Early primary voting using new equipment started Thursday, but the transition wasn’t without controversy as the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office was called in to resolve dozens of complaints.
Kane County purchased the machines from Hart InterCivic in August, and this is the first election cycle in which they’re being used. Voters use a touch-screen to make their choices, which are marked on a paper ballot inserted into the voting machine.
Thirty complaints about the equipment were made to state’s attorney’s and sheriff’s offices, officials said.
One set of complaints charged that the Kane County clerk purchased the equipment before receiving approval from the Illinois State Board of Elections, in violation of state election code.
Hart InterCivic filed an application with the state in September to use the equipment in the primary election but Board of Election officials did not vote to give the company two-year interim approval until November, State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser said in a news release.
“While it appears that a portion of the Illinois Election Code regarding the timing of the sale of electronic voting systems may not have been strictly complied with, the Voting System was approved before it was ever used in any election, including prior to early voting for the March 19, 2024, General Primary Election,” Mosser said in the release.
There’s no evidence that Hart knowingly intended to disregard the Election Code, she said.
Other complaints centered on voting machine irregularities during a mock demonstration during which people received ballots with incorrect names listed on them. The demonstration program used by Hart is meant for general use to demonstrate the system’s capabilities, Mosser said. Some states allow a candidate to use an “alias” name on the ballot.
It was “understandably confusing to those using the machines during the demonstration, as that is not the procedure in Illinois,” Mosser said in the release.
The state’s attorney’s office inspected the machines earlier this week and found no issues.
Kane County Clerk John “Jack” Cunningham said he welcomed the inspection.
“It’s always good to have different eyes looking at things,” he said. “These questions have been answered many, many times. I can assure the people of the county that our machines are running well, efficiently, and correctly.”
Although the complaints were ruled unfounded, the clerk’s office will be proceeding with an abundance of caution and election judges trained to assist any voter with their ballot submission, Cunningham said.
Mosser stressed that she believes the office is ready for the election using the new equipment.
“We also believe that the Kane County Clerk’s Office is generally prepared to assist during the voting process if there are any issues with that process,” she said.
Cunningham is focused on teaching voters about the new equipment.
“There’s going to be a period of education,” Cunningham said. Election judges will be ready to answer questions and his office is available to assist voters, he said.
One tip he has for voters is to bring reading glasses because the ballot font is small and cannot be made larger, he said.
“We’ve been very through,” Cunningham said. “We followed the letter of the law. I feel confident that anybody looking in will find we’ve done the right thing and staff has done a great job.”
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.