Kane County state's attorney investigating April election

Kane County's April 4 election is under investigation by its state's attorney following a website crash that spawned concerns about some vote totals shrinking once the site came back online.

State's attorney Jamie Mosser announced the investigation this week following an hour of public comment expressing concerns about the conduct of the election and the integrity of its outcome.

Mosser told the county board's public service committee the investigation is already underway. She said she's logged numerous complaints from county residents following the election.

Many of those people will have an opportunity to speak with Mosser and an investigator in her office as part of the examination into what happened that night in Kane County Clerk Jack Cunningham's office.

Several concerns were aired during the meeting and at previous public meetings since the election. Some of the issues go back even before the election and regard the perception by some Republicans that Democrats attempted to influence the conduct of the April election, and future elections, with a $2 million grant administered by a Chicago-based nonprofit with ties to the Democratic Party. The fate of that grant is still under legal review.

"Elections in the United States should be run by laws and not shaped by either Democrat or Republican parties," said Geneva resident Debbie Kanarowski. "We are asking for fair, transparent, accurate elections from the Kane County clerk's office."

Before the recent concerns, some local Republicans complained about the integrity of the 2020 presidential election despite a lack of evidence of widespread fraud.

But Kane County's April election also spawned concerns from local Democrats, including county board Chair Corinne Pierog, who said she was "rather shocked" by the night's events. Earlier this month, Pierog called on Cunningham to provide public answers about what transpired.

Cunningham did not appear to answer questions, having been preempted by Mosser's announcing her investigation. Public service committee Chairman Jarett Sanchez said the county board had hoped Cunningham would still answer questions.

"He was asked," Sanchez said. "We can't compel elected officials to do anything. It was suggested that he should come."

Cunningham was aware of the investigation before the public meeting, having already met with Mosser, Pierog and Sanchez in the lead-up to the investigation. Mosser, Pierog and Sanchez are all Democrats. It's unknown if there were any Republicans in that meeting other than Cunningham.

"We have due faith in our legal system," Pierog said of the investigation. "I know this report will be honest and based on pure facts, not assumptions."

Mosser did not provide a timeline for the investigation. She pledged to make a full, public report on its findings after completing her work.

Kane County Chief Information Officer Roger Fahnestock explained previously that the website failure was a problem with loading the vote totals from USB drives onto the website rather than a flaw in any vote tabulation equipment.

The Kane County clerk's office certified the results of the election on April 18.