An Illinois television station surprised viewers on Monday by airing election results in the state’s primary one day before it even took place.
A now-viral video showed Illinois news station WCIA air the results of the voting, showing former Vice President Joe Biden winning against Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary with “100%” of the precincts reporting.
The moment was captured on video during Monday’s airing of “The Price is Right,” showing Biden defeating Sanders by just over 93,000 votes. The graphic event showed that President Donald Trump beat Roque De La Fuente with over one million votes.
“Today’s date is Monday, the day before the Illinois election,” Sherry Daughtery, who captured the scene on video and posted it later, shared in her commentary.
UPDATED TO INCLUDE WCIA 3 RESPONSE:
Mark Maxwell, a reporter & employee of WCIA 3 private messaged me along with a friend request, here is his explanation & request…
“We do routine test rehearsals before every election to make sure the graphics work properly and to give directors some practice. The error was in putting the dry run on air. That shouldn’t have happened and we’re looking into it. Obviously, we never intended to give the wrong information or wrong impression. None of those numbers were based on any real polling returns. Since your post is being widely shared, I’d appreciate it if you would consider updating the original post so people don’t get the wrong idea.”
I was also private messaged from the News Director of WCIA 3,
“WCIA 3 News — Sorry it was an error by our team. We are currently doing election rehearsals with test data and not intended to go on TV. We apologize for any inconvenience. – Rich Flesch News Director”
While watching The Price is Right our station accidentally runs tomorrow’s election results…its Monday our election in Illinois is tomorrow
Posted by Sherry Daugherty on Monday, March 16, 2020
“While watching The Price is Right our station accidentally runs tomorrow’s election results … its [sic] Monday our election in Illinois is tomorrow,” Daughtery wrote in the Facebook post.
Mark Maxwell, WCIA’s Capitol Bureau Chief, dismissed the incident as nothing more than a “routine test,” according to a statement Daughtery shared on her post, saying the “reporter & employee of WCIA 3 private messaged me along with a friend request.”
“We do routine test rehearsals before every election to make sure the graphics work properly and to give directors some practice,” Maxwell said.
“The error was in putting the dry run on air. That shouldn’t have happened and we’re looking into it. Obviously, we never intended to give the wrong information or wrong impression. None of those numbers were based on any real polling returns,” he added.
“Since your post is being widely shared, I’d appreciate it if you would consider updating the original post so people don’t get the wrong idea,” Maxwell requested.
Despite concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, polls opened across Chicago Tuesday morning but not without issues as the state saw the closure of restaurants and bars over concerns. Many poll workers complained of a lack of cleaning supplies at polling locations while, in some precincts, Voters report no election judges.
How’s your Election Day going? #COVID19 #BarringtonIL @GovPritzker @cookcountyclerk pic.twitter.com/UX4uo0pJe9
— Brian Prigge (@brprigge) March 17, 2020
Election Day so far: 5/8 election staff are elderly, we were provided with no cleaning supplies, we are missing an ENTIRE blue box (meaning anyone who comes to this precinct cannot vote), we are missing 2 election judges & nobody is answering our calls. pic.twitter.com/aPfmZ5McCt
— rebecca ?? (@rebeccapearl21) March 17, 2020
“We don’t have a clear number of the number of polling places that opened on time and those that have a late opening. We will be getting that shortly,” Marisel Hernandez, chairwoman of the Chicago Board of Elections, said,according to NBC Chicago.
The Clerk’s Office encourages #ElectionDay pollworkers to #MarkTheFloor in 6 foot increments with their blue painter’s tape to remind voters to practice social distancing.
It is our job to ensure the safety of those around us while we carry out our civic duty today. pic.twitter.com/QXmBCskCQH
— Karen A. Yarbrough (@cookcountyclerk) March 17, 2020
While Gov. J.B. Pritzker limited crowd sizes to under 50 as area businesses and schools closed, the election is moving ahead as scheduled.
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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