Another legal defeat for the Illinois Constitution Party. A state appellate court says the little-known political party did not collect enough signatures to get its candidates on the ballot.
The state board of elections has argued that any changes to the ballot this close to the election would be expensive and “severely disrupt the election process.”
A three-judge appellate panel Monday did not comment on those concerns. But it nonetheless affirmed a decision by the board of elections that the Constitution Party’s statewide candidates should remain off the November ballot.
The appellate judges dismissed the party’s claim that it turned in the required 25,000 signatures of registered voters. At issue: 82 signatures, which were thrown out, that could’ve swung the decision the other way. The judges ruled those signatures were no good because they were collected by someone who also collected signatures for another party in the primary.
The Constitution Party lawyer says, “Obviously [this was] not the final result we were looking for.” He says he plans to ask the appellate court to reconsider.