IL-14: State Senate Approves Changes to Vote-by-Mail for November Election

Jim Oberweis
Lauren Underwood

Oberweis misses opportunity to lead and distinguish himself from Underwood’s record on Vote-by-Mail

During the just completed special session, the Illinois General Assembly passed changes to Illinois’ vote-by-mail (VBM) program for the November elections. The House passed the legislation on Thursday and the Senate passed it on Friday.

In the Senate, Jim Oberweis who’s also the Republican nominee for the 14th congressional district, voted with his Republican colleagues against SB 1863.

So changes to the VBM legislation was approved with a straight party-line vote.

Oberweis told WLS-TV:

“We’ve tripled the possibility of voter fraud.

“I realize you don’t want that, I don’t want that, but I’m concerned that this does not help prevent voter fraud in fact it makes it easier.”

Oberweis’ state senate office issued a statement outlining the changes being implemented for the pandemic in November through SB 1863:

  • Vote-by-mail applications will be sent to all who applied for a ballot in the 2018 general, the 2019 consolidated (April), or the 2020 primary.
  • Voter registration and change of registration will include ability to request a vote by mail ballot.
  • A special panel of three election judges (no more than two from same political party) to conduct a signature review of ballots submitted by mail.
  • People who are age 16 and older may be appointed an election judge.
  • Early voting hours will be extended in the 15 days before the election.
  • Curb-side voting will be allowed.
  • Vote-by-mail ballots can be returned by mail or to a secure postage-free drop box.

Oberweis’ congressional campaign’s Facebook page published the following video yesterday morning, prior to the vote:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fJuSOUyd36auo_X9uejKuNion1zDMskD/view?usp=sharing

COMMENTARY: Jim Oberweis missed a real opportunity to lead by following the state Republican Party line, and the embellished statement of tripling voter fraud.

After watching Oberweis’ video above, would the listener know if Oberweis supported SB 1863 or opposed it?

Where Oberweis missed his opportunity in his upcoming fall campaign challenging Congresswoman Lauren Underwood are:

  • Underwood’s support of the expanded VBM provisions in the HEROES Act approved in the House on Friday, May 15 included real fraud components including:
    • Elimination of voter ID in states which implemented more stringent rules
    • Mandating election authorities to mail VBM ballots to all registered voters
    • Legalizing nationwide California-style Ballot Harvesting
  • Oberweis’ supporting SB 1863 would have shown a complete contrast to Underwood’s record supporting radical expansion of VBM a week earlier based on the provisions of SB 1863 outlined above
  • Oberweis missed opportunity to demonstrate he is different from Underwood as willing to stand apart from his party leadership on major legislation and put sensible, common sense legislation ahead of partisanship

This past week, both McHenry County Blog and Oberweis’ congressional campaign published the metrics of bipartisanship in the U.S. House of Representatives throughout all of 2019, and showed Underwood ranked #344 of 437 members of the House based on cosponsorship of legislation from members of the opposite party.

Underwood has not, on any significant legislation, broken from the Democratic leadership of Nancy Pelosi. In the UCLA Voteview database, Underwood is still ranked the 15th most liberal member of the House, and #2 among freshman Democrats.

Yet Oberweis, given the chance to demonstrate he’ll be different from Underwood, chose not to do so.

The odds are already against Oberweis to win the election in November, and he will need to take some real risks if he hopes to be competitive, let alone win.

He had a significant opportunity to set himself apart on the sensible legislation where the only real change was mailing out applications, not VBM ballots, to a limited number of registered voters who’ve registered since the March primary or voted in elections over the past two years.

Julie Morrison

Compared to what state Senator Julie Morrison or Underwood wanted to do, SB 1863 is negligible.

Oberweis didn’t take the opportunity so set himself apart from Underwood’s record concerning VBM ballots.

Missed opportunity, and in spite of the reasons Oberweis gives in his press release to oppose SB 1863 from Friday, respectfully, he’s simply wrong.

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Comments

IL-14: State Senate Approves Changes to Vote-by-Mail for November Election — 7 Comments

  1. No surprise here, the milkman FAILS to deliver.

    You fools were warned, but like the fools that you are
    you elected him anyway.

  2. Funny – this sure looks pretty freakin’ close to what I said it would look like.

  3. Cheat by mail!

    Once the left gets cheat-by-mail they will quickly be in a position to pass all sorts of crazy laws.

    The 2nd amendment would be among their first targets.

  4. Julie Morrison, typical township fat-a$$

    Prior to her “service” in the Illinois Senate, she was the West Deerfield Township Supervisor.

    She was actually seen at the township offices during her twenty year reign of idleness on paydays when she gleefully collected her check, but when direct deposit came in, even those appearances stopped!

  5. Oberweis will have wear a lot more protective gear than that if he encounters the toxic fake nurse.

    Try a full reverse pressure hazmat suit.

  6. Can I collect 106,000 blank ballots and give the to Underwood?

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