Illinois is one of a minority of states that requires a petition for candidates to get on a primary ballot. On January 7, Andrew Straw filed a state lawsuit against the mandatory petition requirement, as applied to individuals like himself who are physically disabled. Straw is a Republican candidate for U.S. House, 8th district, which includes most of the northwest Chicago suburbs.
Straw needs 475 valid signatures to get on the Republican primary ballot. He collected 128, but his petition was challenged for not having enough signatures. He was in an auto accident in 2001 which left him with a crushed pelvis and two broken legs. He is permanently unable to stand or walk for very long without experiencing severe pain. His lawsuit argues that the federal ADA act requires states to make accomodations for handicapped individuals, and that the state should let such individuals collect signatures online, both by using e-signatures or by witnessing signatures over a video link like Skype or Facebook Video. The case is Straw v Illinois State Board of Elections, in Cook County Chancery Court, 2016CH-227. Here is his Complaint.
Does Illinois law require candidates to collect the petition signatures themselves?
No.
Ballot access should ONLY be via EQUAL nominating petitions to show some sort of REAL support.
P.R. and nonpartisan App.V.
I don’t see anything in the complaint about the possibility of the candidate using a wheelchair to get around while collecting petition signatures.
It’s called dignity. The ADA does not require me to use accommodations I don’t use. I don’t use a wheelchair.
Give me a reasonable means to collect signatures, and I will collect them. but every accommodation I asked for was rejected.
I’d gladly let the Board experience having such disabilities for 15 years so they would think twice about signatures.