600+ ballot misprint, vote pause prompts GOP call to strip clerk of election duties
(The Center Square) – Members of the Illinois Freedom Caucus are sounding the alarm over potential election insecurity issues caused by a federally indicted Central Illinois county clerk.
In Champaign County, Illinois, an area with about 210,000 residents and numerous different races listed on ballots around the jurisdiction, County Clerk Aaron Ammons is facing calls from local and statewide Republicans to step away from overseeing the 2026 midterm election.
What the clerk’s office referred to as a “technical issue” late last week led to a suspension in early voting later Thursday until Monday morning.
According to official information, at least 600 ballots were misprinted, and at least 60 were cast with errors, which included candidate choices for the 103rd and 104th Illinois House races switched to the other district’s voters.
Freedom Caucus Chair and State Rep. Chris Miller, R-Charleston, opened a press conference outside the Champaign County building Tuesday in Urbana by expressing concern for the area’s voters.
“His office mailed hundreds of incorrect ballots compromising the integrity of this election. Clerk Ammons called me personally, which I do appreciate, and apologized for these errors. However, he attempted to throw his staff and vendors under the bus for these mistakes. That’s not leadership,” Miller said.
A tornado siren test began blaring across downtown Urbana as Rep. Adam Niemerg, R-Dieterich, began to speak, which he quipped were the “alarms of voter integrity sounding.”
Niemerg went on to call into question the misprinted ballots that were sent out in the 103rd Illinois House District, where Aaron Ammons’ wife, Rep. Carol Ammons, is listed as unopposed.
“The integrity of our elections right here in Champaign County has been compromised by clerk Aaron Ammons. And this is not the first time,” Niemerg said. “Mr. Ammons chose to start recasting these ballots over the weekend without any representation present from political parties or campaigns. How can voters be confident that their ballots have been accurately counted? How can we be certain that Clerk Ammons did not alter any ballots to favor his own election?”
Both Ammonses were federally indicted and pleaded not guilty in July over an alleged kickback scheme involving the lawmaker directing taxpayer dollars to local nonprofit organizations employing her daughter and the misuse of campaign funds. The clerk was charged with witness tampering and obstruction of justice.
Niemerg, who sits on the special investigating committee inquiring into the representative’s potential wrongdoing, said after waiting on the U.S. attorney who is criminally investigating, the committee received a response to their inquiry into whether the committee investigation would get in the way of the ongoing litigation against the pair from the U.S. District Attorney.
He said the committee will move forward to call witnesses to Springfield, and he hopes Democrats leading the committee will “put some things on the books” within the next month.
At the local level, Aaron Ammons’ Republican opponent, Alan Anderson, listed a number of other issues he said his opponent has had when overseeing elections in the county.
“In 2020, when Aaron Ammons oversaw his first election, he was cited by the Illinois Board of Elections for counting votes too early,” Anderson said. “In subsequent years, we’ve had printer problems, computer problems, internet problems, too few election judges, poll closings, long lines, and ballot issues. This year we have the biggest ballot issue yet.”
State Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, said each of the candidates impacted have sent directives through their legal counsel to the clerk’s office and the county state’s attorney to preserve all documents and records related to the ballot errors.
Asked if arguments made by the Ammonses that their indictment is politically motivated and is intended to hinder the clerk’s ability to properly administer the election, Rose pushed back.
“He just needs to step aside and let someone else take over. They can competently administer this election. Again, this is like the fourth time now he’s screwed at something up of major importance, okay? Oh actually, fifth time,” Rose said.
The Champaign County Clerk’s office didn’t respond to The Center Square’s request for comment in response to the concerns raised by the group Tuesday before publication.
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