Two Democrats could be barred from November ballot in DuPage

Two DuPage Democrats, one seeking a forest preserve seat and the other a countywide post, could be barred from appearing on the November ballot if residents opposing their candidacies can prove they were improperly slated by their party.

Opponents claim Christopher English and Kali Morgan Peickert didn't meet the legal requirements to qualify for spots in the Nov. 8 election.

The DuPage Democratic organization recently hand-picked English of Darien to challenge Republican Clerk of the Circuit Court Chris Kachiroubas after no Democrats ran for that position in the March primary.

Party leaders did the same thing when they selected Peickert of Lombard to run against incumbent Republican Jeff Redick for a District 2 seat on the DuPage County Forest Preserve District board. The district covers all or portions of Addison, Clarendon Hills, Downers Grove, Elmhurst, Hinsdale, Lisle, Lombard, Naperville, Oak Brook, Oakbrook Terrace, Villa Park, Westmont and Woodridge.

Democratic leaders said special committees were set up to pick each candidate. English and Peickert then gathered signatures to get on the ballot.

But in an objection filed Tuesday, residents Michael Ledonne of Lombard and Ronald Euliano of Elmhurst argue the committee that picked Peickert didn't have the legal authority to do so.

"Where a purported nominating committee has no authority to act, any purported nomination made by the purported nominating committee is invalid," the objection reads.

Dennis Reboletti, a former state lawmaker, also argues that election law wasn't properly followed when English was appointed by the Democrats to run for clerk of the circuit court.

Instead of having a "Clerk of the Circuit Court Committee," all the Democratic precinct committeemen should have been given the opportunity to vote for who the nominee should be, according to Reboletti.

Reboletti also says there were problems with the nominating papers English submitted. For example, he said the paperwork doesn't properly name the office being sought.

As a Democrat, English needs at least 844 valid signatures to appear on the November ballot as a clerk of the circuit court candidate.

Reboletti says 941 of the 1,773 signatures English collected are invalid. For example, he claims the paperwork contains the names of people who aren't registered DuPage voters and the names of people not registered to the listed address.

DuPage's electoral board will review both objections and decide whether the candidates' nomination papers are valid. Hearing dates haven't been set.