms that Illinois voters and citizens have a right to review election rolls under federal law. Illinois’ stubborn and unlawful refusal to make them available suggests the state knows the rolls are a mess.”

Judicial Watch previously sued North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Colorado for failing to clean their voter rolls.