Will County Board Republicans Support Election Integrity

Members of Unite4Freedom urged the Will County Board to make sure the next election is legally valid.

They spoke to the group during the Public Comment portion of the Feb. 19, 2026, Will County Board meeting.

Unite4Freedom is a non-partisan group of volunteers who want to secure elections across the country. They believe only real votes from actual citizens should be counted during the election process. Votes must be verified, ballots must be secure, the counts must be accurate and the results must be proved, according to the group.

The group analyzed state and federal election data from 2022 and 2024 and found many “alarming” inaccuracies; these errors should not be repeated in the 2026 general election, they said. United4Freedom asked the Will County Board members to adopt a resolution seeking a legally valid 2026 general election.

Members of Unite4Freedom took turns addressing the board. “This one gets me,” said Kathy Wagner, a Will County resident. “56,164 excess votes counted beyond the number of voters who participated with no explanation of their origin.” Election officials violated civil rights, she added.

Babe Paukstys, a Cook County resident, was one of the last speakers from Unite4Freedom. She asked the board members to verify that all voters are legally eligible U.S. citizens who truly have the right to vote. “Your leadership and decisive action is urgently needed,” she said.

After the Feb. 19 meeting, members of the Republican Caucus said they were considering the issue.

“If the information is correct, this is alarming. I think it needs to be considered at a state level and addressed,” said Jim Richmond, R-Mokena, Chairman of the Republican Caucus. All Illinoisians should be concerned about the integrity of elections.

Judy Ogalla, R-Monee, agreed.

“I think that if Will County would adopt this resolution it shows leadership in making sure we have safe, secure, uncompromised elections,” Ogalla said.