Moeller wins appellate court ballot challenge
Signing a nominating petition for another party's candidate did not disqualify State Rep. Anna Moeller from being on the ballot in March, an Illinois appellate court ruled.
Moeller's Democratic primary candidacy was challenged a year ago by Elgin resident Julie Schmidt, who argued the lawmaker shouldn't have been allowed to run as a Democrat because she had signed a nominating petiton for Kane County Recorder Sandy Wegman, a Republican.
Three justices from the Fourth District Appellate Court affirmed Thursday prior decisions in Moeller's favor by the Illinois State Board of Election officials and a Sangamon County judge.
Moeller's camp had argued because she signed her Democratic petitions first, she should be able to run as a Democrat.
"We won at every stage and that's been gratifying," Moeller said. "I felt that we had a strong case from the beginning. Essentially I was just trying to help a neighbor run for recorder of deeds, and ran into kind of a byzantine election law."
Schmidt's attorney, Jeffrey Meyer, did not immediately return a request for comment Friday.
Moeller ran uncontested in the March primary and in the November general election. She was appointed to the post in 2014 and defeated Meyer later that year to win a full term.