Chicago alderpersons challenge election board over ballot shortage glitch
Aldermen pressed board leadership on a coding error that left 24 precincts short on ballots during the November election.
By Anthony Lawson ·
The Chicago Board of Elections faced pointed questions from city alderpersons Monday as the board presented its budget request at City Hall.
The board attributed the disruption during the November election to a computer glitch that caused ballot shortages. An ABC7 I-Team investigation determined that 24 of the city’s more than 1,200 precincts were affected by the issue. The shortage impacted approximately 2% of voting sites.
Sandra Aspera, the executive director of the board, defended her staff’s performance during the meeting. She stated that the coding error created confusion and media attention, but she argued that many factors contributed to the long lines. Aspera has served with the board for three decades and was appointed to her current role roughly a year and a half ago.
Ald. Bill Conway of the 34th Ward challenged Aspera’s assessment. He told the executive director that he believed the residents of Chicago and many members of the chamber would disagree with her positive evaluation of the election day. Conway asked directly if Aspera felt the board had done a good job.
Ald. Michelle Harris, chairperson of the committees and rules for the 8th Ward, described the situation as egregious. She noted that precincts lacked enough ballots, forcing voters to travel to other sites or wait for hours. Many alderpersons urged Aspera to conduct more outreach ahead of the municipal election scheduled for February. They argued that better communication would have clarified who to contact when problems arose.
The board is requesting nearly $48 million for its budget for the coming year.
