Kathy Michael, McLean County Clerk and Will Nesbitt, Executive Director of the Bloomington Elections Commission are requesting the immediate retraction of the today’s WGLT article titled “Voters could be turned away if an old signature doesn’t match.”
In an email copied to Cities 92.9, Michael wrote, “The headline is misleading and does not accurately reflect the statements made by either election authority in the article.”
Voters could be turned away if an old signature doesn’t match | WGLT
Michael said, “At no point did we suggest that voters would be turned away because of an outdated or mismatched signature. In fact, we specifically explained that voters have the opportunity to update their address or signature if an issue arises, and that our offices and our respected elected judges work to make that process as easy and efficient as possible.”
The email stated, “The headline creates the impression that voters may be denied their right to vote because of an outdated signature. That is simply false. We follow the Illinois Election Code and the procedures established to protect every eligible voter’s right to cast a ballot.”
Michaal and Nesbitt wrote, “As election officials, we take our responsibility to provide accurate information to voters very seriously. WGLT is suggesting that voters could be turned away, unnecessarily creating confusion and concern among the very people we are responsible for serving. We are asking that this article be immediately retracted.”
(McLean County has two election jurisdictions. The County Clerk’s office handles all elections in McLean County with the exception of City of Bloomington elections, which are handled by the Bloomington Election Commission).
