Illinois: Election Board rejects pre-marked ballot claims | Hyde Park Herald

The Chicago Board of Elections has dismissed claims of pre-marked ballots at the polls after a Hyde Park voter said he received one for Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Sam Dreessen, who canvassed for Chuy Garcia and voted for him at Kozminski Elementary School, 936 E. 54th St., reported the incident on Facebook Tuesday morning. “I was really surprised, because I have been voting in Chicago since 2006 and I’ve never had an experience like that,” said Dreessen, whose post was covered in In These Times magazine and as of Wednesday afternoon had been shared more than 1,000 times.

Voting Blogs: Pre-Marked Ballots Reported in Chicago Mayoral Runoff | Brad Blog

At In These Times, author and journalist Rick Perlstein covers reports from some Chicago voters claiming that they received paper ballots today that were pre-marked for Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) in his runoff election against the more progressive Cook County Commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (D). … Perlstein details a few other similar reported incidents of pre-marked ballots from around the city in the election which the local CBS affiliate is now calling for Emanuel. The Chicago Board of Elections website currently shows Emanuel leading Garcia 56% to 44% with over 79% of precincts reporting at this moment.