Election Irregularities - Strange Phone Calls

I served as a Republican election judge, in the 43^rd ward, 13^th precinct of Chicago, for the general election that was held on Tuesday, November 4, 2014.

On Thursday, October 30, 2014, at 1:22pm, I received a recorded message from (224) 649-5636. I don't recall the exact contents, but it was political rambling that I found tiresome. I hung up after 33 seconds.

On Friday, October 31, 2014, at 8:49pm, I got another recorded message, this one from (224) 649-5601, which went to voice mail. The man, who identified himself as an election coordinator, advised me to vote early, because election judges are required to vote, and I might not have an opportunity to do so on election day. I found it odd that I had not been informed of such a requirement prior to this. But it didn't really concern me, as I had already voted.

He also stated that, as a Republican election judge, I was expected to vote for, and otherwise support, Republican candidates. My understanding was that this was considered a moral duty, rather than a legal requirement. I thought to myself, “This is bullshit. I'll support who I want to support.” I was perfectly upfront about my independent leanings when I was interviewed for the position.

He then said that additional training would be offered Saturday afternoon at a couple of south side locations. I had already attended training downtown that was provided by the Board of Election Commissioners, as well as a banquet event by the Republican Party, where we were encouraged to watch for improprieties. It didn't sound to me like this latest training was an actual requirement, but I was receptive to it nonetheless. Unfortunately, I already had other plans, and decided that I would have to pass on it.

On Saturday, November 1, 2014, at 10:11am, I received another recorded message from (224) 649-5601, also on voice mail, reminding me of the training that afternoon.

Because the potential criminal nature of these calls had not yet occurred to me, I deleted both recordings from my voice mail. However, I still had the information on my caller ID. I called the numbers, and got a recorded message from what appears to be a telemarketing company.

On election day, I learned that one of the other election judges, another Republican, had also received these calls, and still had them on her voice mail. Whether any Democrats got similar calls, I do not know.

Who made the calls? I do not know. It could have been Democrats who wanted to keep Republican judges from showing up. Or it could have been Republicans who wanted to keep the polls closed, thereby reducing voter turnout in heavily democratic regions. I consider both explanations plausible, but the second one somewhat more so.

I would guess that the people with the telemarketing company don't even know who they were dealing with. But as far as I'm concerned, they have an obligation to know, and they should be held accountable.