On August 27, 2025, at 8:46 p.m. Gibson County Deputy Michael Bates conducted a traffic stop on a Beige 2007 Saturn Aurora after observing a moving violation on Broadway in Princeton. Upon stopping the vehicle just west of town Deputy Bates identified the driver as 42-year-old Branden Wirth of Princeton. While speaking with Mr. Wirth Deputy Bates detected multiple clues that the driver may be under the influence of an unknown intoxicant. At that point Deputy Bates began a roadside DUI investigation. At the conclusion of the investigation Deputy Bates placed Mr. Wirth into custody and transported him to the Gibson County Detention Center. Upon arriving at the detention center Mr. Wirth was charged with Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated Endangerment w/ Refusal and Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated With a Passenger Under the Age of Eighteen.
Deputies Wes Baumgart, Eric Powell, and Levi Sims assisted Deputy Bates in his investigation.
All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Traffic stop leads to arrest of Princeton man for DUI
On August 27, 2025, at 11:07 p.m. Gibson County Deputy Wyatt Hunt conducted a traffic stop on a Gray 2010 Kia Optima for speeding on Old US 41 North near County Road 150 South. Upon approaching the vehicle Deputy Hunt identified the driver as 66-year-old Anthony Embry of Princeton. While speaking with Mr. Embry Deputy Hunt detected clues that the driver may be under the influence. At that point Deputy Hunt began a roadside DUI investigation. At the conclusion of the inquiry Mr. Embry was taken into custody and transported to the Gibson County Detention Center. Upon arriving at the Detention Center Mr. Embry was charged with Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated.
Deputies Michael Bates and Levi Sims assisted Deputy Hunt in his investigation. Princeton Sgt. Ben Kiesel assisted as well.
All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
IDOT, ISP: Make sure you and your GPS are set for a safe and sober route this Labor Day weekend
‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’ safety campaign in full effect
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois State Police and law enforcement agencies throughout the state are reminding the public that if you drive under the influence of alcohol, cannabis or any other impairing substance, you’ll get pulled over as part of the national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” safety campaign.
“Driving impaired is not a game,” said Stephane B. Seck-Birhame, bureau chief of Safety Programs and Engineering at IDOT. “You don’t get a second chance to make it right, so always make sure that anytime you’re behind the wheel, you’re sober, buckled up and following all traffic laws. It might save your life or someone else’s.”
During the safety campaign, which runs through Labor Day weekend, ISP, local police and sheriff’s departments are reminding the public that driving under the influence can come with sobering consequences.
According to IDOT data, last year in Illinois over Labor Day weekend, from 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30, to 11:59 p.m. Monday, Sept. 2, there were 11 fatal crashes resulting in 11 deaths. Two of the 11 fatal crashes were alcohol-related, resulting in two of the 11 fatalities.
“We ask that if you are celebrating the contributions of our workforces this Labor Day, you do so smartly,” said ISP Division of Patrol Col. Chris Owen. “All too often, troopers handle crashes caused by someone driving under the influence. The decision to drive takes only a moment, but the consequences can last a lifetime.”
Remember these important safety tips:
If you’re planning to use cannabis or alcohol, give your keys to a sober driver who can safely drive you home. Or call a taxi, rideshare service or your community’s sober ride program. Transit is another good option.
If you see an impaired driver on the road, contact law enforcement.
Remind your friends to never get in a vehicle with an impaired driver. If you have a friend who is about to drive while impaired, take their keys away and help them get home safely. Don’t worry about offending them – you might be saving a life.
In addition to the heightened focus on impaired driving, the campaign also reinforces the importance of seat belt use, adherence to the speed limit and other traffic laws. Seat belt laws will be enforced as part of the national “Click It or Ticket” and “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” programs, which are funded through federal funds administered by IDOT and coincide with the department’s comprehensive multimedia campaign, “It's Not a Game.”
WANTED FUGITIVE ARRESTED IN EVANSVILLE
Evansville, IN – On the morning of August 27, 2025, at approximately 6:27 a.m., officers and deputies from the Evansville Police Department, Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Marshals Service Task Force successfully apprehended Devin C. Brittain in Evansville, Indiana.
Brittain was wanted on an active Wabash County, Illinois warrant. His arrest follows a coordinated, multi-agency effort and was executed without incident.
Wabash County Sheriff J. Derek Morgan stated:
“Today’s arrest is the result of strong partnerships between law enforcement agencies across state lines. I want to thank the Evansville Police Department, Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Marshals Task Force for their outstanding work in locating and apprehending Mr. Brittain. Our communities are safer today because of their efforts.”
Brittain is currently in custody and is pending extradition to Illinois to face charges under the Wabash County warrant.
Further information will be released as it becomes available.
From Evansville Police Department:
Earlier this morning, the Joint Task Force, comprised of the EPD Street Crimes Unit and Narcotics Unit, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service apprehended Devin C. Brittain (32) without incident.
Brittain had recently been added to Wabash County’s Newest Most Wanted list and was wanted on multiple felony charges under a nationwide arrest warrant. His apprehension followed widespread attention on social media, with numerous Facebook shares aiding in public awareness.
He was booked into the Vanderburgh County Jail shortly after 7:00 a.m. this morning.
Effingham County area drug dealers sentenced on meth-related charges
BENTON, Ill. – This year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, in conjunction with the Effingham Police Department, the Southeastern Illinois Drug Task Force, the Effingham County Sheriff’s Department, and the Effingham County State’s Attorney’s Office, have prosecuted several methamphetamine dealers in the Effingham County area.
“Trafficking drugs in southern Illinois will earn dealers a federal prison sentence,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “Thanks to the efforts of our local law enforcement partners in the Effingham County area, less meth is circulating on the streets. We will continue to work together to eliminate drugs from our communities.”
“These cases show what can be accomplished when local, county, and federal agencies work together toward a common goal,” said Effingham Police Chief Kurt Davis. “I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Effingham County Sheriff’s Department, the Southeastern Illinois Drug Task Force, the State’s Attorney’s Office, and the staff of the Effingham Police Department for their partnership and commitment. Their efforts make our community safer by keeping dangerous drugs off our streets.”
Jeramy C. Hoffman, 49, of Effingham, Illinois, was convicted of two counts of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. On May 15, 2025, the Court sentenced Hoffman to 110 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by four years of supervised release.
Corey W. Dasenbrock, 48, of Effingham, Illinois, was convicted of two counts of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. On Aug. 19, 2025, the Court sentenced Dasenbrock to 110 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by four years supervised release.
Hayden L. Limes, 29, of Effingham, Illinois, was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. On May 1, 2025, the Court sentenced Limes to 96 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by five years’ supervised release.
Taylor K. Nathan, 31, of Effingham, Illinois, was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. On April 3, 2025, the Court sentenced Nathan to 84 months’ incarceration, to be followed by four years supervised release.
Robert J. Beckler, II, 55, of Effingham, Illinois, was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The Court sentenced Beckler to 120 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by five years’ supervised release.
Russell A. Beldi, 45, of Teutopolis, Illinois, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. On May 15, 2025, Beldi was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by four years supervised release.
Jodi L. Corbella, 48, of Citrus Heights, California, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Although from California, Corbella was sending methamphetamine to Russell Beldi for resale in the Effingham area. On Aug. 5, 2025, the Court sentenced Corbella to 144 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by four years supervised release.
Jesse D. Blain, 40, of Effingham, Illinois, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. On Aug. 12, 2025, the Court sentenced Blain to 60 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by four years of supervised release.
Three additional Effingham area individuals were indicted on July 25, 2025, on federal methamphetamine related charges in a seven-count indictment. The defendants indicted include:
Chelsea J. Sipes, 41, of Effingham, Illinois,
Timothy E. Finfrock, 66, of Effingham, Illinois and
Philip M. Blair, 43, of Effingham, Illinois.
Count 1 charges that from July 2024, until on or about June 2025, in Effingham County, within the Southern District of Illinois, Sipes, Finfrock, and Blair conspired to knowingly and intentionally distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Count 2 charges that on Jan. 30, 2025, in Effingham County, Sipes knowingly and intentionally distributed 5 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Count 3 charges that on Feb. 25, 2025, in Effingham County, Sipes knowingly and intentionally distributed 5 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Count 4 charges that on March 6, 2025, in Effingham County, Sipes knowingly and intentionally distributed 5 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Count 5 charges that on March 14, 2025, in Effingham County, Sipes knowingly and intentionally distributed 5 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Count 6 charges that on Feb. 20, 2025, in Effingham County, Blair knowingly and intentionally distributed methamphetamine.
Count 7 charges that on Jan. 24, 2025, in Effingham County, Finfrock knowingly and intentionally distributed methamphetamine.
With respect to Count 1, all three Defendants face 10 years to life imprisonment, up to a $10 million fine, and supervised release of not less than 5 years.
With respect to Counts 2-5, Sipes faces 5-40 years’ imprisonment, up to a $5 million fine, and supervised release of not less than 4 years.
With respect to Count 6, Blair faces up to 20 years imprisonment, up to a $1 million fine, and supervised release of not less than 3 years.
With respect to Count 7, Finfrock faces up to 20 years imprisonment, up to a $1 million fine, and supervised release of not less than 3 years.
Indictments are merely a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.
Mt. Carmel Man Gets 3 Years In DOC On Domestic Battery Charge
Wabash County State’s Attorney Kelli Storckman announced that on August 11, 2025, Clayton Kirkman, a 39-year-old man from Mt. Carmel, Illinois, was sentenced to three years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Circuit Judge William Hudson in Wabash County Circuit Court.
Kirkman was charged on January 27, 2025, with Domestic Battery, a Class 4 Felony, after law enforcement were called by a family member. An investigation found that Kirkman had destroyed property of the family member and then shoved the family member causing injury. Kirkman will be placed on mandatory supervised release for 4 years following his release from the Department of Corrections.
WSJD File Photo
Illinois Extension welcomes new staff to Wabash County
Mt. Carmel, Ill. – University of Illinois Extension serving Edwards, Lawrence, Richland, Wabash, and Wayne counties welcomes new staff to the Wabash County Extension office. The Wabash County Extension office is home to Wabash County 4-H clubs, 4-H school programs, and unit-wide programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education and Local Food Systems and Small Farms programs.
Carrie Tennis joins Illinois Extension as the Wabash County Office Support Assistant. Carrie will provide administrative support for Illinois Extension programs in Wabash County while assisting with additional fiscal duties. Tennis previously worked as an office manager in the retail and healthcare industries and has volunteered as a Wabash County 4-H leader since 2022. She earned her associate's degree in interpersonal communications from Frontier Community College.
Illinois Extension also recently welcomed Tori Thompson as the new Wabash County 4-H program coordinator. Thompson will spearhead Wabash County 4-H school programs, oversee local 4-H clubs, and provide programs and events that help recruit new 4-H members and empower local youth. Thompson will call on her experiences as a Blue Ribbon 4-H club member in Edwards County to help guide her as she leads the Wabash County 4-H program. Thompson currently attends Murray State University, working toward her bachelor's degree in agricultural science/agribusiness.
“We are thrilled to welcome Carrie and Tori to the Wabash County Extension team. Their passion for community, combined with their unique experiences, will help strengthen our local programs and support the vital work we do across youth development, nutrition, and agriculture,” said Tara Buerster, county Extension director. “Together with Kit McDonald, our SNAP-Ed Community Worker, they’ll help us build a dynamic, responsive team dedicated to serving Wabash County with excellence.”
The Wabash County Extension office has also updated its business hours. The office is located at 738 N. Market St. in Mt. Carmel and is now open to the public five days a week; previously, the office was open Tuesdays through Thursdays. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed daily from 12-1 p.m. for lunch. To contact the Wabash County Extension office, call 618-262-5725. For more information about Illinois Extension serving Edwards, Lawrence, Richland, Wabash, and Wayne counties, visit extension.illinois.edu/elrww.
WRITER: Rileigh Lear, marketing and communications program coordinator, University of Illinois Extension
Sex Offender Sent To DOC For 8 Years
Wabash County State’s Attorney Kelli Storckman announced that on August 25, 2025, James A. Catt, a 66-year-old man from Mt. Carmel, Illinois, was sentenced to eight years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Circuit Judge William Hudson in Wabash County Circuit Court.
Catt was originally charged on January 6, 2021, with Sex Offender Failure to Register, a Class 2 Felony, after law enforcement was alerted to concerning photographs being printed by Catt at a local CVS. The subsequent investigation determined that Catt was not in compliance with his annual sex offender registration requirements.
Catt was later charged a second time for additional violations of his registration obligations after he failed to appear for a sentencing hearing in the initial case and fled the area. His whereabouts remained unknown from October 25, 2021, until Wabash County Crime Stoppers offered a reward for information, which ultimately led to a tip and his apprehension.
DCFS timeline in foster child’s death reveals 10 caseworkers, but no credible findings of abuse
Illinois Department of Children and Family Services had refused to make details public
Article Summary
Two months after it was first requested, the Illinois Department of Children Family Services released a timeline of involvement with a Fairview Heights foster child who died in the agency’s care.
Mackenzi Felmlee had 10 caseworkers from 2019 to 2024 while in state care.
The last contact Mackenzi’s caseworker made was a phone call with the foster mother that occurred two days before her death.
This summary was prepared by the editors and reporters who worked on the story.
By BETH HUNDSDORFER
Capitol News Illinois
bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com
Two days before police found Mackenzi Felmlee gasping for breath at the bottom of the stairs, her caseworker noted the foster mother told her the girl was “struggling.”
On May 11, 2024, Mackenzi, an 18-year-old foster child, died at a local hospital after she was found unresponsive in her Fairview Heights home. Shemeka Williams, Mackenzi’s foster mother, and Williams’ mother, Cornelia Reid, face first degree murder and child abuse charges.
The caseworker, identified only as S.M., was the 10th child welfare specialist in Mackenzi’s five-year-old case, according to a timeline released by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.
One of those 10 caseworkers, identified as D.R., was on Mackenzi’s case for only three weeks. D.R. was assigned the case on May 17, 2023, and ended the assignment on June 5, 2023 – just under a year before Mackenzi’s death.
“That is antithetical to sound social work practices,” said Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert, a critic of DCFS. “These kinds of complicated cases need consistency and if there’s not, it’s likely that things will fall through the cracks.”
DCFS released the timeline in Mackenzi’s case on Friday afternoon, two months after Capitol News Illinois requested it. The state agency noted the information released was sourced from Lutheran Child and Family Services, which monitored Mackenzi’s case, and Caritas Family Solutions, which licensed Shemeka Williams as a foster parent, and “is subject to change as the investigation continues.”
DCFS initially resisted releasing a timeline on Mackenzi’s case, citing the wishes of local prosecutors handling the murder charges against Williams and Reid. The St. Clair County state’s attorney’s office later confirmed to Capitol News Illinois last month they did not oppose the release of the information.
Williams and Reid were arrested in June, more than a year after Mackenzi’s death. They remain in St. Clair County Jail pending trial.
Mackenzi died from a blood clot that hit her lungs, doctors have said. Her neck, shoulders, legs and face were bruised, and her dehydrated body weighed just 90 pounds.
Williams’ 15-year-old biological daughter recorded a video of Mackenzi as she struggled to breathe at the bottom of the stairs in the Fairview Heights home. Police said it took nearly an hour for someone to call 911.
A doctor who reviewed the case told police if Mackenzi had received immediate treatment, she likely would have survived the clot and made a full recovery.
Mackenzi’s tumultuous teen years
The details of Mackenzi’s tumultuous teens years included parental criminal activity, drug use, abandonment, sexual exploitation and molestation by a guardian, then bouncing between relatives and foster placements.
From May 2019 to April 2020, Mackenzi was placed in “several” foster and relative placements that were “not able to meet her needs,” according to the DCFS timeline.
In April 2020, Mackenzi was placed in Williams’ foster home after DCFS determined she needed a specialized foster home for children with medical, emotional or behavioral disorders.
Mackenzi, a former honor roll student, was diagnosed with multiple mental illnesses, including post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder and depression. She reportedly was under psychiatric care.
She was also incontinent; Williams made her wear diapers tied with plastic bags to her legs to keep the waste from leaking, prosecutors said. One doctor opined those bindings, coupled with her diminished physical condition likely caused the blood clot that went to her lungs and caused her death.
The investigation into her death also revealed videotaped evidence of Mackenzi’s abuse, including humiliation by mocking and being forced to wear feces-stained masks and underwear on her face, prosecutors said.
Video footage played during a court hearing showed Mackenzi being beaten by Williams with a belt while the teen is forced to say, “It’s not good to manipulate.”
In another video, Williams forced Mackenzi to repeat: “I am a doof. I hate myself.”
In the final year of her life, DCFS records showed LCFS caseworkers and supervisors visited Mackenzi in person 24 times.
But a search warrant application filed in court as part of the criminal investigation into Williams and Reid called into question some of the documentation made by at least one caseworker. In it, a Fairview Heights detective stated that during their investigation into Mackenzi’s death a caseworker was “copying and pasting notes for home visits, which does not appear to have correctly documented the visits.”
In addition to the reported visits with caseworkers and supervisors, she also met with an unspecified professional who was mandated by law to report allegations of child abuse or neglect. Seven of those visits were virtual and five were in-person.
Mackenzi’s juvenile case in Fayette County continued. On April 19, 2022, the parental rights of Mackenzi’s mother and father were terminated. LCFS reported that Mackenzi wanted to be adopted by Williams. Mackenzi was 16 at the time.
Mackenzi met with her court-appointed lawyer in December 2023 — six months before her death. There were also two court hearings on her case — one on Sept. 14-15, 2023, and another on March 14, 2024. At the March hearing, the DCFS timeline noted the court considered whether to change Mackenzi’s goal, from adoption, but to independence. It’s unclear whether Mackenzi attended those hearings either in person or virtually.
Requests to open Mackenzi’s juvenile case were denied.
Mackenzi attended Belleville East High School for 10th and 11th grade. Prosecutors said Mackenzi was failing and truant, missing 15 out of 55 school days. She returned for the first semester of her senior year but after turning 18 in July 2023, she stopped going to school, opting to take night classes to finish her GED. She failed most of her classes for not completing the work, prosecutors have said.
Caritas Family Solutions, the agency that licensed Williams as a foster parent, also visited the home in person eight times and conducted two virtual visits.
Timeline details other reports of abuse
Though DCFS stated in the timeline there were no reports of suspected abuse of Mackenzi until May 11 when police called the agency hotline to report Mackenzi’s death, there were reports of abuse of other children in the care of Reid and Williams:
In 2022, while Mackenzi was living with Williams, another child who was in the home alleged Williams abused them. DCFS interviewed the child at the hospital and found no evidence of physical abuse. Williams told DCFS she was trying to keep the child from jumping out of a car. The allegation was unfounded.
In 2015, Reid was accused of abuse or neglect. The allegation was unfounded and expunged. Four years later, Reid was accused of using a belt as corporal punishment. DCFS did not find sufficient evidence to support the allegation. But a 14-year-old boy told the investigator that if he was returned to Williams, he would attack her and run away, preferring to “die in the cold than stay.” The boy was removed, but the allegation again was unfounded by the agency.
In January 2015 and January 2017, Williams was the subject of two allegations related to abuse and neglect. DCFS investigated both allegations. Both were unfounded and the allegations were expunged.
A 17-year-old girl told DCFS in 2017 that Williams left town without planning for the girl’s care, according to prosecutors. Williams allegedly told the girl to “sleep outside” because no one would care for her because she wasn’t behaving. Williams later left the girl in the care of a friend, who was supposed to take her to school. The foster child missed four days of school. The teen told the worker she cried herself to sleep. The allegation was unfounded.
A 16-year-old foster child in Williams’ care took a bus to her former foster home. Williams went and dragged the child out and threw her in the car. She told medical personnel that she didn’t feel safe at Williams’ home and reported thoughts of suicide, as well as of killing Williams. This allegation, too, was unfounded.
Because DCFS investigators found no evidence of abuse, Caritas continued to license Williams’ home and LCFS continued to place children, including Mackenzi, with Williams.
In the month following Mackenzi’s death, DCFS interviewed Reid and Williams, according to the timeline. Police gave access to some of the investigatory files to a DCFS investigator, but a later request for videos and other evidence is denied by police in September 2024. Fairview Heights police inform DCFS that they are taking the lead on the investigation.
In December 2024, DCFS asked again for information from police, but the requests are denied, citing an ongoing investigation. For six months, DCFS was told the investigation was pending. In May, police informed DCFS that the case will go before a grand jury.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services released a timeline into the case of Mackenzi Felmlee, inset, who mysteriously died in her Fairview Heights foster home. (Capitol News Illinois file photos)
DOJ demands Illinois voter personal information by Sept. 1
State asked for deadline extension to research legal basis of the demand
By PETER HANCOCK
Capitol News Illinois
phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com
Story summary:
The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking access to Illinois’ complete, unredacted statewide voter registration database, including voters’ personal information such as dates of birth, driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers.
The Illinois State Board of Elections has so far maintained that both state and federal laws prohibit it from releasing such personal information.
DOJ claims it has the legal authority to demand the information as part of its effort to enforce federal laws requiring states to maintain accurate and up-to-date voter registration lists, but it has not said why the sensitive personal information is needed for that effort.
SPRINGFIELD — Federal officials are continuing to press their demand for Illinois’ unredacted voter registration database, which includes sensitive personal information, and are now giving state officials until Monday, Sept. 1, to comply.
In an email Thursday, Aug. 21, Michael E. Gates, an attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, rejected the Illinois State Board of Elections’ request for additional time to research the legal issues involved in the demand to determine what data it can lawfully turn over.
“The electronic form of Illinois’s Voter Registration List already exists and can be easily transmitted to the Justice Department by following the instructions in our (July 28) letter,” Gates wrote. “The legal authorities presented by the Justice Deprtment’s (sic) for the transmittal of the VRL are clear. Having said this, we will extend the time to respond for Illinois to September 1st.”
Read more: Trump administration requests voter data from Illinois elections board
The Justice Department has said it wants the state’s complete voter registration database – including “all fields contained within the list” – so it can determine whether the state is complying with provisions of the 1993 National Voter Registration Act.
That law requires states to keep those lists accurate and up to date. That includes occasionally purging the list of registrations of people who have died or moved.
In addition to the database, DOJ also asked the state in its July 28 letter to identify the number of people purged from the rolls due to being noncitizens, adjudicated as incompetent or having felony convictions. And the agency asked for a list of all state and local election officials who have been responsible for carrying out list maintenance functions since the November 2022 elections.
The elections board responded to that request on Aug. 11 by providing most of the information DOJ sought, including a copy of the same voter registration database that state law allows it to release to political committees and other government agencies.
That list includes voters’ names, addresses, voting history and the date when they registered to vote. It does not include other sensitive personal information contained in voters’ records such as their dates of birth, driver’s license numbers and the last four digits of their Social Security numbers.
The board cited both federal and state laws for redacting that sensitive information including the federal Privacy Act, the Illinois Identity Protection Act and the Illinois Personal Information Protection Act.
But DOJ wrote on Aug. 14 the state’s response was insufficient and insisted on access to the entire, unredacted database, “including the registrant’s full name, date of birth, residential address, his or her state driver’s license number or the last four digits of the registrant’s social security number as required under the Help America Vote Act (“HAVA”) to register individuals for federal elections.”
HAVA is a 2002 federal law that was enacted in the wake of the contested 2000 presidential election. Among other things, it sets minimum standards for states to follow in several areas of election administration, including voting equipment and maintaining statewide voter registration databases.
DOJ has not said why that information is necessary for it to investigate the state’s compliance with requirements for maintaining up-to-date voter registration rolls.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Election workers check voters’ names against a registration list and hand out ballots at a polling place in Springfield. (Capitol News Illinois file photo by Peter Hancock)