600+ ballot misprint, vote pause prompts GOP call to strip clerk of
election duties
[October 07, 2026]
By Sean Reed | The Center Square
(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.
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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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