Quinn to appeal lt. gov. election

UPI

unread,

Apr 6, 1998, 3:00:00 AM4/6/98

to

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., April 6 (UPI) - Pat Quinn is planning to call for
a discovery recount in the City of Chicago following the release
(Monday) of official election results. The official count showed he lost
the Democratic lieutenant governor nomination to opponent Mary Lou
Kearns by 1,468 votes.

bc-il-ltgovrace
--------
This article remains the property of United Press International and is not
to be modified or redistributed in any way. It is provided as information
through license arrangement between UPI and Pathlink Technology Corporation.

UPI

unread,

Apr 6, 1998, 3:00:00 AM4/6/98

to

Quinn asks for recount in lt. gov race
By KRIS KUDENHOLDT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., April 6 (UPI) - Pat Quinn says he will file for a
discovery recount in several Chicago precincts after the State Board of
Elections released certified election results showing he lost the
Democratic lieutenant governor primary by 1,468 votes.

``When you have hundreds of voters disenfranchised, entire precincts
wiped out... you have to take the proper steps,'' Quinn said.

Quinn can file for a discovery recount in up to 25 percent of the
precincts in Chicago. Quinn said Monday he may file elsewhere to have
discovery recounts done, which he said was the first step in taking his
case to the Illinois Supreme Court.

Quinn claims there were irregularities at the polling places on March
17 that cost him votes. Some election judges did not initial the ballots
before dropping them in the ballot boxes, and other ballots may only
have had the federal races counted, Quinn said.

Quinn also cited problems with absentee ballots, saying some with
irregularities may have been counted when they should not have been.

The official count released for last month's primary showed Mary Lou
Kearns with 391,373 votes to Quinn's 389,905. Kearns took 50.1 percent
of the vote to Quinn's 49.9 percent.

While Quinn was the undisputed winner in Chicago, overall Kearns took
each of Illinois' 11,547 precincts by an average of about an eighth of a
vote.
--

All Rights Reserved.
--

UPI

unread,

Apr 6, 1998, 3:00:00 AM4/6/98

to

(Note: complete writethru, Kearns tells Quinn to concede)
Quinn calls for discovery recount
By KRIS KUDENHOLDT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., April 6 (UPI) - Pat Quinn said he will file for a
discovery recount of several Chicago precincts after the State Board of

Elections released certified election results showing he lost the
Democratic lieutenant governor primary by 1,468 votes.

``When you have hundreds of voters disenfranchised, entire precincts
wiped out... you have to take the proper steps,'' Quinn said.

Quinn can file for a discovery recount in up to 25 percent of the

precincts in the state, and he said he may also file to have discovery
recounts done outside of Chicago. Quinn must file for the recounts by
Saturday, and will pay $10 per precinct for each of them.

The purpose of a discovery recount - which the local election
authority must agree to do - is to gather evidence to see if it would be
useful to contest the election before the Illinois Supreme Court, said
Ron Michaelson, executive director of the State Board of Elections.

Meanwhile, Mary Lou Kearns, held a press conference in Chicago Monday
to officially declare victory.

Kearns said it is time for Quinn to call it quits. ``Any time you
have conflict, it is distracting,'' Kearns said. ``I hope that he will
join in the Democrats for victory.''

Quinn claims there were irregularities at the polling places on March
17 that cost him votes. Some election judges did not initial the ballots
before dropping them in the ballot boxes, and other ballots may only
have had the federal races counted, Quinn said.

Quinn also cited problems with absentee ballots, saying some with
irregularities may have been counted when they should not have been.

No statewide candidate has taken advantage of a 1983 law allowing
them to contest an election before the Illinois Supreme Court. The
paperwork must be filed for such a challenge by April 21.

Michaelson said this race was the closest since the 1952 Republican
lieutenant governor's candidate race was decided by 1,089 votes.