Electoral board rules referendum question not allowed on ballot

Naperville Smart Grid Initiative Referendum Question Will Not Appear on March 20 Primary Ballot

The City of Naperville informs residents and interested parties that the Local Electoral Board ruled today that the advisory referendum question stating, “Shall the City of Naperville immediately and permanently stop the implementation of the $22 million smart meter project and dismantle all related equipment?” will not be allowed on the March 20, 2012, Illinois primary election ballot.

The Board, which by law consists of Mayor A. George Pradel, Naperville City Clerk Pam LaFeber and most senior Naperville City Council member Douglas Krause ruled that the petition did not contain a sufficient number of valid signatures of registered voters. During the course of the proceedings, which started more than a week ago, the Board received multiple written legal arguments from the parties and heard witness testimony. In addition, the Board received official voter registration records from both DuPage and Will County. The Proponents did not call any witnesses and submitted no affidavits to dispute the information in the official voter registration records. The Board found, after reviewing certified records from Election Officials, that 565 signatures were signed by persons who were not registered voters in Naperville and the signatures could not be counted.

For more information on the City of Naperville, visit www.naperville.il.us. Sign up to receive the latest news on the City of Naperville's projects and initiatives via e-mail at www.naperville.il.us/enews.aspx.