11th Congressional petition challenges proceed
Record checks were conducted Friday and Monday as part of the challenges to the election petitions of the three candidates seeking the Republican nomination for the 11th Congressional District.
Employees of the Illinois State Board of Elections checked petition signatures against voter registration records for Kane County Clerk Jack Cunningham of Aurora, 13th Congressional District Rep. Judy Biggert of Hinsdale and Diane Harris of Joliet. Challenges were filed against all three.
Now, objectors and candidates have three business days after those checks to file responses with the hearing officer assigned to their case, said Ken Menzel, the board’s deputy general counsel.
If responses are filed, then the hearing officer will schedule a hearing. Otherwise, the hearing officer can make his or her recommendation to the state electoral board, which meets Jan. 24, Menzel said.
The ISBE certified ballot names to local election authorities, including county clerks and election commissions, Jan. 12. It did so with the annotation that there were objections pending, Menzel said.
By Feb. 3, election authorities have to have ballots ready to ship to military personnel and to citizens who are out of the country.
The 11th District includes all or parts of North Aurora, Aurora, Montgomery, Boulder Hill, Naperville, Lisle, Woodridge Darien, Bolingbrook, Plainfield, Joliet, New Lenox, Darien, Burr Ridge and Hinsdale.