Tim Shelley / Peoria Public Radio
Peoria County Election Commission Executive Director Tom Bride says his office is following all state laws and rules regarding mail-in ballot tabulation.
This comes after a Peoria mayoral candidate accused the commission of mishandling absentee ballots counted on April 8. Through an attorney, Jim Montelongo claims poor record keeping makes it impossible to tell when mail-in ballots were received by the election authority.
Those ballots put his challenger, Rita Ali, in the lead. She widened that lead to 35 votes upon additional tabulation on Monday.
Bride said the mail-in ballots are sealed, bar-coded, and kept in a locked room under constant surveillance. He says the ballots are only opened by election judges -- one Democrat and one Republican.