Election integrity advocates urge reform after Illinois scores low in global survey

By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributor
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Election integrity advocates are calling for sweeping reforms after a new international report ranks Illinois near the bottom for election security.

Illinois has been ranked among the lowest in the nation for election security, according to a comprehensive international survey by The Meyers Report.

The study, which evaluated all 50 states and 36 countries across 17 critical voting risk areas, gave Illinois a score of just 39 out of 100.

Carol Davis of the Illinois Conservative Union said the report reflects what her organization has observed while addressing election issues in Illinois.

“We advocate for serious reforms in Illinois election law, starting with the voter registration process, verify and validate the registrant thoroughly,” said Davis. “Make sure we see and document solid evidence that the registrant is a U.S. citizen.”

Davis emphasized the importance of maintaining accurate voter rolls.

“We must verify that only eligible voters are on Illinois voter rolls, ensuring that those who have moved, the deceased and duplicate voters are removed in a frequent and systematic process,” Davis told The Center Square. “Our state leadership has a willful blindness when it comes to election integrity issues. It’s up to we the people to keep pressure on our public servants to do the right thing.”

In a recent MSNBC interview with former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, Gov. J.B. Pritzker suggested that the Department of Justice’s request for voter roll data could reflect concerns about election integrity.

“They could be claiming that there’s something wrong with the election results or the counting of ballots, so they’re going to take control of the ballot boxes,” Pritzker said.

The Meyers Report highlights a sharp gap in election security between U.S. states and other nations. Scores ranged from 30 in Nevada to 83 in Mississippi, with an average of 59.82, well below the international average of 81.19, showing that states like Illinois lag behind global standards.

Davis is urging officials at both the local and state level, including county clerks and the Illinois State Board of Elections, to take decisive action to restore confidence in the vote-counting process.

“The consensus among our followers is that fair and equal treatment of all voters requires verifying that registered voters are legal citizens,” said Davis.

Davis said officials must ensure a transparent vote counting process, regardless of political party.

“Election officials should be held accountable and implement meaningful reforms to restore confidence in Illinois elections,” said Davis.