Politics & Government

Uncounted Votes Could Alter Council Election

Jim McFarland's the only sure winner. With just 60 votes separating the three Joliet City Council incumbents, provisional ballots could change the outcome.

On paper, Don Fisher would seem to be the odd man out given that he fell 52 votes short of winning re-election to the Joliet City Council once absentee ballots were added to the mix Wednesday.

But don't count him out just yet.

Provisional ballots have yet to be tallied, and won't be until April 23. That's when one Republican and one Democrat election judge will meet in a room to review ballots cast under questionable circumstances and decide if they should be counted, Will County Clerk Nancy Schultz Voots said.

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Just how many fall into that category and what number come from the city of Joliet, Schultz Voots would not spectulate, but it could be enough to sway the outcome.

After all, only 60 votes separate the three incumbents -- Fisher received 4,712 votes to Mike Turk's 4,764 and Jan Quillman's 4,772. Before the absentee ballots were added, only two votes separated Fisher and Turk Tuesday night.

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In fact, the only certain victor was a newcomer to city politics, Jim McFarland. Currently the Troy Township clerk, McFarland handlily beat his three opponents by a margin of more than 1,100 votes.

Schultz Voots said the low turnout of just 16 percent -- typically consolidated elections draw about 18 percent -- certainly played a role in the close vote between the three incumbents. That the candidates now must now hang in limbo for two more weeks is an unfortunate situation, and one she doesn't like to see anyone go through, she said.

But the delay is needed because the legitimacy of the provisional ballots must be checked, she said.

There are several reasons a ballot might be labeled "provisional." For example, someone may have registered to vote through the Illinois Secretary of State's office or some other legal location but when they went to vote, there was no record of it, Schultz Voots said. Someone in that situation would be allowed to fill out a ballot, but it cannot be tallied until the person's registration can be verified, she said.

In other cases, someone might request an absentee ballot, but end up casting it in person on election day rather than mailing it in ahead of time, she said. Or someone tries to vote on election day but records indicate they had voted early. That, too, must be double-checked before the ballot is counted.

Fisher said he's trying to be philosophical about the situation, and that, "Whatever happens, it's meant to be."

"I'm not a politician ... and it's not really what I'm good at. The political side of this kind of thing is foreign to me," he said. "I'm proud I ran a very positive, idea-driven campaign."

Fisher lauded McFarland for his victory.

"He ran a very good, very effective, very well-financed campaign," Fisher said. "When you put those three things together, it's not a surprise."

Turk also said McFarland's organized approach, which included several rounds of mailed campaign literature, was instrumental in his win. 

"He ran a very aggressive campaign, he did a lot of direct mail, which is expensive, and he wasn't an incumbent," he said. "If my lead holds, I congratulate him and I will work with him to help move the city forward."

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