Cong. Lipinski faces questions on his election day voting

Illinois Congressman Daniel Lipinski from Chicago's Southwest Side got his job the Chicago way--he inherited from his Dad, Bill Lipinksi. Two years ago, the elder Lipinski ran in the Democratic primary for his seat in the House of Representatives. But then, surprise, a few month later, he announced he wouldn't run in the general election. Next, Bill rigged the candidate replacement process to install his son Daniel, a political science professor in Tennessee, as the new Lipinski on the ballot.

Smooth, very smooth.

The younger Lipinski won the general election in the heavily Democratic district.

The Chicago Tribune is reporting this morning that Daniel Lipinski is under fire because of allegations that he voted in person, not absentee, in 17 elections from 1988 to 2002. During that time, the younger Lipinksi was living in Indiana, North Carolina or Tennessee while first a student, then a university professor.

From the Chicago Tribune:

"There's something wrong with the voting records because I was not voting here," said Lipinski, who contended that he cast absentee ballots.

Board of Elections spokesman Tom Leach said the board's database program doesn't track accurately absentee ballot records, which are kept separately. Those separate records show that Lipinski voted by absentee ballot in five of six elections between 1998 and 2002, Leach said.

Maybe nothing, maybe something. But since the Democrats are crying "ethics, ethics, ethics," it's worth reporting here.

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