February 8, 2010 Southwest News-Herald - City
Dillard Wants All Votes Counted for GOP Race
Republican candidate for Illinois Governor Kirk Dillard said at a press conference on Friday in Chicago that the ballot counting process in the GOP Primary must continue, “until all of the legal ballots have been counted and verified.”
With a little more than 400 votes separating Dillard and state Sen. Bill Brady from Bloomington, Dillard put the difference in perspective. “With over 750-thousand votes cast, this is a .0005 of a percent difference. So, in a race this close, it’s important that every vote count.”
Dillard said campaign estimates, based on contacts with all 110 election authorities across the state, show there are as many as 5,000 provisional ballots still uncounted. In addition, there are about 1,000 absentee ballots that have been delivered but not yet counted.
Dillard also said as many as 5,000 absentee ballots could still be in the mail, not yet delivered to election authorities. “I wish we could resolve this today,” said Dillard. “But the reality is that it takes time for election authorities to do their job and for these votes to be counted.”
Some election officials have told the campaign that they will wait until February 15 or 16 to count their absentee and provisional ballots. “So, we will have to wait awhile longer before those votes are counted,” Dillard explained. “When you have a race this important, it’s essential that every vote count. That’s what Senator Brady and I want, and we know that’s what the people of Illinois deserve.”
Dillard also said the GOP remains committed to defeating Gov. Pat Quinn in November. “The Republican Party is unified behind balancing our budget, putting people back to work and cleaning up Springfield. Sen. Brady and I are absolutely committed to this goal, regardless of who’s the nominee.”
He said the two campaign staffs have been staying in touch. “So, we must allow the process to continue until all of the legal ballots have been counted and verified.“
Dillard is the only candidate to have experience in all three branches of government. First elected State Senator in 1994, he previously served as the Chief of Staff for Gov. Jim Edgar who recently announced his support for Dillard.
An honors graduate of Western Illinois University and DePaul University College of Law, Dillard and his wife, Stephanie, have two daughters.
With a little more than 400 votes separating Dillard and state Sen. Bill Brady from Bloomington, Dillard put the difference in perspective. “With over 750-thousand votes cast, this is a .0005 of a percent difference. So, in a race this close, it’s important that every vote count.”
Dillard said campaign estimates, based on contacts with all 110 election authorities across the state, show there are as many as 5,000 provisional ballots still uncounted. In addition, there are about 1,000 absentee ballots that have been delivered but not yet counted.
Dillard also said as many as 5,000 absentee ballots could still be in the mail, not yet delivered to election authorities. “I wish we could resolve this today,” said Dillard. “But the reality is that it takes time for election authorities to do their job and for these votes to be counted.”
Some election officials have told the campaign that they will wait until February 15 or 16 to count their absentee and provisional ballots. “So, we will have to wait awhile longer before those votes are counted,” Dillard explained. “When you have a race this important, it’s essential that every vote count. That’s what Senator Brady and I want, and we know that’s what the people of Illinois deserve.”
Dillard also said the GOP remains committed to defeating Gov. Pat Quinn in November. “The Republican Party is unified behind balancing our budget, putting people back to work and cleaning up Springfield. Sen. Brady and I are absolutely committed to this goal, regardless of who’s the nominee.”
He said the two campaign staffs have been staying in touch. “So, we must allow the process to continue until all of the legal ballots have been counted and verified.“
Dillard is the only candidate to have experience in all three branches of government. First elected State Senator in 1994, he previously served as the Chief of Staff for Gov. Jim Edgar who recently announced his support for Dillard.
An honors graduate of Western Illinois University and DePaul University College of Law, Dillard and his wife, Stephanie, have two daughters.