Another Stolen Election in Cook County?

The AP reports:

One candidate sent his supporters home as another marched with chanting supporters through darkened city streets to the Cook County Clerk's office early Wednesday after ballot transmission problems delayed results of the county board president's race.


Democratic Chicago Alderman Todd Stroger packed up and urged supporters at his election night celebration to go home shortly after midnight Wednesday, vowing to return for a victory party later in the day.

"We're ahead, but we've got to wait for them to count the rest of the ballots," he said. "But we're ahead and, we're going to stay ahead."

Minutes later, Republican Tony Peraica defiantly refused to concede and called on volunteers to join him at the clerk's office.

"We're not going to let this thing be stolen from us," Peraica said. "This is an absolute outrage."

Soon after, dozens of Peraica supporters gathered in the lobby of the building that houses the clerk's office.

County officials said electronic transmission problems were delaying the vote tally. They denied reports from both campaigns that ballots would be counted by hand.

Thousands of government workers have a vested interest in the Democrats retaining the Cook County Board Presidency.