The Illinois State Board of Elections overruled an objection to a local candidate’s candidacy on Thursday, allowing her to remain on the 2024 primary ballot.
The decision allows Village of Chatham Trustee Kristen Chiaro to continue her campaign for Illinois House District 95, a district spanning portions of Sangamon, Macon, and Christian counties. She is the sole Democrat in the race and will face incumbent state Rep. Mike Coffey, R-Springfield, in November.
Objectors to Chiaro’s candidacy, including Sangamon County Chair Diane Barghouti Hardwick and Springfield School District 186 Subdistrict 7 board member Debra Iams, maintained she was ineligible since she signed the nomination papers of Kelvin Coburn, another Republican candidate for the 95th district.
John Fogarty, Jr., attorney for the objectors, said Chiaro was attempting to benefit Coburn’s candidacy by signing his papers — in violation of state election code. Coburn has since ended his campaign because he failed to receive enough signatures within his district. House candidates need at least 500 signatures for nomination papers to be valid.
“We have a case here where someone is trying to nominate a candidate of the opposite party,” the Chicago-based attorney told ISBOE.
ISBOE records showed Chiaro signed Coburn’s nomination papers who was running in the same district. Michael Casper, Chiaro’s attorney, however, said the candidate remained eligible since she signed her own nomination papers on Sept. 30 before signing Coburn’s on Oct. 31.
Under legal precedent, Casper said the first signature was valid and the second one invalid.
“Once you declare your party affiliation, you’re locked into that party for that primary,” he said. “That happens when you request your ballot application or in this instance where you sign a nominating petition.”
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Chiaro’s case was among the 20 candidacy objections reviewed by ISBOE General Counsel Thursday.
The eight-person board ruled to remove Rep. Adam Niemerg, R-Dieterich, from the ballot since his nomination papers were not notarized and his failure to submit a statement of economic interest. Niemerg was seeking a third term in the House. Fellow Freedom Caucus member Rep. Blaine Wilhour, R-Beecher City, was allowed to remain on the ballot.
Later this month, the ISBOE board will consider whether to include former President Donald Trump on the primary ballot. Objectors are seeking to remove Trump from the ballot saying he participated in an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. That meeting is scheduled for Jan. 30.
Also on ISBOE’s agenda was finalizing the primary ballot, where Trump will likely appear despite the challenge, but with an “objection pending” message next to his name. He is among five GOP candidates who filed including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and Ryan Binkley of Texas.
Christie dropped out of the race on Wednesday but had not officially withdrawn his candidacy from the Illinois ballot leading up to Thursday’s deadline. Vivek Ramaswamy did not file.
President Joe Biden, author Marianne Williamson, Minnesota congressman Rep. Dean Phillips, and Frankie Lozada of New York filed as Democrats. Independent and new party candidates such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. can file starting June 17.
Early voting begins on Feb. 8 and the primary is scheduled for March 19.
Contact Patrick M. Keck: 312-549-9340, pkeck@gannett.com, twitter.com/@pkeckreporter.
