Socialist, Constitution Party presidential candidates likely to get boot from Illinois ballot

Socialist, Constitution Party presidential candidates likely to get boot from Illinois ballot

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Illinois election officials Monday morning are expected to boot four presidential candidates from the November ballot.

Candidates for president are supposed to get 25,000 valid signatures from registered Illinois voters. But the Socialist Party’s candidate managed just one signature. It belonged to Art Kazar of Forest Park, who was also responsible for filing the paperwork for the Socialists.

“Now some people have said, ‘Why didn’t you get more signatures?‘” Kazar said Friday. “Well, it doesn’t really matter if you file the petition with one, 200, 3,000 or 24,000 signatures, if you’re challenged, you don’t have enough.”

Kazar had hoped no one would challenge the Socialist Party’s filing, but a lawyer and activist aligned with the Green Party did file an objection. Andy Finko and Rob Sherman also objected to an independent presidential hopeful and candidates who filed under the Constitution Party and the Together Enhancing America Party.

Those candidates will all likely be removed from the ballot by the state election board during its Monday meeting in Chicago.

That will leave Illinois voters with four presidential choices in November: nominees from the Green, Libertarian and - of course - Democratic and Republican parties.