Heavily Dem downstate IL county: 7,100 voting age residents, 7,800 registered to vote

Confluence of the Ohio and
Mississippi, Cairo, IL

"All elections shall be free and equal."
Illinois Constitution, Article III, Section 3.

In last year's gubernatorial race in Illinois, Democrat Pat Quinn won just four of the Prairie State's 102 counties. Fortunately for him, Cook, where about 40 percent of Illinoisans live, was one of them--which is why he is still governor.

One of the other three was impoverished Alexander County, which lies at the confluence of the Mississippi and the Ohio Rivers. It's an oddity--a heavily Democratic downstate Illinois County. It's twin is St. Clair County.

The Bloomington Pantagraph is reporting that Alexander County has just 7,100 residents of voting age, but 7,800 registered voters. Francis Lee, the county clerk, has known about this problem for more than a year, but has done nothing to correct it--she's blaming a lack of funds. But Lee says this numerical mismatch has not led to voter fraud, but like St. Clair to the north, Alexander County is no stranger to voting irregularities.

East St. Louis, which is in St. Clair County, also has more registered voters than residents who are of voting age. And ESL has more than double the population of Alexander County.

This mess needs to be fixed now. Oh, what was that about "free and equal" elections in Illinois? I only have one vote to cast. And I'm not a cheater.

Perhaps I should sue.

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