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Kane clerk on sprint to Feb. 24 primary, early voting begins Monday

A judge's order that a Feb. 24 primary be held for Campton Hills village trustee and clerk has the Kane County clerk's office scrambling to hold an election in less than a month.

"We have to operate this office as if it was almost a full election. We're working on it now. We're preparing ballots now as I talk," Cunningham said Friday. "This has probably been the most unique situation since I became clerk, but we'll handle it."

Most primary elections aim to eliminate candidates from a crowded field.

But this time around, two people will be trying to secure enough write-in votes so their names will be on the April 7 ballot.

Laura Anderson, Susan George, and Michael O'Dwyer will be on the Feb. 24 ballot seeking three village trustee seats. Steve Galloway is running as a write-in candidate and if he secures a certain number of votes, he will join the other three on the April 7 ballot.

No one filed to run for Campton Hills village clerk, so no name will be on the Feb. 24 ballot. However, Nicolas Girka is running as a write-in candidate for clerk and his name also will be added to the April 7 ballot if he gets a certain number of votes.

Cunningham said early voting will begin Monday at two locations, the clerk's office and the Campton Township Community Center. It ends Feb. 21.

For more information, visit kanecountyelections.org.

In December, a challenge was filed against the nominating petitions for Anderson, George and O'Dwyer, along with Harry Blecker, who is running for village president.

With the challenge ongoing, Campton Hills Interim Village Clerk John Strauss didn't send the petitions to Cunningham's office by the Dec. 18 deadline, instead submitting them on Jan. 5. Girka and Galloway also submitted paperwork to run as write-in candidates.

Judge David Akemann on Thursday ordered that a primary be held and Cunningham accept the petitions.

Cunningham said Friday he was prohibited by state law to certify petitions and Strauss could have submitted the petitions with a note that they were under challenge.

"They missed the date. I had no authority by (state) statute to certify the candidates," he said. "We're doing everything we can to comply with (Akemann's order). It certainly has created a hardship.

The primary is estimated to cost $140,000 and five polling places will be open Feb. 24 for the area's estimated 7,000 voters, Cunningham said.

If Galloway gets 10 percent of the amount of the highest vote-getter among George, Anderson and O'Dwyer, his name will be placed on the April ballot. If he fails to get 10 percent, his run is over and he cannot be a candidate April 7.

Girka needs 54 votes, or more than 5 percent of the votes cast for the winning village president candidate in 2011, to have his name placed on the April ballot. If he fails to get 54 votes, he will not advance to the April election.

Only Blecker's name will appear on the April 7 ballot as a candidate for village president.

Patsy Smith, the only president in the village's history, did not file to run again and has until Thursday to decide if she will run as a write-in candidate on April 7.

Candidates upheld for Campton Hills ballot

Judge orders Feb. 24 primary for trustees, clerk

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