Chicago Tribune: Big-city election tastics spread

[Tweed]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0503010142mar01,1,5857706.story?coll=chi-newslocal-hed

"A contender for Villa Park village president had to prove that "Doc" is his longtime nickname, not a subtle signal to voters of a graduate degree.

Candidates for Schaumburg library trustee were challenged for filing petitions fastened with a paper clip, rather than with a staple.

And in Cicero, a judge knocked half of the 28 local candidates off the ballot over confusion about how many petition signatures were needed.

In all these cases, the focal point was petition papers--the seemingly straightforward forms that candidates must turn in to election boards to get on the ballot. The tactic of challenging those papers may have begun in the machine politics of Chicago, but observers say it's happening now from Winfield to Mundelein.

"When I first became a lawyer 36 years ago, there were virtually no cases outside Cook County--very, very few," said Andrew Raucci, a Chicago elections lawyer who says he has represented more than a thousand political candidates, objectors and election boards. "Today they're all over the state and every level of office."

[murielm99]

1. The instructions for election papers are clear.

If they can't follow instructions and get their petitions filed properly, are they fit to hold office?

The people at the Illinois State Board of Elections are very helpful. They can always ask someone there if they are having a problem.

[Tweed]

2. Yeah, this article is condescending to a certain degree

It's like, 'oh those people outside of Chicago, they don't care if you follow the rules on election forms'. That's a load of crap. Everyone has to follow the rules.

[Radical Activist]

3. You really think that about the Board of Elections?

Every time I have talked to anyone at their offices in Springfield or Chicago about voter registration they act like it is against the law and do everything they can to discourage it. Of course, that is how the laws are written in Illinois.

[murielm99]

4. I have not talked to them about voter registration.

I would suggest your county courthouse for that.

I am the treasurer of our county Democratic central committee. I have to do all the campaign disclosure financial reports. The software is strictly out of the eighties, and is a major pain in the ass.

Anyway, the campaign disclosure people are very helpful about the laws, and using the stupid software. I have never had a problem with them.

One of our other members had to deal with them in another capacity when she worked for a Democratic councilman in Rockford. She found them to be easy to work with, too.