The 11th District Circuit Judge Jonathan Wright ruled Wednesday that candidates must comply with eligibility requirements. Therefore, at this point, five Republican Candidates for County Board including Board Chair John McIntyre, who represents District 5, have not qualified to be on the ballot. Other candidates impacted are: incumbent Catherine Metsker who represents District 1, as well as challengers Hannah Blumenshine of District 5, Vicki Schultz of District 8 and Annette Fellows of District 9. Wright was elected Judge running as a Republican.
The judgement resulted from a lawsuit filed by Democrats; Shayna Watchinski, a Mclean County Board member representing District 8, Jill Blair, a former candidate for State House in what was then District 88, Anna Darrow, Cara McMorris and Sara Breeden. The Democrats filed the suit after the McLean County Elections Board rejected the Democrat objectors petition to not allow the Republican candidates names to be put on the ballot. The Elections Board, made up of two Republicans and one Democrat voted unanimously in that decision.
The challenges were based on the candidates filing nominating papers without numbering the pages of their petitions. None of the five Republican candidates objected to this fact.
Cities reached out to Schultz who said, “I went out and got my petitions and turned them in and thought everything was fine. I wasn’t aware that the pages were supposed to be numbered. I am willing to admit I made a mistake.”
The five Republican candidates aren’t the only candidates that made the mistake. There were two Democrat candidates that made the same mistake. Mclean County Republicans were aware of the situation and chose not to challenge the Democrat candidates. Democrat candidate Julie Hahn did not number her pages and objector Blair helped her collect signatures.
The candidates still have options to get their names on the fall ballot in the general election.
One is they can file to run in the primary as write-in candidates. The top two candidates in each District in the June 28 primary, assuming they get at least a minimum of 24 votes would then have their names placed on the ballot for the fall general.
Schultz told us she has already filed and is “ready to go through the write-in process.”
According to County Clerk Kathy Michael, four of the candidates have already “filed to be a write-in candidate.”
The other option is a process called slating.
Recognized parties in McLean County can slate candidates for any places on the ballot for county positions still open after the Primary election. Therefore regarding County Board candidates, in any District where the Primary does not result in two winners, the Republican party can submit one or two names, whichever is appropriate in the case, to be listed on the ballot in the general election.
Citizens of McLean County now have their opportunity decide whether or not these five candidates names are on the ballot in the general election. The Primary Elections for the Republican, Democrat and Libertarian Parties in McLean County are June 28.
