Absentee ballot surge spurs fraud alert

Unusual "spikes" in absentee ballot requests in Cicero and Chicago Heights have prompted the Cook County clerk's office to cancel more than 250 requests and put those suburbs on watch for possible fraud.

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Many voters told investigators they were coerced by campaign workers into applying for absentee ballots, which is a felony. In some cases, workers told voters they would help them fill out ballots, also a felony.

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All of that signals that "the rules for absentee voting have clearly gone by the wayside," Orr said. "Dishonest political workers are taking advantage of voters' ignorance of the system and making up their own rules."

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