Moeller gets good news from election board; appeal coming
Democratic state Rep. Anna Moeller of Elgin might have secured a spot on the March 15 primary ballot and saved her re-election bid after the Illinois State Board of Elections decided in her favor today, but the case could soon head to court.
Moeller's candidacy has been opposed by Elgin resident Julie Schmidt, who argued Moeller shouldn't be allowed to run as a Democrat for Illinois House because she signed a petition for a Republican candidate.
The board voted 6-2 today to keep Moeller on the ballot, agreeing with her attorney's argument that she can run as a Democrat because she signed her own petitions first.
"The first one you're affiliated with is the one," attorney Mike Kasper told the board.
But Schmidt's attorney, Jeffrey Meyer, said after the hearing he plans to appeal the decision. He argued state law says someone who signed a petition for one party can't run as a candidate for the other and that lawmakers didn't say it mattered which party a candidate signed for first.
"They would have said so," Meyer said. "They did not."
No Republican has filed to run for the Elgin-based Illinois House district Moeller occupies now, but party leaders could fill the spot after the primary election.
In other action, the board removed Republican Lisa Wesa from the Illinois House primary contest to take on state Rep. Kathleen Willis, an Addison Democrat. Anthony Airdo, a Melrose Park Republican, is now unopposed in the primary.