On August 24, two U.S. House candidates of the Illinois Green Party filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court, in the Southern District, against the notarization requirement for each petition sheet, and the 5% petition requirement in combination with the 90-day limit for collecting those signatures. A typical U.S. House district in Illinois requires the nominee of an unqualified party to submit 14,000 valid signatures. The case also says that the requirement is particularly harsh in districts without a major population center, or districts in which the largest population center is bisected between two districts.
The case is Tripp v Smart, 14-cv-890. It is assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Michael Reagan, a Clinton appointee.
I remember them discussing filing the lawsuit a couple of weeks ago, I’m glad they went ahead with it. While some less informed and undemocratic thinking folks might think we’re desperate, others might appreciate how we’re fighting to get these rather important issues addressed. If we win even one of these lawsuits (a big if unfortunately, with Darth Madigan ruling things in IL), perhaps it’ll result in the state’s or even country’ elections becoming more democratic and fair.