LAKE COUNTY - Lake County's electoral process could drastically change if Democrats are successful in rushing through surprise election legislation this week, Lake County Clerk Willard Helander warned Wednesday. Democrats appear to have decided arbitrarily that Lake County's election system should be run by a new election commission.
Without any voice from Lake County voters, a circuit court judge would be given 90 days to appoint a 5 member Election Commission for Lake County, consisting of two members from each political party, and a tie-breaking fifth whose political affiliation is undefined in the legislation.
The move was a surprise for Lake County Clerk Helander and Barrington State Senator Dan Duffy.
"It is a power play, pure and simple ... They pushed this through on the fast track," Duffy told Illinois Review Wednesday.
In addition to establishing and funding an Election Commission that could cost Lake County taxpayers up to $600,000, HB 2418 makes several other changes - most notably allowing for online voter registration, with no in-person signature.
"If they can take control of elections away form Lake County - they can/will do it to others later," Duffy wrote on his Facebook page, after the bill passed the Illinois Senate along party lines, 32-20. It is now headed back to the Democrat-controlled Illinois House.
"This seems to be ripe for a class action that voters in Lake are singled out and shut out with extensive new costs and no vote on wanting a new layer of government," Helander told Illinois Review.
With the passage of HB 2418, the Democrats take over Lake County via legislative fiat, she said, "Blue takes Lake by legislation."
