Monee Village Clerk Doneshia Codjoe said last week that early voting will take place again in University Park, but did not explain why. After her announcement during the February 12 board meeting, Trustee John Henson asked for confirmation of early voting sites.
Codjoe replied they would be located at Governors State University and the University Park Library. Because Monee has a significant senior citizen population, the move was seen as a serious inconvenience.
Village officials have remained mum on the reason for the relocation, however, and for the past few years, it has remained a bit of a mystery.
But according to the Will County Clerk’s office, Monee lost its local early voting sites because of missteps Codjoe was said to have made in the verification of the Early Voting Registration Application Box for the 2023 election.
To clarify, the most recent voter registration application is included in the Early Voting Registration Application Box. The box also includes any “spoiled” ballots. On the last day of early voting when the operation is shutting down, the In-Person Early Voting Ballot Applications go into a box, which is immediately sealed with two stickers signed and dated by the two judges, confirming that both were present and witnessed the applications going into the box.
Extensive documents obtained by The Vedette, via the Freedom of Information Act, confirm that Codjoe was in Tennessee as early voting was taking place in Monee. She reportedly verified the box before early voting ended and left for vacation.
Moreover, the FOIA documents note the box was not secured during her absence, but instead was left in an accessible area at village hall.
Monee officials felt the clerk’s actions were “a violation of the election process” and compromised its integrity.
Ken Gray, chief deputy for the Will County State’s Attorney’s office, called the violations “troubling.”
When the county clerk learned of the incorrect verification, Monee’s Early Voting site for the March 19, 2024, Primary Election was moved to University Park.
Codjoe, a candidate for Monee mayor in the upcoming Consolidated Election, said at that time she did not know why the early voting location was changed.
In statements provided by village staff members at that time, early voting began on March 20 and ended on March 25.
On the final day of early voting, Monee Deputy Clerk Michelle Powell-Johnson told Monee Human Resources Director Jude Knabe she did not believe Codjoe would be there, because she was in Tennessee camping.
Only one voting official, Linda Marshall, would be present, when two are required.
The following Monday morning, Powell-Johnson looked for the sealed receipt box and voting binder in the safe at the village hall. They were not there, she said, and later that morning, in a phone call with Codjoe (still in Tennessee), learned that Codjoe had instructed Marshall to place the box and binder under a desk in the boardroom, an unsecured area.
Powell-Johnson said she retrieved the binder and receipt box and noted the box was sealed with two red stickers signed by Codjoe and Linda Marshall.
The box was dated March 25, she said.
Concerned about the chain of events surrounding the process, Powell-Johnson placed the box and binder in a locked closet in the village hall and notified HR Director Jude Knabe.
Knabe then notified Village Administrator Ruben Bautista, who instructed her to keep the box under lock and key until the village received directions from Special Counsel Bryan Kopman or the Will County Clerk’s office regarding how to proceed.
Charles Pelkie, the Will County Clerk’s Chief of Staff at that time, pointed out if Codjoe had asked, several volunteers would have been dispatched to help with Monee’s early voting.
“This was a simple issue that should have been properly handled, but now called into question Clerk Codjoe’s safeguard procedures,” Pelkie said then.
Pelkie promised to look into the issue and, on March 30, told Bautista a supervisor and staff worker would pick up all of the voting equipment and documents.
On November 17, 2023, the clerk’s office notified the village early voting services were being moved to University Park.
Codjoe remembers the incident differently and calls the fallout a political ploy aimed at derailing her candidacy for mayor.
“There have been many false allegations towards me, and only some, who really care, have come to me directly – face-to-face, and I appreciate that,” she said.
“None who have given a statement (related to this issue) know the truth and this is it.
“The entire early voting process this go-round was a complete political ploy. It started with not notifying me in the group email to Elected Officials and Department heads for the upcoming newsletter so I could put the early voting information in it.
“After addressing the complete oversight with the one in charge of this and the administration, I chose to be proactive. I knew I needed to communicate/notify the residents, so I created the early voting flyer, showed the administrator, reached out to the local printer to have them remove the backing of ‘Monee Logo,’ and print off 1,900 for me. Once picked up, I fed every single flyer through the postage stamping system one-by-one and was at the village to late that night.
“Next day I dropped the boxes off at the post office, so they could be delivered to the households in the community.
“I always create the schedule with the deputy clerk to make sure we’re on the same page, having coverage between us and our volunteers who graciously and tirelessly donate their time to help me serve our residents. This early voting week, that coverage was not there by my assistant, and I made do. I’m most always there from sun-up to sun-down with the early voting schedule. I was there during the week. I attended training for early voting at the Will County Clerk’s office, shortly after being elected to my first term in 2017. I was pulled from the class and trained by the clerk herself, who took me down memory lane, sharing how she got started. I was trained that, as the local election official, my signature must be one of the signatures on the ‘tape’ – a pink sticker that goes on the voted registration box.
“I signed it, as trained.
“On Saturday, 03/25/2023, I had an employee unlock the doors, due to my assistant telling me they ‘have to be motivated to wake up in the morning on a Saturday and honestly couldn’t come unlock the door at 9:30 a.m.
“The volunteer came in, set up signs, and awakened the machines. A representative from the Will County Clerk’s office, who always comes to check in and address any technical issues, was there during the full two-hour early voting window.
“The room in which early voting is held is under 24/7 surveillance. Voting booths are not set up where voters’ votes can be seen by the cameras.
“At the end of early voting 12 p.m., the volunteer and the Will County Clerk’s office representative verified the ballot counter with the number of voted registration papers. These are printed out once someone comes in, gives their name, verifying their address and states ballot style.
“Votes are not recorded on these sheets,” she emphasized. “We tear the receipt off of it and give it to the voter.
“I personally spoke with the volunteer at least four times, it was slow, and I verified all was well during the calls, confirming with the representative while on the call. All went well, and I messaged the Will County Clerk’s office representative, thanking him for his help afterwards. He replied ‘You’re very welcome’ and a few days later, I received calls from Chuck Pelkie, the Will County Clerk’s office Chief of Staff on 3/30/2023, asking if I had volunteers working early voting. I stated to him that when I first was elected and began with elections, I questioned why Will County pays individuals to help with early voting and ours don’t, because if that was the case, they would owe them all back pay. It was communicated that the Village of Monee always has been a volunteer site. He then asked if they were trained. I stated they were and gave details including emails that verified I was correct. I asked him what is the issue? He stated the village attorney called them stating that they – my assistant, the village administrator, mayor, human resources director – feel the integrity of the election was compromised.
“Janet Blue (a close friend of Codjoe’s) was running against Dr. Bogs (in the 2021 mayoral election).
“I said, ‘Excuse me, how?’ I shared with him what I’ve shared above that even the Will County Clerk’s office representative was there the entire time and verified everything, which he was shocked to learn – we were covered.
“He stated he was going to have them come pick up the voting equipment early, and I stated that was totally fine.
“I then called our village attorney and asked if he called stating such. He said over and over, ‘Oh God No, Oh God No! I did not! I haven’t talked to Pelkie since the whole case we had regarding the case for the Electoral Board. I’m pulling over, and I’m calling him right now, I will call you back.’
“He called me back and stated he told Mr. Pelkie, ‘You had better ask questions and get your information straight before throwing people’s names around.’ He stated Mr. Pelkie told him he didn’t mention his name. Our attorney said, ‘Last time I checked, I was still the village attorney.’ Mr. Pelkie gave him the name of the attorney, who is not our village attorney. He does business for the village in a specific capacity, which this would not be under that jurisdiction.
“I received an email on 11/21/2023 at 3:42 p.m. from the Will County Clerk, which I read to the public at the following village board meeting, the next day 11/22/2023. I immediately called the Will County Clerk’s office and was told the clerk was not available. I then sent a reply email, same day at 3:49. Never have I ever received a response.
“I called to get the presidential election early voting for the convenience for our residents, and Mr. Pelkie told me Governors State University added a second week and also the University Park Library added an evening week, so they were covered.
“I continued to mention how we have a large senior community and having them travel that far when it’s in their backyard isn’t good. He then mentioned they also added Steger. I told him that he keeps mentioning areas that are distant and wouldn’t help the situation. I then said to him, maybe I should just communicate that it seems to be voter suppression going on. He stated, ‘No, not at all.’ I said okay so what’s the reason? He stated, ‘Remember that time with the tape?’ I said, okay let’s cut to the chase, did I break any laws? Mr. Pelkie stated, ‘No!’ I said did I violate any State Statutes or Ordinances? He stated, ‘No, not at all!’ I said okay then what’s the issue? Mr. Pelkie stated, ‘Our clerk resigned, and I’m the acting clerk until another is voted in, so that’s just what I’m saying.’
“I shared again how I never received anything stating there was a reason why early voting was removed and him validating that no laws, Ordinances or State Statutes were broken/violated, made this more ‘political,’ and made it more harder for seniors and our residents to cast their voice by vote.
“That was the end of it all. Now that there is an election with me running against Dr. Bogs, suddenly, throwing everything my way, including false information and things that have nothing to do with me, are being used as a lifeline. Makes one wonder what really is happening on the inside. First, move me from the environment so nothing is able to be seen or heard, then throw me in others’ poor decisions to paint me as unfit or worse. I’ve forced transparency in the village to the citizens, and more will be shared so they understand. That’s a priority.”
Asked for comment, Mayor Therese Bogs said only, “The events surrounding Early Voting 2023 are concerning and regrettable.
“Administration conducted an internal review with professionalism, efficiency, and without hesitation, as soon as the matter was brought to our attention.
“As the verification of the voter application registration box was allegedly inaccurate and attested to by an Elected Official, administration promptly reported the matter to the Will County Clerk’s Office and the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office for further guidance.
“Unfortunately, this has resulted in the loss of early voting in Monee, which impacts residents’ access to the process.”