Chairman Aaron Del Mar Cook County Republican Party 847-496-7871 Chicago Board of Elections Commissioners Langdon D. Neal, Chairman Richard A. Cowen, Secretary/Commissioner Marisel A. Hernandez, Commissioner Ken Menzel, General Counsel Ilinois State Board of Elections April 2, 2015 Gentlemen and Gentlewoman, ‘The attached document illustrates the dismal results of the Chicago Board of Elections’ (referred to as the Board) efforts at placing Republican Judges of Election that were submitted as part of the Republican Chairman's, Lists. The vast majority of these applications were submitted twice, all marked with the Chairman’s stamp to certify each election judge’s placement on the Chairman's Lists. The Board has consistently refused to place Republican election judges from the Chairman's Lists as required by Illinois law. This systemic neglect has resulted in hundreds of precincts being under-represented or going entirely without Republican oversight of the integrity of the vote in Chicago, especially during the November 2014 and February 2015 election cycles. When The Board neglects to ensure the placement of Judges of Election that have been duly placed on the Republican Chairman's Lists, then the Commissioners and the Board are working against Illinois laws and against the best interest of the voters. The Cook County Republican Party Chairman has a duty to assign Republican Judges of Election in Cook County, including Chicago. Ilinois Election Code, Sec 14(3.1) and related statutes, are specific: the Board must exhaust all the “Chairman’s Lists” before sourcing for election judges from other sources. The “Chairman's Lists” refers to both the Chairman's List and the Chairman's Supplemental List. The Board has failed to hire from the Republican Chairman's Lists for the last several elections. The Board is in direct violation of ilinois Election Code when they place Democrat voting election judges into Republican positions when there is widespread availability of certified Republican election judges on the Chairman's Lists. The Board had a duty to the People to place all election judges certified with my stamp from the November 2014 and February 2015 election cycles. This duty continues for the April election. All of these election judges are part of the Chairman's List, including the 300+ applicants who were not placed in favor of voting Democrat judges. The Board especially failed to follow Illinois laws in the minority neighborhoods of Chicago, where the Board appears to be actively suppressing Republican recruitment efforts. ‘The attached assessment illustrates and documents some of the many ways the Chicago Board of Elections is circumventing the Republican Chairman’s Lists. In September and early October of 2014, the Cook County Republican Election Judge Program submitted about 2000 Republican Judges of Elections for placement inChicago. Despite at least 1000 vacancies and our repeated requests, very few of these judges were placed before the November elections. Investigations in January 2015 proved that the Chicago Board of Elections failed to place or even contact at least 95% of these Republican elections judges who were on the Chairman’s List. The attached assessment compares about 450 of these Chairman certified Republican election judges with the February 24, 2015 assignment list as supplied by the Chicago Board of Elections. The results prove the vast majority of these judges still have not been assigned while the Board is placing OTC judges. This assessment documents the many times the Board moves Republican Judges of Elections without notifying the Republican Party. Widespread shortages of election judges resulted in part from the Chicago Board of Elections openly ignoring thousands of certified Republican election judges. This is especially true in the minority wards of Chicago. Complaint: Despite multiple requests, this Board has falled to send any Republican election judge information to me since February 23. On March 8, this Board refused a request for the weekly list of election judge placements and the vacancies report as submitted on March 6”, 2015. This is an unprecedented and unlawful denial of information and is an example of how this Board is using secrecy to staff the Republican Judges of Election. This Board must acknowledge in “writing to the County Chairman the names of all persons submitted on such certified lists and the total number of persons listed thereon.” Section 14(3.1) This Board has failed to comply with their primary duty as laid out in Section 14(3.1). This Board has failed to provide me a list of any rejected election judges or to provide any reasons for which they were rejected. | have requested this information going back to the November 2014 and February 2015, elections. Furthermore, this Board provides some information to the Democrats and others to the Republicans, such that the Election Judge Master Lists provided to the Democrat Party and to the various Democrat Committeemen or Chairman contains phone numbers and other crucial contact information while the ones provided to the Republican Chairman and the Republican Committeemen do not. Discriminating against one party in what data is provided in advance of a bipartisan or municipal election is inexcusable and actionable. By favoring one party over another, the Board intentionally and deliberately frustrates the efforts of the Republican Party to recruit and maintain contact with Republican election judges. If this Board failed to send out any letters for enrollment of the February 2015 or April 2015 elections to any Republican Judges of Election that were commissioned by the Court, that failure constitutes a disciplinary action that effectively removes the Commissioned Republican Judge of Election from their commission. 10 ILCS 5/14-5 requires that the Party Chairman be notified when this happens. Despite requests, | have not been notified of any election judges who were not duly served with the cards (or letters) to sign up for the February or upcoming Aprilelections. I maintain this request for information is outside of FOIA laws, as this Board has a legal obligation to alert the Republican Chairman of all disciplinary actions taken in regards to Republican election judges. This Board did not send out cards asking many experienced Republican judges to serve in the February 2015 election. At least 20 instances were noted from a small survey of commissioned Republican Judges of Election in the 6” Ward. Again, this practice seems to be focused in the minority wards of Chicago. nnn: aa Letter to the Chicago Board of Elections Re: Republican Judges of Elections Page 2More evidence of this Board's neglect of their duty to the People is in their failure to notify Republican election judges of their assignments in a timely fashion. The Republican Election Judge Program has documented multiple reports that the Board Is so late in informing judges they were assigned, that many judges did not get sufficient notice to get off of work. In many instances, Republican election judges were not informed of their assignment until 24 hours before the election. Additionally, this Board stops staffing for Republican election judges weeks before the election despite the availability of election judges on the Chairman's Lists. Even when our applicants are hired, this Board does not schedule sufficient training classes for Republican Judges of Election and they keep the list of election judges who have completed the classes a secret. Data Required: Send a list of all Republican Judges of Election who were commissioned to serve from January 2014 through the ‘ongoing commissioning cycle. Include all the election judge data that is included on the election judge applications in the electronic spread sheet. Indicate what election the election judge was scheduled to work in and indicate if anyone did not serve. This data needs to include training information and who was assigned to various roles, such as key judge. This list must indicate all Republican judges that returned the information (card) indicating whether they will work in February and April of 2015. Send an electronic mailing list of all Commissioned Republican Judges of Election who received letters to sign up for the February 2015 and April 2015 elections. Send an electronic mailing list of all Commissioned Republican Judges of Election who were not sent letters to sign up for the February 2015 and April 2015 elections. Itis outrageous that the Board has refused to provide a vacancy list or any report of where the Republican judges are assigned and serving in advance of the important April municipal run-off election. I need the electronic vacancy list and the spread sheet of all assigned judges. These lists should be sent to me before the As always, these lists should be sent in an excel spreadsheet. Finally, itis time the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners address my complaints and assure that the Republican Judges of Elections that have been certified on the various Chairman's lists are placed as assigned, or as close to their home precinct as is possible. With the critical municipal election so close at hand, this letter obliges ai Ch Vict Eo Chairman Aaron Del Mar \mediate response. Letter to the Chicago Board of Elections Re: Republican Judges of Elections Page 3