Illinois AG files TRO against news group that refuses to remove voter information

Last month, the State Board of Elections (SBE) asked Attorney General Kwame Raoul to consider legal action against Local Government Information Services (LGIS), a publishing business operated by co-founder Brian Timpone and reportedly backed by failed gubernatorial candidate Dan Proft of Naples, Florida.

You see, LGIS, which operates the Chambana Sun and 19 other news sites focused on local news, is under scrutiny because they recently published voting information for every voting precinct in the state. In addition to listing a breakdown of support by party, the automated story also divulges the number of registered voters and number residents in the district.

Here is an example from one of the Tolono precincts:

"The voting breakdown in Southeastern Township of Tolono: Precinct Tolono 1 reveals 59.6% of the total supporting Republicans, and 36.8% of the votes for Democrats, highlighting the precinct's political preferences.

Overall, 170 registered voters in the Southeastern Township of Tolono: Precinct Tolono 1 did not vote in 2020.

Additionally, an estimated total of 1,546 residents were reported to be aged 18 or older in Southeastern Township of Tolono: Precinct Tolono 1, according to the last US Census and the 2021 American Community Survey."

~ Chambana Sun

That information is pretty vanilla. Where the defendants may have crossed the line legally if not morally, is each article lists the full name of the voter, their birthdate, their address, and whether they voted in the 2020 election or not. No doubt scammers and identity thieves are absolutely tickled pink having unfettered access to the information.

Local county clerks and the SBE have received complaints from concerned voters statewide.

Despite the SBE's request that the sensitive information be removed from the Chambana Sun and their other news sites, LGIS has seemingly ignored the state authority that regulates election integrity and information. On Friday, A.G. Raoul filed a TRO request in Lake County against LGIS alleging violations of the state election codes.

Plaintiffs, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul on behalf of the People of the State of Illinois and the Illinois State Board of Elections, by their attorney, Kwame Raoul, Attorney General of the State of Illinois, submit this Memorandum of Law in Support of their Emergency Motion for Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction, against Defendant, Local Government Information Services, Inc., based on Defendant’s publication of sensitive voter registration information in violation of Sections 4-8, 5-7, and 6-35 of the Illinois Election Code. 10 ILCS 5/4-8, 5-7, and 6-35."

The Attorney General claims that LGIS is not a political committee and could not have legally obtained the voter information. Typically, political action committees can purchase the State Board of Elections' voter file for political reasons. Use of the information can be used for other business purposes.

Timpone, once the CEO of the Greater Illinois News Group which briefly owned newspapers in Champaign, Douglas, and Moultrie Counties, worked locally as a TV reporter and covered the capitol for WCIA-TV decades ago. You can't discuss the term "Pink-Slime Journalism" without his name. According to the New York Times, "The sites operated by Timpone's networks do not typically post false information, but "the operation is rooted in deception, eschewing hallmarks of news reporting like fairness and transparency".

Proft, who at one time portrayed himself as part-owner of LGIS and earned a law degree from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law, dipped a toe into Illinois politics back in 2009 when he tossed his hat into the ring for the governor's seat. Frost-bitten in the cold world of campaigning, he received only 7.78% of the Republican vote in the primary, coming in sixth in the seven-way race. According to various sources, his name does not appear on corporate ownership documents.

Matt Dietrich, a spokesman for the Illinois State Board of Elections, told Fox 2 News last month that LGIS has no right to publish the data from 2016.

“They are not entitled to have that file, which was obtained under the idea it was for a political action committee and to be used for political purposes,” he told the Fox affiliate.

Obviously, the managing team for the Lake Forest-based company believes otherwise. The information is still readily available on Chambana Sun and other sites under their control.


Commentary |
The National Enquirer’s Pecker Lie and butt-busting frogs

by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator


I’ve never bought a copy of The National Enquirer. However, I’ve read from it some down through the years. If I’ve been standing in a grocery store checkout line for a few minutes then the tabloid has been a source of comic fodder. It’s always been a good comic book.

I’ve never read anything in the publication that I took as gospel truth. Typically, the headlines have been something sensational like, “Green Creatures from Mars Visit the White House,” or, “76-year-old woman has triplets. Democrats blame it on George H.W. Bush.”

The former publisher David Pecker, recently admitted in New York City court that the tabloid had made up the story about Lee Harvey Oswald being associated with Ted Cruz’s father Rafael Cruz. The story was completely fabricated along with fabricated pictures. The fabrication was that Rafael Cruz and Oswald were handing out pro Fidel Castro propaganda prior to Oswald’s assassination. The point of the whole lie had to be to cost Cruz just enough votes to drive him out of the 2016 run for President. This is a rear-end busting moment for The Enquirer.

In recent days, we have also heard about the tabloid buying stories from individuals just so they could simply kill the story. If the publication did not promise they were publishing the story, then they had every right to buy the story and not follow through with publication. They paid for it and had every right to decide not to use the story.

So, what if they had used any of the stories they did not publish? Many Americans are like me they take the stories of The National Enquirer with a grain of salt. However, of course, some people believe everything they hear and read. Even though the story about Ted Cruz’s father was a big lie, many Americans surely believed it because some believe anything that’s in print.

Sadly, we can’t believe everything we hear on television and we can’t believe everything we read in The National Enquirer, if anything.

In today’s world do you believe everything you hear on television or read in print?

Many of us miss the good ol’ days of Walter Cronkite or the evening news with Huntley-Brinkley. You probably don’t even know who I’m talking about but it was back in the old days when pushing a certain political candidate on any news format would not have been tolerated.

We live in a different day, or do we? The National Enquirer, has always been The National Enquirer. Stormy Daniels, has always been Stormy Daniels. She is a pornographic actress. David Pecker has admitted to being who he is, someone who is willing to publish a lie to bring about pain and suffering regardless of the cost. Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden are who they are and most likely you have made up your mind which way you are voting.

Regardless of how much you enjoy reading the garbage of The National Enquirer just remember that even though you might put feathers on a frog it will never fly and will always bust its butt every time it jumps.


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He is the author of 13 books including Uncommom Sense, the Spiritual Chocolate series, Grandpa's Store, Minister's Guidebook insights from a fellow minister. His column is published weekly in over 600 publications in all 50 states. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization. We welcome comments and views from our readers. Submit your letters to the editor or commentary on a current event 24/7 to editor@oursentinel.com.


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