SPRINGFIELD, Ill. • Republican U.S. Senate nominee Mark Kirk recently told party officials in a private conversation that he's funding anti-voter-fraud activities in "key, vulnerable precincts" for the Nov. 2 election and specified four areas of Illinois that have significant African-American voting blocks, including the Metro East.
A state Democratic Party spokesman said the comment suggests plans for racially driven "voter suppression." Kirk's campaign denied that allegation.
"I have now funded the largest voter integrity program in 15 years for the state of Illinois," Kirk says in an audio recording of a private phone conversation with other GOP officials. "These are lawyers and other people that will be deployed in key, vulnerable precincts. For example, south and west side of Chicago, Rockford, Metro East, where the other side might be tempted to jigger the numbers somewhat."
Kirk's comment was first revealed by the liberal blog ArchPundit, which posted a 24-second audio file of it Thursday. The recording was made this week from a conference call in which Kirk, a congressman from the Chicago area, is talking to other party officials about strategy.
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