- Inmates claimed guards at Cook County Jail were pushing them to illegally vote
- Guards are allegedly getting orders from higher up and ‘doing what they’re told’
- It sparked fears of ballot harvesting because jail was an ‘ideal environment’ for it
- And raised fears it may propel Lori Lightfoot back in office, despite poor polling
By WILLIAM J KELLY IN CHICAGO FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 11:42 EST, 27 February 2023 | UPDATED: 12:14 EST, 27 February 2023
Chicago inmates have claimed they are being pressured to illegally vote in the city’s mayoral election.
The inmates, some who are accused of murder, argued guards at Cook County Jail were pushing them to vote – despite some being registered in a different jurisdiction.
They claimed the guards were receiving orders from higher up and were ‘just doing what I’m told’ when confronted over the move.
It comes amid fears of ballot harvesting as insiders claimed the jail was the ‘ideal environment’ due to no cameras or election observers.
It also raised concerns it could propel Lori Lightfoot back into office, despite her languishing on just 13 percent in the polls.
One inmate, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told DailyMail.com the guards didn’t seem to care that they might be breaking the law.
He said: ‘I asked him [the guard], ‘Did you ask people first if they’re registered to vote?’ And he said ‘no’.
I said but you should because if I’m registered to vote somewhere else like I am, you are asking me and enticing me to vote even though I’m registered somewhere else and that’s a felony. I can’t be voting in two different jurisdictions.’
He claims another guard told him that he was ‘just doing what I’m told’.
An inmate being held on murder charges, also says 21 of the 48 inmates in his Division 11, have already voted but none were asked if they were registered or eligible to vote.
‘They just say who wants to vote? Line up to vote,’ he said.
An unnamed source familiar with Cook County Jail said it is the ideal environment for ballot harvesting.
‘Cameras inside the Jail notoriously don’t work. There aren’t any election observers. If an inmate complains, who would believe them? So, if you wanted to manipulate a ballot, who would know?’
There are 7,480 inmates under the custody of the Cook County Sheriff, with 72.3 percent being black, 19 percent Latino and 7.8 percent white.
Inmate offenses range from murder and carjacking to sexual assault of a minor and armed robbery.
Chicago voters say that violent crime is their top concern in the mayor’s race, with it continuing to rocket under Lightfoot.
With nine candidates – including Mayor Lightfoot – vying for Chicago mayor, the source said the political stakes are high and pressure is coming from top Cook County jail officials to turn out the prison vote for this week’s mayoral race.
Last week, Lightfoot was criticized for telling voters on Chicago’s South Side they should not vote at all if they do not vote to re-elect her. She now insists she misspoke.
She said: ‘If I said anything other than everybody everywhere needs to vote, then I misspoke in the heat of a campaign rally.
‘But I’ve been very consistent all along saying everybody everywhere needs to step up, and they need to vote just as I said today.
Lightfoot was also dinged for posting a graphic on Twitter that encourages Chicagoans to vote more than once in the mayoral election.
The latest polls show former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas widening his lead to 32 percent, Cook County Board Commissioner Brandon Johnson at 18 percent and Mayor Lightfoot struggling at 13 percent.
Fourteen percent remain undecided. If no candidate receives a clear majority of the vote, a runoff election will be held on April 4.
Election officials are anticipating multiple requests for recounts, which will not begin until two to three weeks after Tuesday’s election.
Lightfoot has struggled in her re-election bid for Chicago Mayor as voters say they feel unsafe in the crime-ridden city.
A spokesman for the Cook County Sheriff said: ‘It appears that neither you nor the individuals making these claims understand how the voting process works.
‘The Jail simply serves as a polling place, and the Sheriff’s Office has absolutely no oversight of voting operations or polling place procedures.
‘Registered voters are free to choose whether they would like to vote, but no one who is not registered to vote is able to vote in an election, including Tuesday’s election.’