http://www.wlsam.com/Article.asp?id=2372540&spid=Exclusive: Deadline challenge to keep Obama off primary ballot?
Posted 1/13/12 10:00 p.m.
Mary Frances Bragiel, WLS News
WLS Radio has learned that President Barack Obama faces three local challenges to his eligibility for the Illinois primary ballot. At least one involves a group that believes the fight will be worse than the one Mayor Rahm Emanuel faced with his residency challenge.
Chicago 43rd Ward Republican Committeeman Chris Cleveland tells WLS News exclusively that the Obama campaign filed defective petitions with large numbers of unregistered voters. “Barack Obama, in his very first election, challenged his opponent and knocked him off the ballot, and no one had any opportunity to vote for anyone other than Barack Obama. Well, today he is getting hoisted with his own petard.”
Cleveland’s group, the Chicago Objectors, filed the challenge with the Illinois State Board of Elections late this afternoon, just before the filing deadline.
The group claims the Obama campaign filed roughly 4,500 petitions, many of which were for unregistered voters, were duplicates, had incorrect addresses, or didn’t have a signature, and as a result, the Obama campaign may not have submitted the required 3,000 valid signatures. Cleveland blames the so-called “Chicago Machine” for putting into place rules that make it difficult for anyone to challenge the incumbent. “You know, Barack Obama has fallen short of those rules.”
Members of the Chicago Objectors consist of Republicans, Democrats and election lawyers, according to Cleveland. He says the group, in one week’s time, did a massive check of the motor voter registration rolls. “We have had a handful of members in the office, a very small team, checking signatures, and then we had an outside data-processing firm run the election data for us.”
Ken Menzel, deputy general counsel for the State Board of Elections, confirmed that the objection was filed, but tells WLS News that it will be the end of the month before a ruling is rendered.
A second objection was filed by a man who is challenging Barack Obama’s birth certificate. The premise of a third objection is not known.
A spokesperson from the Obama campaign was not immediately available to comment on the objections.
The Illinois primary is March 20, 2012.
