Dupage Policy Journal

As concerns about election integrity in Illinois escalate, Mark Rice, a candidate for the 8th Congressional District, has drawn attention to alleged breaches of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA). Rice acknowledged the work of activist Carol Davis, members of Illinois Family Action, and Judicial Watch for spotlighting this issue.

“Here’s some recent election integrity news for Illinois… through the solid & tenacious work of election integrity activist Carol Davis and members of Illinois Family Action, along with the help of Judicial Watch, Illinois Election officials are ordered to follow the law because they are right now in violation of The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 by refusing to clean up the voter data file,” Rice said on Facebook.

“They have repeatedly FAILED to remove inactive voters from the Illinois voter registration rolls.”

“This notice letter to Illinois, sent on behalf of Judicial Watch, Illinois resident and voter Carol J. Davis, and Illinois Family Action, states:”

“In Illinois’ responses to the EAC’s survey, 23 Illinois counties reported removing fewer than 15—and, in almost half of those counties, zero—voter registrations from November 2020 to November 2022 for failing to respond to an address confirmation notice and failing to vote in two consecutive general federal elections.”

“Thirty-four Illinois jurisdictions simply did not report any data about such removals.”

“Fifteen Illinois jurisdictions have more voter registrations than citizens of voting age.”

“In total, 57 Illinois counties that either reported removing 15 or fewer registrations or failed to report any data at all under the NVRA’s change of address removal procedures. These 57 counties contain over five million registered voters.”

Rice also referenced a letter from Judicial Watch highlighting non-compliance with NVRA in Illinois. The strongly-worded letter was addressed to Bernadette Matthews, Executive Director at the Illinois State Board of Elections. It raised concerns over compliance with NVRA and was sent on behalf of Judicial Watch, Carol J. Davis (a registered Illinois voter), and Illinois Family Action. The letter suggested that the state is in violation of Section 8 of the NVRA, which could lead to a lawsuit if remedial measures are not implemented within 90 days.

The letter highlighted irregularities in reported data, specifically regarding the sending of address Confirmation Notices and the marking of registrations as "inactive." These inconsistencies, coupled with an apparent lack of cooperation in providing public records, led Judicial Watch to assert that Illinois is not adhering to the list maintenance provisions of the NVRA. Judicial Watch maintains that the responsibility for NVRA compliance rests with the state rather than local jurisdictions. It has threatened legal action if the identified issues are not resolved within 90 days.

Rice's campaign for the 8th Congressional District focuses on key areas such as economic growth, fiscal discipline, tax relief, immigration reform and border security. Rice, who has lived in Illinois for 35 years and is an executive in the energy sector, currently holds the position of CEO at Energy CX. Under his leadership, this company has emerged as a nationwide leader in delivering energy solutions with a team of 70 professionals.

The 8th Congressional District is currently represented by U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill). A map delineating the district - which spans northern Cook County, northern DuPage County and northeast Kane County - can be found on Krishnamoorthi’s website.