On September 24, an Illinois Circuit Court ruled that the Constitution Party has at least 24,920 valid signatures on the petition for its statewide slate. The law requires 25,000 signatures. The judge restored approximately 2,500 signatures that the State Board of Elections had invalidated. The Constitution Party believes it can show that it does have more than 25,000 valid, by obtaining affidavits from certain signers whose signature doesn’t seem to match the handwriting on that voter’s affidavit of registration. Further court proceedings are expected early next week. Thanks to Gary Odom for this news. The case is Constitution Party v State Board of Elections, 2010 COEL 8.
We’ll keep on fighting
Go Randy, Go!
Once again, another reason for filing fees in lieu of petitions for 3rd party candidates. When will we ever learn?
Why not let voters sign at the primary. So if a voter wanted to affiliate with the Constitution Party, and sign a form, rather than voting in a party primary.
Let the voter indicate whether he wants to be a delegate to the county convention or not. If sufficient voters join then the party can nominate by convention.
You know, the Illinois CP has grown a LOT and come a long way since formally being an incompetent organization ran by Angela Wittman and company.
I’ll also add to my previous posting in #3 we must make “ballot access” a “civil rights” movement. For in reality, this is exactly what it is. We, in our respective groupings, are as much a minority as one can be, and are simply asking to be allowed to participate in the electoral process on the same level playing field as are the Democrats & Republians.
Democrats and Republicans will argue, “well, when you have 5% of the registered voters in your party or your party won 20% of the vote in the last election, then you are equal to us.” But when Blacks asked to be allowed to vote, I don’t recall any one asking, “do you have 5% or the voting population or did a Black candidates get 20% of the vote in the last election.” No, those so-called “qualifiers” were never asked or considered. It didn’t matter how many Black voters there were. This was not the issue.
The same is true for us. It doesn not matter how many or how few there are of us. It is the fact we are denied the same equal access as a party as is given to Democrats and Republicans. Again, until we make this a “civil rights” movement we are going to continue at “snails pace.” At this pace, most of us reading this post, will be long buried and still 3rd parties and independents will lag behind in electoral equality.
I just don’t understand the lack of desire to make this a “civil rights” cause.
# 6: You make a good point; it is not the numbers that defines the right, it is about the rights of individuals to exercise the freedom to run for office on an equal playing field….
When will the case be heard again? Counties are printing ballots now.