Press Releases – Illinois
Free & Equal Inc. Ready for Chicago Mayoral Election
Petitioning starts soon for Chicago’s Mayoral election, to be held February 22nd. Unlike his father, who held office for life, current Mayor Richard M. Daley has decided not to seek re-election this year. Political hatchetman Rahm Emanuel has announced his intention to run for the office. Free & Equal Inc. is ready to assist a number of challengers for the seat, in gaining access to the ballot. Please contact Christina Tobin at (312) 320-4101 for more information.
Nomination for Mayor of Chicago requires collecting at least 12,500 valid signatures from registered voters in the City of Chicago. The deadline for filing signatures is November 22nd.
Last year, Free & Equal Inc. collected signatures for 14 candidates running in the primary for various offices in the State of Illinois. Of those, nine survived the notoriously corrupt challenge process, four did not, and one withdrew to run as an independent.
Free & Equal Inc.’s sister organization, The Free and Equal Elections Foundation, is working to replace the outdated, confusing and arbitrary challenge process with a $500 filing fee in lieu of signatures. Filing fees are used successfully in many states, generating revenue rather than draining public coffers with labor-intensive petition reviews and challenges. At least one Illinois state legislator has expressed interest in sponsoring such a bill.
Bill Brady’s Family Attacks Choice
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady has enlisted members of his family in his effort to knock the Libertarian Party of Illinois off the November ballot, thereby wasting taxpayer dollars and reducing voter choice. As reported at the ArchPundit website, Bill Brady’s niece Brittany is working for Andrew Heffernan, the person that signed the official objection to the petition signatures of the Libertarian Party slate of candidates along with many others. All of the work related to those petition challenges is being done on Heffernan’s behalf, according to Illinois election laws.
Bill Brady’s niece, Brittany, blogged about her experience working on the petition challenge of the Libertarian Party candidate’s filing. Brady’s niece Brittany locked her blog, but we have it saved in an effort to keep Illinois politicians honest. Apparently, Brittany didn’t like the petition challenge experience much.
“I did not know that I would be doing this. I did not wake up this morning and say to myself, “how I wish I could verify petitions later this afteroon.” And after an hour or two at this job, I am now very positive that thought will never run across my mind in my life. It is painful, torturous work.”
Thank you Brittany, for telling the truth there. The title of the blog post is “Is it normal to start talking to people in your head that you don’t even know?”
Where did Brady’s niece Brittany get the idea to go work on a petition challenge? Apparently its all in the family.
“My cousin is here too, he is the one who got me into this whole mess. He called me while I was waiting for a press conference to be done and told me to get over to this building right away and to bring anyone I could.”
On June 21, 2010, John Fogarty bought a copy of the Libertarian Party candidate’s petitions at the State Board of Elections. Who paid the hundreds of dollars for those copies? Is John Fogarty, a lawyer, working pro bono for Andrew Heffernan, or is Andrew Heffernan paying Fogarty for it? As they say, follow the money.
“We have Bill Brady’s niece Brittany, Brittany’s cousin, John Fogarty, and Andrew Heffernan all working together on a petition challenge that would remove the Libertarian Party candidates from the ballot,” said Christina Tobin CEO of Free and Equal, Inc., a ballot access company founded in Chicago. “I don’t see where Andrew Heffernan has started a political committee in Illinois to account for his efforts and work on behalf of Bill Brady. So I have to ask if Brady and his operatives are donating their efforts to Heffernan, or if Heffernan is donating his efforts to Brady”
“Either way that should show up on Bill Brady’s campaign finance reports or Andrew Heffernan’s tax returns,” said Tobin. “I hope the Illinois Attorney General, the US Attorney’s office, and the IRS are paying attention to this. This is obviously campaign work and it must be accounted for, especially in a state with Illinois’ history of political corruption. Bill Brady and his Republican operatives should withdraw their expensive petition challenges today.”
Jim Anderson News Director for the Illinois Radio Network interviewed Christina Tobin for his syndicated half hour “Eye on Illinois” about Illinois election laws recently. Tobin discussed the difficulties candidates face getting on the ballot and solutions like a filing fee system, instant run-off voting, and proportional representation.
“Illinois needs to get rid of these private petition challenges that invite funny business and needless costs to taxpayers”, said Tobin. “Instituting a filing fee system for candidates to be on the ballot makes much more sense for everyone in Illinois.”
Free & Equal to host third Illinois gubernatorial debate
Chicago (July 2, 2010) – The Free & Equal Elections Foundation announces their third Illinois Gubernatorial Debate at Chicago State University in Chicago, Illinois. Free & Equal previously held two gubernatorial debates during the Illinois primary season. The debate will be held from 7pm to 9pm on Thursday, July 8th.
The debate will take place in the Cordell Reed Student Union Building of Chicago State University, located at 9501 S. King Drive in Chicago, IL. Sponsoring the debate will be the Student Government Association, African American Male Resource Center, Latino Resource Center, and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated.
Bill Brady (Republican Party), Scott Cohen (Independent), Lex Green (Libertarian Party), Pat Quinn (Democratic Party), William Walls III (Independent), Michael White (Constitution Party), and Rich Whitney (Green Party) have all been invited to share their message with Illinois voters.
Free & Equal is committed to giving all qualified candidates an equal voice in the debate. All invited candidates recently submitted petitions sufficient to qualify for the ballot.
“Until recently, Illinois has not seen a truly inclusive debate since Libertarian Robin Miller joined Al Salvi (R) and Dick Durbin (D) for a three way debate for U.S. Senate in 1996,” said Free & Equal Founder and Chair Christina Tobin. “Salvi and Durbin were brave enough to face a bigger and broader debate. I challenge Pat Quinn and Bill Brady to live up to their example, show some backbone and debate all serious contenders.
“Article III, Section 3 of the Illinois Constitution says ‘All Elections Shall Be Free And Equal’. Whoever is elected Governor will take an oath to uphold that Constitution, and we expect them to live up to that core principle of democracy starting today,” continued Tobin. “Illinois needs new and diverse ideas today more than ever.”
Update: Mary Norwood Fights to Get on Ballot
UPDATE: Mary Norwood’s lawsuit against incumbent Fulton Commission chair dismissed
In his short ruling issued July 1, Judge Jerry Baxter stated, “The court finds, at this time, there is no actual controversy … and the ends of justice do not warrant a declaratory judgment.”
Norwood, who is attempting to gather some 23,000 signatures to qualify as an Independent on the ballot to run against Eaves for the Fulton County Commission chair post, filed suit last week after Eaves and his attorneys challenged “several thousand” of the signatures she has obtained.
My Fox Atlanta has a nice story with video about Mary Norwood’s continuing efforts to run for office in Georgia as an independent. Free & Equal Inc. is excited to be the national company working toward ballot access for Mary Norwood.
Norwood’s opponent in the race is current commission chair John Eaves and he contends that the forms Norwood is using to collect signatures aren’t legal.
Norwood is now asking a judge to rule on the matter.
It will take 22,000 signatures for the former mayoral candidate to make it onto the ballot as an Independent.
…
Norwood has paid $50,000 to hire a national company to collect signatures and she says she’s confident she’ll get the number she needs.
Here are two more good articles following Mary Norwood and her hard campaigning.
Atlanta Progressive News, “Eaves Questions 9,000 Norwood Signatures for Ballot Access”.
Norwood has hired Free and Equal, a petition signature-gathering firm,
Neighbor Newspapers, “Norwood halfway to November ballot”.
To obtain the balance of signatures she needs, Ms. Norwood said her campaign hired Raleigh, N.C.-based Free and Equal Inc., specializing in helping “independent candidates acquiring ballot access.”
Circus of petition challenges in Illinois
Monday, June 28 2010, was the last day for filing objections to candidate petition signatures in Illinois for the November election. There were 81 objections filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections by 22 different objectors against a number of candidates. Christina Tobin, CEO of Free & Equal Inc., today responded to those petition challenges filed to kick candidates off the ballot for the Illinois election this November.
“All of the people who filed objections to candidate petitions should immediately disclose to the voters of Illinois why they are holding up ballot access for these candidates,“ said Christina Tobin. “The private challenge system Illinois has is bad enough without the circus of objections that were filed yesterday. The voters deserve an explanation for these objections and more transparency from the challengers.“
“Numerous petition challenges through recent years have turned out to be frivolous wastes of scarce government resources. We intend to expose those challengers who are not playing fair,“ said Tobin. “Illinois saw pointless petition challenges during the last two races for state officers. They are about to see the same insanity happen again in 2010.“
In 2006, Green Party candidate for Governor Rich Whitney and the Greens’ statewide slate withstood a petition challenge that was found to be unwarranted. Gubernatorial candidate Cal Skinner and his Libertarian Party slate also made it on the ballot in 2002 after a senseless challenge.
According to the Illinois State Board of Elections website, there were 81 objections filed against independent and new party candidates during this filing period. Sharon Ann Meroni of Barrington Hills filed 32 objections, Rob Sherman of Buffalo Grove filed 13 objections, Andrew Heffernan of Stickney filed 11 objections, Thomas P. Dunaway and Ella White from Chicago filed 5 objections, and Phillip Hunt of Oak Park, Robert R. Slover of Peoria Heights, and Blake Phillip Sercye of Chicago each filed two objections. An additional 14 other objectors filed one challenge each.
“Independent and alternative party candidates should be held to the same standard as the established parties of simply 5,000 signatures, instead of the 25,000 Illinois state law requires of them,” said Tobin. “We are going to expose the challengers taking advantage of the discrimination inherent in our election laws.“
“With that many challenges filed this year, close to a million signatures, if not more, will have to be verified over the coming weeks and months, all at a significant cost to the taxpayers“, said Tobin. “The drain to government budgets could well reach into the millions.“
“These objectors are taking advantage of a flawed and unfair system,” said Tobin. “Rod Blagojevich and George Ryan used petition challenges to favor themselves politically. We know petition challenges are not immune to abuse. The objectors should come clean about their intentions immediately.”
Cook County Republicans following George Ryan’s political playbook
Christina Tobin, founder of Free and Equal Elections Foundation, released a statement today in response to an email recently put out by the Cook County Republicans on behalf of the Illinois Republican Party.
The email started with a shocking admission by Illinois Republicans that they intend to challenge candidates’ petitions based on the potential political impact it will have on their party rather than Republicans acting in the best interests of the voters or the principles behind democratic elections:
“The Illinois GOP is diverting all efforts to challenge those candidates’ petitions that may have a negative impact on OUR Republican nominees (it is our belief that these candidates will steal votes from Republicans.)”
“The email the Cook County Republicans put out shows a complete disregard for Illinois voters and our American democracy,” said Christina Tobin. “The tradition in Illinois of knocking political competition off the ballot is more reminiscent of what we saw in the former Soviet Union than what our country’s founders intended. Illinois Republicans should be ashamed of themselves for engaging in this anti-democratic activity.”
In 1998, The Chicago Tribune reported that 73 state employees worked for Republican George Ryan’s campaign on a petition challenge that knocked the Libertarian Party candidates off the ballot. Their report also showed 19 state employees were still on the taxpayer clock while working on the challenge. George Ryan went on the defeat Glen Poshard in November after the petition challenge removed Libertarian candidate for Governor Jim Tobin.
“We’ve seen this type of democracy killing behavior for years in Illinois, from Republicans and Democrats, so this is no surprise. Today, I’d like to warn Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and the US Attorneys in Illinois to keep a very close eye out for the kind of illegal activity surrounding petition challenges that this state has seen in the past.”
“Illinois Republicans need to be reminded that these petition challenges are costly to taxpayers also. Illinois Republicans are costing the taxpayers money because they selfishly feel entitled to having a ballot without much competition on it. Don’t let me leave out Illinois Democrats either, because they are usually worse about costing this state money with frivolous petition challenges.”
“Free and Equal Elections calls for Illinois to reform their ballot access laws and abolish the current private petition challenge system for the good of all Illinois voters. The mess surrounding petition challenges that Illinois will see in the coming months should prove, yet again, the need for real electoral reform in Illinois. Article III, Section 3 of the Illinois Constitution says ‘All Election Shall Be Free And Equal’, and it’s time the Republicans and Democrats started honoring and following that democratic principle,” said Christina Tobin.
###
This is the entire text of the Republican email:
From: Republican Organization of Lyons Township <>
Subject: Attention EVERY Republican!
To:
Date: Sunday, June 20, 2010, 12:55 PM
Everyone – Now is the time!
The Illinois GOP is diverting all efforts to challenge those candidates’ petitions that may have a negative impact on OUR Republican nominees (it is our belief that these candidates will steal votes from Republicans.) Starting Tuesday through Saturday it is a must that we fill up all terminals.
All the Committeemen, Precinct Captains and Republicans (County, township and ward) statewide are being asked to divert their time and volunteers to this effort. We have 25 terminals and must fill those throughout the week to achieve victory in 2010.
This information is time sensitive – -One hour or two hours is needed CALL NOW.
For more information or to help in this effort, please contact ASAP:
Lyons Township contact:
Ray Hodson 0r John Small
Precinct Captain Coordinators
or
Jonathan Callaway
Director of Volunteers
Cook County Republican Party
Thank you.
Executive Committee Republican Organization of Lyons Township
Tobin cited in Chicago Tribune column
Eric Zorn at the Chicago Tribune came to Free and Equal for some answers on ballot access laws in Illinois and how they compare to other states. Zorn’s article points out some of our own Christina Tobin’s history of battling ballot access challenges for more than a decade. Speaking about a candidate announcing an independent candidacy, Zorn paints an accurate picture.
“…he’s also headed straight into the buzz saw of Illinois’ daunting petition process to get on the ballot, a process that routinely turns well-organized men and women into political wood chips.”
Now these “well-organized men and women” have Free & Equal to turn to for steel reinforcements against the political buzz saws aimed against competition on the ballots. Free & Equal has left many dulled and broken saw blades behind and we can do it for your candidacy.
Another recent article from Chicago highlights why candidates should call Free & Equal as soon as they consider a run for office. From Ben Joravsky at the Chicago Reader:
“(Joe) Berrios, who’s also chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party, has always been quick to use the fine points of election law and a stable of experts to chase off hapless challengers. In February’s Democratic primary, for instance, he successfully removed one opponent by challenging his petitions and scared another into withdrawing simply by letting her know he intended to challenge hers.”
Scared into withdrawing because of the threat of a petition challenge? Call Free & Equal first.
A snapshot of politics in IL
Just another day in the life of a political machine. Free & Equal, Inc. has and will continue to frustrate politicians like these. That’s our job!
This photo and editorial was published in the Southtown Star.
FOX interviews Christina Tobin on IL challenge process
Watch Free & Equal, Inc. CEO Christina Tobin give a five-minute interview on FOX Chicago Sunday about the corrupt and exclusionary ballot-access procedures in Illinois. Free & Equal, Inc. defended 12 candidates from the Green, Republican and Democratic parties, the majority of them successfully. Christina discusses the corruption inherent in the process, and the uphill battle candidates face even when they do everything right.
Watch the embedded video below or click HERE.
Illinois ballot access tyrannical, switch to filing fees imperative
Free & Equal Election Law Attorney Andrew Spiegel is drafting a legislative proposal that would replace all Illinois signature requirements with modest filing fees. This would apply to all candidates, regardless of political affiliation.
Illinois requires all candidates running for statewide office to collect signatures to get on the ballot in primary elections; meanwhile, nearly two-thirds of the states require only a filing fee in such instances.
“Replacing signature requirements and the unfair challenge system with uniform filing fees is the only way to institute free and equal elections in Illinois, while saving taxpayers between $5 and $10 million a year,” Christina Tobin said, Free & Equal founder and chief executive. At a time when the state’s budget deficit is hitting record highs, ideas like this should be considered carefully.
The state’s rigged signature-objection procedure makes a mockery of the notion that Illinois holds free and fair elections. It’s also an insensible misuse of millions of taxpayer dollars that go towards legal fees, court costs, employee salaries and more.
Many past and present Illinois politicians, including House Speaker Michael Madigan and minority leader Tom Cross, have used the state’s open signature-challenge procedure and public funds to knock legitimate candidates off the state’s election ballots, thereby limiting the choices for voters. These shameful political tactics were highlighted in a recent investigation by FOX Chicago News, and by Free & Equal Founder Christina Tobin in a recent FOX Chicago Sunday interview.
“This isn’t some repressive, extreme regime; This is the United States,” Tobin said. “The American people expect their country to be the example of freedom and fairness for the rest of the world.”
Visit freeandequal.org to see a list of states that require only a filing fee for primary ballot access in statewide elections.
Strong majority of candidates defended by Free & Equal to be on 2010 primary ballot
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Christina Tobin, Founder and CEO Phone: 312-320-4101 Email: Christina@freeandequalinc.com Web: www.freeandequalinc.com
Chicago, Illinois — Free & Equal, Inc. has successfully helped at least seven candidates overcome Illinois’ senseless ballot-access system to retain their spot on the 2010 primary election ballot.
“While the establishment political machine in Illinois continues to use taxpayer dollars to take election-day choices away from voters, we at Free & Equal will continue trying to protect those choices for the people,” Christina Tobin, Free & Equal founder and chief executive, said.
Free & Equal provided the services of attorney Andrew Spiegel, along with research, inter-candidate dialogue and media outreach in assisting 14 candidates to overcome challenges to their right to be on Illinois’ election ballots. Here are the results of these efforts:
Ballot access in the 2010 primary for Free & Equal-represented candidates:
YES – Adam Andrzejewski, Republican, Governor
YES – Dan Proft, Republican, Governor
NO – Deb Leticia Gordils, Republican, State House, District 17
NO – Phil Collins, Republican, State House, District 17
YES – Anita Forte-Scott, Republican, State House, District 56
YES – Rosanna Pulido, Republican, U.S. House, District 5
YES – David Ratowitz, Republican, U.S. House, District 5
WITHDRAWAL/RUNNING AS INDPT. – William “Dock” Walls, III, Democrat, Governor
YES – Dan Kairis, Green, U.S. House, District 14
YES – Bill Scheurer, Green, U.S. House, District 8
NO – Radusa Ostojic, Democrat, Judge in the 11th sub-circuit of Cook County
NO – Ed Scanlan, Democrat, Governor
YES – Kenneth Moy, Republican, 2nd Appellate Court, Callum Vacancy
YES – Bob McQuillan, Republican, State House, District 50
Total: 9 on the ballot, 4 not on the ballot, 1 withdrawal
A challenge to Ratowitz’s petition signatures was dropped at the eleventh hour as Free & Equal prepared to prove the frivolous nature of the objections.
Kairis and Scheurer successfully overcame attempts to knock them off the ballot by Democratic Party functionaries Michael Kreloff and House Speaker Michael Madigan. In Kairis’ case, they went so far as to accuse his family and friends of fraudulent signatures.
Anita Forte-Scott weathered a blatant case of conflict of interest in which former State Board of Elections member John Countryman worked on behalf of House Republican Leader Tom Cross to accuse her of fraud for mistakenly using an outdated form.
Forte-Scott, however, was lucky. She was one of the few that managed to take on opposition from powerful incumbents and win. Collins, Gordils, Scanlan and Walls, meanwhile, were not so lucky.
Collins fell 90 signatures short of the 500 he need to qualify for the ballot, but only after petition-checkers at the direction of Cross cherry-picked signatures that weren’t entirely written in cursive.
Gordils was knocked off the ballot after a hearing for which neither side’s lawyers were notified, and for which exist no official record or minutes, even though her opponent listed his own name in place of hers on his objection forms.
Walls was knocked off the ballot by operatives for Gov. Pat Quinn. “The Reformer,” as Quinn likes to be called, admitted to concerns that Walls – the only African-American running for governor – would siphon away his black voters. But Walls isn’t giving up. He has chosen to run as an Independent, but that means he has to collect 25,000 signatures to be on the ballot. That’s five times as many signatures as is required of candidates of the Republican and Democratic establishment.
Ostojic lost her hearing after the Cook County Board of Elections gave her objector, Rodney McCulloch, as many chances as he needed to challenge her signatures. McCulloch received this preferential treatment despite having previously been convicted of charges related to forging signatures on other petitions. Sadly, Ostojic did not have the money to fight this unjust ruling in court.
The last victory came on Monday, when Bob McQuillan won in his court case brought by objector John Reeves. Apparently the judge disagreed with Reeves’ contention, as quoted in the suburban Chicago Daily Beacon, that, “I have earned the right to choose who will be the candidate in District 50.” At issue again were legitimate signatures made in print rather than cursive writing.
Free & Equal insists it is time to fix the broken process in Illinois for challenging a candidate’s right to be on the ballot. It is time to let the voters decide for themselves who is a worthy of votes.
“Over two-thirds of the states only require a filing fee to run for office, which is a far more sensible and fair method of ballot access,” Tobin said. “It is astonishing to me that my home state of Illinois continues to hold out in minority opposition to such a simple reform.”
Free and Equal, Inc. is a full-service, ballot-access consulting and petitioning firm. Free and Equal, Inc. is a nonpartisan firm that works with candidates from across the political spectrum. Free and Equal, Inc. does not endorse any candidates for office.
Candidates Still Fighting to Appear on Illinois Primary Ballots
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Christina Tobin Phone: 312-320-4101 Email: Christina@freeandequalinc.com Website: https://www.freeandequalinc.com/
With the Illinois primaries now less than 35 days away, some candidates are still fighting to maintain their spot on the February ballot. Illinois’ arcane and discriminatory ballot access laws are still being used to knock legitimate candidates off the ballot and keep power in the hands of a self-appointed political elite.
Bob McQuillan, a Republican running for State House in District 50, was placed on the ballot despite objections to his petition signatures. Despite having won this battle, McQuillan now has to go to court to defend his ballot placement.
John Reeves, working on behalf of McQuillan’s primary opponent Keith Wheeler, is pressing the absurd claim that only signatures written in cursive can be counted as legitimate. At issue are six voters who signed the petition by printing their name. Whether or not they are real voters who were eligible to sign is not at issue.
Reeves has even been quoted as saying, “I have earned the right to choose who will be the candidate in District 50.” More details on McQuillan’s struggle to offer himself in public service to the voters of his district can be found in a recent article in the Beacon-News.
This arrogance is typical of the self-styled Illinois power-brokers who believe the voters are a mere inconvenience on the path to solidifying their personal control of Illinois government.
A similar story is unfolding in the race for Judge in the 11th Subcircuit of Cook County.
Radusa Ostojic, a candidate in a crowded Democratic primary, faced two objections to her petitions. She overcame one attacking the validity of her signatures. However, her other objector Larry Kelly, working for self-appointed political operative Rodney McCulloch, made over 900 claims of fraud against her 669 total signatures in a scattershot attack which has been upheld by the Cook County Board of Elections.
The Board arbitrary gave Kelly and McCulloch an extension simply because they failed to appear for the review of Ostojic’s signatures by the hearing examiner, which initially found she had enough valid signatures.
Without notice to Ostojic, the Board reopened the signature review, which in this case found her to be 89 signatures short of the 500 required for ballot access. By the end of the hearing on Christmas Eve, the Board had restored 75 of these signatures, but refused to give her a similar extension to rehabilitate any signatures.
McCulloch received special treatment from the Board of Elections despite having been convicted just last year of perjury and election fraud by falsifying signatures on a candidate’s petition. According to Ostojic, “Even Chairperson [Daniel] Madden was shaking his head in disbelief that my signatures were objected often stating the signatures on my petition are exactly the same as on the voter registration card.”
Sadly, Ostojic has no money to go to court, and no time left to raise funds to continue the fight. Ostojic said, “If the point of democracy is to give people the voice to choose a candidate, that opportunity and right has now been taken away.”
Christina Tobin, Founder and CEO of Free and Equal, Inc., which defended Ostojic’s signatures, readily agreed. “This is just another example of how money rules in politics. Legitimate candidates outside of the political establishment are forced to spend far too much just to get their names on the ballot.”
Tobin offered a simple alternative to the corrupt objection process. “Illinois is only one of three states that uses this system,” said Tobin. “Meanwhile, over two-thirds of the states simply require a filing fee to enter a party primary.”
Tobin concluded, “Requiring filing fees instead would generate extra revenue for the state, save time for elections officials, and most importantly, allow the voters and not the political elites to determine who will serve in public office.”
Chicago Board of Elections Ignores Due Process and Common Sense
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Christina Tobin Phone: 312-320-4101 Email: Christina@freeandequalinc.com Website: https://www.freeandequalinc.com/
Chicago Board of Elections Ignores Due Process and Common Sense
Apparently, a hearing was held by the Chicago Board of Elections last Wednesday, December 8, at which the Board ruled Deb Leticia Gordils off the ballot in the Republican Primary for State House, District 11.
However, no one showed up to argue either side of the case because the Board failed to notify the counsel for either Gordils or her objectors. Gordils is represented by Andrew Spiegel with Free and Equal, Inc. Her objectors are represented by John Fogarty and backed by the House Republican machine headed by Tom Cross and run by Kevin Artl.
Furthermore, apparently no record nor any minutes of this phantom hearing exist, according to Gordils.
Spiegel only learned of the hearing by receiving the ruling in the mail several days later. According to Spiegel, Fogarty has yet to receive anything pertaining to the Gordils case.
Without anyone to oppose them, the Board did not hear evidence that the objectors’ filings were fatally flawed. Each page of the appendix to the objection, which lists the signatures that were challenged, only bore the name of Gordils’ opponent, Scott Tucker. While it is clear that Tucker is directly involved in using the corrupt objection process to eliminate the voters from the election, he is not a party to the case.
Spiegel said that should be a fatal flaw to the validity of the objection. “This is just another example of the Kafkaesque nature of the objection process,” said Spiegel. “The Board decided to follow its own whims instead of considering the law, the facts or even common sense.”
To regain her place on the primary ballot, Gordils’ next step would be to file a petition for judicial review with the Circuit Court of Cook County. Without a positive ruling there, Tucker will be the only government approved candidate of the Republican Primary ballot in that race.
The Chicago Board of Elections is not alone in abandoning any pretense of fairness or due process. On Thursday, December 9, the Illinois State Board of Elections voted 4-4 purely along party lines in the matter of objections to the petitions of another Republican House candidate, Anita Forte-Scott in District 56.
Fortunately for Forte-Scott, ties go to the candidate, so Forte-Scott will be on the ballot barring any appeal in court by the attorney for her objectors, John Countryman. Countryman is a former member of the State Board of Elections and is working closely with Artl.
In an article in suburban Chicago’s Daily Herald, Artl continued to claim that Forte-Scott’s petitions were fraudulent because four pages of signatures were collected on forms from the previous election, when Forte-Scott enjoyed the backing of the Cross machine. Two weeks ago, Artl flatly denied having anything to do with the objections to Forte-Scott.
However, Spiegel said it was clear that only those forms were old, not the signatures themselves. All signatures were collected during the proper time frame for next year’s election, according to Spiegel.
Christina Tobin, Chief Executive for Free and Equal, Inc., said, “While we are happy that Forte-Scott defeated the false objections to her signatures, it’s obvious that none of the evidence mattered to the State Board of Elections. Their only consideration was their partisan desires. The will of the voters and the facts of her case had absolutely nothing to do with their decision.”
Tobin suggested an easy and sensible alternative. She said, “Over two-thirds of the states only require a filing fee to run for office, which is a far more sensible and fair method of ballot access.”
Free and Equal, Inc., Convinces Another Challenger to Drop Objections to Petitions in Illinois
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Christina Tobin Phone: 312-320-4101 Email: Christina@freeandequalinc.com Website: https://www.freeandequalinc.com/
Free and Equal, Inc., Convinces Another Challenger to Drop Objections to Petitions in Illinois
Free and Equal, Inc., is proud to announce more success in convincing challengers drop their objections to candidates seeking placement on the Illinois ballot in 2010. By moving past these challenges, candidates are able to rise above the corruption inherent in the objection process and move on to participating in truly free and equal elections in Illinois.
On Wednesday, December 9, objections to the petitions submitted by David Ratowitz, a Republican running for U.S. House in the 5th District were dropped.
Ratowitz said, “I appreciate the hard work of Free and Equal in proving the frivolous nature of the objections against me and inducing the objectors to drop their challenge.”
Free and Equal Chief Executive Officer Christina Tobin explained that her organization uses both positive and negative motivation to clean up the process.
Tobin said, “These challenges would have failed because we are able to prove Ratowitz submitted enough valid signatures to be placed on the primary ballot. However, we are hoping that by withdrawing the objections before hearings are held by the State Board of Elections, the challengers are setting a positive example for others who attempt to use the objection process to take away the choices the voters deserve to see on their ballots.”
Illinois is among the very few states which allow people to use the challenge process to try to knock legitimate candidates off the ballot before the voters have their say. Free and Equal, Inc., has maintained that this system is inherently anti-democratic and remains an open invitation to corruption in denying the ability of voters to freely choose who will represent them at all levels of government.
Tobin said, “Over two-thirds of the states only require a filing fee to run for office, which is a far more sensible and fair method of ballot access. Until we can abolish this unusual and arcane challenge process which robs voters of their rightful choices, Free and Equal will be in the trenches, working within the system to defend the right of any citizen to fully participate in the electoral process, regardless of party.”
Free and Equal, Inc., Adds to Client List
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Christina Tobin Phone: 312-320-4101 Email: Christina@freeandequalinc.com Website: https://www.freeandequalinc.com/
Free and Equal, Inc., is now assisting in the defense of 15 Illinois candidates facing objections to their campaign’s signatures, from all three ballot-qualified parties.
The most recent candidates who have hired Free and Equal, Inc., are Ed Scanlan, Democrat for Governor; Kenneth Moy, Republican for the Callum Vacancy on the 2nd Appellate Court; and, Bob McQuillan, Republican for State House, District 50.
Scanlan will have a hearing at 2 p.m. on Monday, December 7, on the 14th Floor of the Thompson Center, 100 W. Randolph St. in Chicago. Several of Free and Equal’s client candidates from all across the political spectrum will be in attendance in support.
The current clients using Free and Equal to help defend against objections to their petitions are:
- Deb Leticia Gordils, Republican, State House, District 11
- Phil Collins, Republican, State House, District 17
- Anita Forte-Scott, Republican, State House, District 56
- Rosanna Pulido, Republican, U.S. House, District 5
- David Ratowitz, Republican, U.S. House, District 5
- William “Dock” Walls, III, Democrat, Governor
- Dan Kairis, Green, U.S. House, District 14
- Bill Scheurer, Green, U.S. House, District 8
- Radusa Ostojic, Democrat, Judge in the 11th Subcircuit of Cook County
- Ed Scanlan, Democrat, Governor
- Kenneth Moy, Republican, 2nd Appellate Court, Callum Vacancy
- Bob McQuillan, Republican, State House, District 50
Illinois Board of Elections Violates its Own Rules
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Christina Tobin Phone: 312-320-4101 Email: Christina@freeandequalinc.com Website: https://www.freeandequalinc.com/
Illinois Board of Elections Violates its Own Rules
When a political machine wants a candidate off the ballot in Illinois, the odds are heavily stacked against the candidate. The process of objecting to a candidate’s petitions has only one purpose: to allow only machine-sanctioned candidates on the ballot.
Even when a candidate does everything right, plays by the rules and survives a challenge, the machine can simply change the rules on a whim.
This is happening in the case of William “Dock” Walls, III, a Democratic candidate for Governor. Walls submitted almost 10,000 signatures from Illinois voters to gain ballot access. The requirement is 5,000 valid signatures.
The political operatives connected to incumbent Governor Pat Quinn then went to work and claimed over half of the signatures Walls submitted were invalid.
Andrew Spiegel, an attorney with Free and Equal, Inc., challenged this claim. In response, the Board unilaterally decided to recount all the official numbers, including the total number of signatures submitted by the Walls campaign.
In a letter to the Board, Spiegel noted, “Rules and Procedures adopted by the Board require that Official numbers not properly and specifically challenged by either party are considered to be valid.”
Spiegel also stated, “If the Board violates its Rules of Procedure in this one case, and arbitrarily recounts the total number sustained, this board must recount all official numbers for all current cases.”
When asked to comment, Spiegel said, “This Kafkaesque objection process in Illinois is reminiscent of the Guardian Council run by the Ayatollahs in Iran. Perhaps President Obama should consider sending troops to Illinois.”
Walls added, “The Board of Elections has a responsibility to provide a candidate with an accurate official tally. They cannot legally review numbers on a whim. That behavior is either incompetent or corrupt. The Board of Elections is doing a great disservice to all the good people who signed our petitions.”
According to Christina Tobin, Chief Executive Officer of Free and Equal, Inc., even the newly revised numbers from the Board of Elections are inaccurate.
Depending on which rules the Board wants to follow, Walls either has 60 signatures more than he needs, or will be 127 signatures short.
The next hearing, at 2 p.m. Thursday on the 14th floor of the Thompson Center at 100 W. Randolph St. in Chicago, will put the Board of Elections to the test. Do rules matter any more in Illinois, or can they just make up new rules whenever it suits their machine bosses? The next hearing will answer this question.
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Free and Equal asks, Rigged Election in Illinois, Again?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Christina Tobin
Phone: 312-320-4101
Email: Christina@freeandequalinc.com
Website: https://www.freeandequalinc.com/
Rigged Elections in Illinois, Again?
Free and Equal, Inc., is assisting two Green Party candidates filing for U.S. House seats on the ballot in 2010. Dan Kairis, running in District 14, and Bill Scheurer, in District 8, have both been challenged by Democratic Party operatives closely connected with Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Kairis’ signatures have been challenged by Jean Cattron of Elgin, who is retired from the Elgin Mental Health Center and a Democratic Committeeman in Kane County. Those of Scheurer have been challenged by Gregory Ferritto, and employee of the United States Postal Service. Cattron is represented by Michael Kasper, the General Counsel and Treasurer of the Illinois Democratic Party and former aide to Madigan. Ferritto is represented by another Democratic Party functionary, Michael Kreloff.
Both Cattron and Ferritto have been used before by Madigan to attempt to knock candidates opposed to his allies in the House off the ballot. Cattron challenged an opponent of party operative Hollie Kissane in 2005 in the Democratic primary for the 22nd Legislative District in 2005. Ferritto was the objector of record against Iain Abernathy, the Green Party candidate for U.S. House in District 8 in 2008. Ferritto is also challenging Jonathan Farnick, who wants to face incumbent Melissa Bean in the Democratic primary.
Kasper and Kreloff were also the attorneys who led the objections against Green Party candidate for Governor Rich Whitney in 2006, and several Third Party and Independent candidates in 2004, including Ralph Nader for President.
Speaking to the Daily Herald about the challenge to Kairis, Christina Tobin, Chief Executive Officer of Free and Equal, Inc., said, “This is literally an objection in bad faith. The voters deserve voices and choices. There’s no limit to how far these (party) leaders will go to ensure voice and choice stays off the ballot.”
The article quoted Kairis as saying every signature on his petitions is from either a friend, neighbor or direct relative. Cattron even challenged the validity of signatures belonging to both his son and his mother.
These challenges to Green Party candidates are especially frivolous, Tobin noted, because under Illinois law the party can simply place these candidates on their slate in convention if the challenges are successful.
“Michael Madigan is no different from Tom Cross,” said Tobin. “Both are party bosses who manipulate the system to protect the incumbents loyal to them from any opposition.”
Free & Equal, Inc., Creates Harmony Across Party Lines In Illinois Challenge Process
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Christina Tobin
Phone: 312-320-4101
Email: Christina@freeandequalinc.com
Website: https://www.freeandequalinc.com/
Free & Equal, Inc., Creates Harmony Across Party Lines In Illinois Challenge Process
Free and Equal, Inc., assisted one candidate in dropping objections before the Illinois Board of Elections on Wednesday. In another case involving Free and Equal clients, a prominent Democrat has volunteered to assist a Republican running for State House in defending the objections against her.
On Wednesday, Republican David Ratowitz, running for U.S. House in District 5, dropped his objections against primary opponents Rosanna Pulido and Ashvin Lad. Free and Equal also counts Pulido as a client.
Ratowitz said, “The expertise that Free and Equal has lent to my petition defense has been considerable. Their willingness and ability to alleviate some of the burden on my campaign in this proceeding is what has allowed me to withdraw my challenges to my opponents.”
Andrew Spiegal, an attorney for Free and Equal, said, “David is taking the high road while navigating this challenge process. Now we can concentrate solely on defending his placement on the Illinois ballot.”
Also on Wednesday, one Free and Equal client, William “Dock” Walls, III, a Democrat for Governor, assisted Republican Deb Leticia Gordils for State House in District 11 at her objection hearing yesterday.
Walls said, “I was pleased to be able to assist Deb Gordils in her effort to remain on the ballot. It is really unfair for the Board of Elections to require Deb to defend against a improper objection papers, which did not have her name on them. It is an honor to stand with Deb against a process that is obviously flawed.”
Attempts to challenge the petitions of both Gordils and Ratowitz can be linked to Kevin Artl, Chief of Staff for Illinois House Minority Leader Tom Cross. Artl, however, has denied that he has anything to do with the challenges.
“These challenges are aimed to ensure that only candidates who will help keep Cross in power can appear on the ballot,” said Christina Tobin, Chief Executive Officer of Free and Equal, Inc.
Walls faces a records examination as part of his defense against an objection filed by Janice Dortch, who has been connected with incumbent Pat Quinn. That hearing begins at 9 a.m. on Thursday at the Thompson Center, at 100 W. Randolph St in Chicago, on the 14th floor.
In all, Free and Equal, Inc., now has nine clients from all three parties currently filing candidates for the 2010 elections. They are:
Deb Leticia Gordils, Republican for State House, District 11
Anita Forte-Scott, Republican for State House, District 56
Phil Collins, Republican for State House, District 17
David Ratowitz, Republican for U.S. House, District 5
Rosanna Pulido, Republican for US House, District 5 (objection withdrawn)
William “Dock” Walls, III, Democrat for Governor
Radusa Ostojic, Democrat for Judge in the 11th Subcircuit of Cook County
Daniel J Kairis, Green for U.S. House, District 14
Bill Schuerer, Green for U.S. House, District 8
Free and Equal, Inc. is a full-service, ballot-access consulting and petitioning firm. Free and Equal, Inc. is a nonpartisan firm that works with candidates from across the political spectrum. Free and Equal, Inc. does not endorse any candidates for office.
Free & Equal, Inc. defending candidate’s rights across political divide
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Christina Tobin
Phone: 312-320-4101
Email: Christina@freeandequalinc.com
Free & Equal, Inc. defending candidate’s rights across political divide
Tuesday, Nov. 17 — Free & Equal, Inc. announced today that it will defend Democratic gubernatorial candidate William “Dock” Walls’ right to be on the Illinois election ballots in 2010.
Walls joins Republican state House candidates Deb Leticia Gordils (District 11), Phil Collins (District 17), and Anita Forte-Scott (District 56), who have also employed Free & Equal’s help in defending their nominating petitions against attempts to knock them off the 2010 ballot.
An attempt has been made to invalidate nearly 90 percent of Walls petition signatures, by friends of his incumbent challenger, Gov. Pat “The Reformer” Quinn. A Nov. 12 article in the Chicago Tribune states that Quinn admitted that supports of his may be behind an effort to knock Walls off the ballot, only a day after he claimed not to know whether his campaign was involved.
The full Chicago Tribune article can be found here.
The article notes, “The ballot challenge represents an about-face for Quinn, who in 1996 chastised then-U.S. Rep. Dick Durbin for challenging the petitions of another candidate in their race for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination.”
“Quinn’s people used a shotgun approach to try to invalidate Walls’ signatures, meaning they tried to invalidate a large number of signatures with no legal justification,” Free & Equal Chief Executive Officer Christina Tobin said. “The man who was supposed to break Illinois’ chain of bad governors and be a reformer has now stooped to wasting taxpayer resources for a strictly political end.”
The petition requirement to run for Governor in Illinois is 5,000 signatures of registered voters. Walls submitted over 9,900 signatures.
Walls said, “It is irresponsible for Pat Quinn to challenge our valid petition signatures and try to deny the people of Illinois a choice on election day. Quinn’s reckless disregard for the established procedures which require due diligence in the challenge process shows he is willing to put winning above the democratic process.”
Free & Equal will appear at 10 a.m. today before the State Board of Elections to help defend Wall and Forte-Scott’s nominating petitions. The hearing for Collins, meanwhile, is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Cook County Board of Elections at 69 West Washington St. in Chicago.
Gordils’ line-by-line binder check is scheduled for 1 p.m., Wednesday, November 18, on the 6th floor of the Chicago Board of Elections at 69 West Washington St.
To run for state House in Illinois, candidates must collect 500 signatures of registered voters. Gordils and Collins submitted over 600 signatures each, while Forte-Scott submitted over 900.
Attempts to challenge the petitions for each of these candidates can allegedly be linked to Kevin Artl, who is the Chief of Staff for Illinois House Minority Leader Tom Cross. Artl, however, has denied that he has anything to do with the challenges.
Free & Equal is considering a Freedom of Information Act request to uncover Artl’s payroll for the petition-checkers used to challenge these candidates. This information will help determine if state and Republican Party employees were used to check these petitions.
If true, these efforts raise serious questions about the use of government employees in a campaign capacity.
Free and Equal, Inc. is headed by ballot-access crusader Christina Tobin. Tobin has helped secure ballot lines for numerous independent candidates and alternative political parties, including the Constitution, Democratic, Green, Libertarian, Republican and Socialist Equality parties. As Ralph Nader’s National Ballot Access Coordinator in 2008, she helped collect more than 500,000 signatures to put Nader on 45 state presidential ballots and the District of Columbia, more than any other third party or independent candidate.
In 2004, Tobin sued Democratic Party State Chair Michael Madigan for allegedly using full-time state employees to knock Ralph Nader off of the presidential ballot. A Freedom of Information Act request was submitted for the payroll in question. The FOIA request was denied in court because it was “confidential information.” A complaint filed by Ralph Nader was submitted to attorney general Lisa Madigan, daughter of Michael Madigan. As of yet, five years later, no action on the complaint has been taken.
Free and Equal, Inc. is a full-service, ballot-access consulting and petitioning firm. Free and Equal, Inc. is a nonpartisan firm that works with candidates from across the political spectrum. Free and Equal, Inc. does not endorse any candidates for office.
FREE AND EQUAL, INC. SPECIALIZES IN DEFENDING NOMINATING PETITIONS AGAINST CHALLENGES.
TOBIN AND THE STAFF OF FREE AND EQUAL, INC ARE AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY TO DEFEND SIGNATURES IN ILLINOIS.
Free and Equal, Inc., Appearing at Board of Elections Hearings to Defend Candidate Petitions
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Christina Tobin
Phone: 312-320-4101
Email: Christina@freeandequalinc.com
Website: https://www.freeandequalinc.com/
Free and Equal, Inc., Appearing at Board of Elections Hearings to Defend Candidate Petitions
Free and Equal, Inc. will file a Freedom of Information Act request today as part of its effort to defend the right of three candidates to be on the Illinois ballot in 2010.
State House candidates Deb Leticia Gordils (District 11), Phil Collins (District 17), and Anita Forte-Scott (District 56), will be going before state and local election officials to defend the validity of the nominating petitions they circulated to get their names on the state election ballot.
A hearing for Gordils will be held at 1 p.m. today before the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners at 69 West Washington St. in the lower level conference room.
Forte-Scott, meanwhile, is slated to state her case before the State Officers Electoral Board at 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 17 in the Thompson Center, 100 W Randolph St. in room 9-040. There will be a video connection with the State Board office at 1020 S. Spring St. in Springfield.
The hearing for Collins is scheduled for Nov. 18 at 10:30 a.m. at the Cook County Board of Elections at 69 West Washington St. in Chicago.
To run for State House in Illinois, candidates must collect 500 signatures of registered voters. Gordils and Collins submitted over 600 signatures each, while Forte-Scott submitted over 900.
Attempts to challenge the petitions for each of these candidates can allegedly be linked to Kevin Artl, who is the Chief of Staff for Illinois House Minority Leader Tom Cross. Artl, however, has denied that he has anything to do with the challenges.
“These challenges are aimed to ensure that only candidates who will help keep Cross in power can appear on the ballot,” said Christina Tobin, Chief Executive Officer of Free and Equal, Inc.
The Freedom of Information Act request by Free and Equal will seek to uncover Artl’s payroll for the petition-checkers used to challenge these candidates. This information will help determine if state and Republican Party employees were used to check these petitions.
If true, these efforts raise serious questions about the use of government employees in a campaign capacity.
“The only reason the current Illinois GOP power base would pay money to selectively copy petitions of these principled, conservative candidates is to see if they could knock these honorable people off the ballot,” said Jim Edwards, Executive Director of the Republican Renaissance PAC, which hired Free and Equal to help defend Gordils and Forte-Scott.
“The voters of Illinois deserve the chance to vote for whomever they please,” said Tobin. “It is essential to the health of our democracy that the selection of elected representatives take place at the ballot box and not in the halls of a boards of elections riddled with corruption. We look forward to defending the signatures of these candidates, and anticipate seeing them on the primary ballot.”
Free and Equal, Inc. is headed by ballot-access crusader Christina Tobin. Tobin has helped secure ballot lines for numerous independent candidates and alternative political parties, including the Constitution, Democratic, Green, Libertarian, Republican and Socialist Equality parties. As Ralph Nader’s National Ballot Access Coordinator in 2008, she helped collect more than 500,000 signatures to put Nader on 45 state presidential ballots and the District of Columbia, more than any other third party or independent candidate.
In 2004, Tobin sued Democratic Party State Chair Michael Madigan for allegedly using full-time state employees to knock Ralph Nader off of the presidential ballot. A Freedom of Information Act request was submitted for the payroll in question. The FOIA request was denied in court because it was “confidential information.” A complaint filed by Ralph Nader was submitted to attorney general Lisa Madigan, daughter of Michael Madigan. As of yet, five years later, no action on the complaint has been taken.
Free and Equal, Inc. is a full-service, ballot-access consulting and petitioning firm. Free and Equal, Inc. is a nonpartisan firm that works with candidates from across the political spectrum. Free and Equal, Inc. does not endorse any candidates for office.
FREE AND EQUAL, INC. SPECIALIZES IN DEFENDING NOMINATING PETITIONS AGAINST CHALLENGES.
TOBIN AND THE STAFF OF FREE AND EQUAL, INC ARE AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY TO DEFEND SIGNATURES IN ILLINOIS.
FREE & EQUAL, INC TO DEFEND NOMINATING PETITIONS IN ILLINOIS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Christina Tobin
Phone: (312) 320-4101
Email: Christina@freeandequalinc.com
FREE & EQUAL, INC TO DEFEND NOMINATING PETITIONS IN ILLINOIS
Free & Equal, Inc. announced today that they will be defending the nominating petitions of at least two candidates in Illinois.
Debra Leticia Gordils is running in the Republican primary for the 11th State House district. Gordils submitted well over 600 signatures.
Anita Forte-Scott is running in the Republican primary for the 56th State House district. Forte-Scott submitted over 900 signatures; 600 of them collected by herself, with the rest collected by volunteers. All were collected by going door-to-door with voter rolls.
Republican Renaissance PAC has hired Free and Equal to defend the signatures from Gordils and Scott. The requirement for both candidates is 500 valid signatures each.
“The voters of Illinois deserve the chance to vote for whomever they please,” said Free & Equal, Inc. CEO Christina Tobin.
“It is essential to the health of our democracy that the selection of elected representatives take place at the ballot box and not in the halls of a Board of Elections riddled with corruption. We look forward to defending the signatures of these candidates, and anticipate seeing them on the primary ballot.”
Earlier this week, an army of petition checkers descended upon boards of elections across the state, seeking to limit voter choice in the 2010 elections by invalidating signatures collected by candidates.
Operating under a veil of secrecy, the petition checkers at the Chicago Board of Elections were quite standoffish when quizzed recently by an ABC7 Chicago reporter. Few were willing to give their names or the names of their employers.
The original ABC7 report can be found at http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/politics&id=7105170.
After he was pressed by the reporter, one man did in fact identify his employer as Cook County Clerk of Court Dorothy Brown.
Also according to ABC7 Chicago, a veritable army of workers alleged to be employed by State Democratic Party Chairman Michael Madigan were on hand to scour over petitions looking for the minutest mistakes possible when the reporter from ABC7 Chicago was present at the Board of Elections. Those who were interviewed refused to give their names or employers.
This raises significant questions about the use of government employees in campaign capacities.
Such activity is blatantly illegal.
Intrigue also surrounds the challenges of candidates Gordils and Scott.
Copies of both petitions were requested by Kevin Artl, a former Political Director for the Rudy Giuliani Presidential campaign.
Artl is the Chief of Staff for Illinois House Minority Leader Tom Cross.
Artl has denied that Cross has anything to do with the challenges.
Still, questions about the use of government employees in campaign capacities remain.
“The only reason the current Illinois GOP power base would pay money to selectively copy petitions of the principled, conservative candidates is to see if they could knock these honorable people off the ballot,” said Jim Edwards, Executive Director of the Republican Renaissance PAC.
“This unethical behavior is one of the many reasons why the Republican Renaissance PAC of Illinois is rapidly attracting attention to its mission of ethics, accountability and integrity,” said Edwards.
Free & Equal, Inc. is headed by ballot access crusader Christina M. Tobin. Tobin has helped secure ballot lines for numerous independent candidates and alternative political parties including the Constitution, Democratic, Green, Libertarian, Republican and Socialist Equality parties. As Ralph Nader’s National Ballot Access Coordinator in 2008, she helped collect more than 500,000 signatures to put Nader on 45 state Presidential ballots and the District of Columbia, more than any other third party or independent candidate.
In 2004, Tobin sued Democratic Party State Chair Michael Madigan for allegedly using full-time state employees to knock Ralph Nader off of the Presidential ballot. A Freedom of Information Act request was submitted for the payroll in question. The FOIA request was denied in court because it was “confidential information.” A complaint filed by Ralph Nader was submitted to attorney general Lisa Madigan, daughter of Michael Madigan. As of yet, five years later, no action on the complaint has been taken.
Free & Equal, Inc. is a full-service ballot access consulting and petitioning firm. Free & Equal, Inc. is a non-partisan firm that works with candidates from across the political spectrum. Free & Equal, Inc. does not endorse any candidates for office.
FREE & EQUAL, INC. SPECIALIZES IN DEFENDING NOMINATING PETITIONS AGAINST CHALLENGES.
TOBIN AND THE STAFF OF FREE & EQUAL, INC ARE AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY TO DEFEND SIGNATURES IN ILLINOIS
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ILLINOIS BALLOT ACCESS EXPERTS AVAILABLE TO DEFEND NOMINATING PETITIONS
ATTENTION CANDIDATES:
ILLINOIS BALLOT ACCESS EXPERTS AVAILABLE TO DEFEND NOMINATING PETITIONS
Free & Equal, Inc. is a full-service ballot access consulting and petitioning firm. Free & Equal, Inc. is a non-partisan firm that works with candidates from across the political spectrum. Free & Equal, Inc. does not endorse any candidates for office.
FREE & EQUAL, INC. SPECIALIZES IN DEFENDING NOMINATING PETITIONS AGAINST CHALLENGES.
WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY DEFENDED SIGNATURES IN SEVERAL STATES INCLUDING ILLINOIS.
Free & Equal, Inc. is headed by ballot access crusader Christina M. Tobin. Tobin has helped secure ballot lines for numerous independent candidates and alternative political parties including the Constitution, Democratic, Green, Libertarian, Republican and Socialist Equality parties. As Ralph Nader’s National Ballot Access Coordinator in 2008, she helped collect more than 500,000 signatures to put Nader on 45 state Presidential ballots and the District of Columbia, more than any other third party or independent candidate.
TOBIN AND THE STAFF OF FREE & EQUAL, INC ARE AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY TO DEFEND SIGNATURES IN ILLINOIS
IF YOU WANT TO STAY ON THE BALLOT, CALL THE BALLOT ACCESS EXPERTS!
For more information on how Free & Equal, Inc. can help your campaign, contact Sean Haugh at (919)-402-3489, or by email at sean@freeandequalinc.com
FREE & EQUAL READY TO DEFEND SIGNATURES IN CORRUPT CHICAGO
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Christina Tobin
Phone: (312) 320-4101
Email: Christina@freeandequalinc.com
November 9, 2009 – The corrupt machine of Illinois politics is in full swing this week at the Chicago Board of Elections.
An army of petition checkers has descended upon boards of elections across the state, seeking to limit voter choice in the 2010 elections by invalidating signatures collected by candidates.
Operating under a veil of secrecy, the petition checkers at the Chicago Board of Elections were quite standoffish when quizzed recently by an ABC7 Chicago reporter. Few were willing to give their names or the names of their employers.
The original ABC7 report can be found at http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/politics&id=7105170.
After he was pressed by the reporter, one man did in fact identify his employer as Circuit Clerk Dorothy Brown.
The man was searching to invalidate signatures collected by Cook County Board President Todd Stroger. Dorothy Brown is challenging Stronger in the 2010 Democratic Primary. The man in question claimed to be working to invalidate the petitions on his day off.
Also according to ABC7 Chicago, a veritable army of workers alleged to be employed by State Democratic Party Chairman Michael Madigan were on hand to scour over petitions looking for the most minute mistakes possible when the reporter from ABC7 Chicago was present at the Board of Elections. Those who were interviewed refused to give their names or employers.
This raises significant questions about the use of government employees in campaign capacities.
Such activity is blatantly illegal.
Free & Equal, Inc. prides itself in taking up the cause of candidates who have had their signature petitions challenged. We have successfully defended signatures in many states, including Illinois.
Free & Equal, Inc. looks forward with great anticipation to defending ANY candidate’s petitions that are challenged by those who would eliminate the Illinois voter’s choice.
Free & Equal, Inc. especially looks forward to taking to task ANY government worker or employer who uses taxpayer money to fund campaign activities that undermine our democracy.
The voters of Illinois deserve the chance to vote for whomever they please. It is essential to the health of our democracy that the selection of elected representatives take place at the ballot box, and not in the dimly-lit halls of a Board of Elections riddled with corruption.
Free & Equal, Inc. is a petitioning firm specializing in ballot access for independent and third party candidates. Headed by ballot access crusader Christina Tobin, Free & Equal, Inc. is a non-partisan firm that works with candidates from across the political spectrum. Free & Equal, Inc. does not endorse any candidates for office.
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Free & Equal, Inc. is a full-service ballot access consulting and petitioning firm specializing in ballot access for independent and third party candidates.
