Illinois Valley Times

Twenty-four Illinois counties, including Bureau County, have more registered voters than residents of voting age, according to a notice-of-violation letter sent to the state by a conservative transparency group recently.

Judicial Watch pointed to an alleged gap between registered voters and eligible voting populations in 102 counties in 11 states. The group based its assertions on data from the Election Assistance Commission, showing registered voters, and the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, which lists the number of residents above the age of 18.

Based on its analysis, Judicial Watch sent letters to the states alleging that they are not fulfilling their obligations under federal law to maintain accurate lists of eligible voters. The group gave the states 90 days to address the issue and respond with proof or face a lawsuit.

“Dirty election rolls can mean dirty elections,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said. “These 11 states face possible Judicial Watch lawsuits unless they follow the law and take reasonable steps to clean up their voting rolls of dead, moved, and non-citizen voters.”

Under the National Voter Registration and Help America Vote acts, states must maintain accurate voter registration records.