David Ratowitz needed not less than 319 signatures of qualified, legal registered voters from the 5th District and the papers had to be executed in a certain way; to truthfully demonstrate that he was qualified to be on the ballot as a GOP candidate nominee for Representative in Congress from the 5th Congressional District of the State of Illinois. The papers should have been presented in a manner provided for in the Election Code and in the form and manner required by law. After having witnessed this process, I can say that usually the candidate goes to a lawyer and they spend some time reviewing the petitions for inaccuracies, making sure the pages are all numbered, etc. It can be a tedious process, as you go through every single petition for one thing, and then again through every petition for another thing, and then for another. With several people reviewing the petitions in this way, the accuracy of the petitions is brought under the scrutiny of several pairs of eyes in the hopes to catch things before the petitions make it to the Board of Elections (BOE).
It appears that David Ratowitz’s petitions weren’t “executed in the form and manner required by law” on a number of different levels. If we’re to believe the objections document. And since his hearing was November 24 and there is another scheduled, that raises some other doubts about them.
The issues are outlined in the Objections filed to his petitions in early November. (click here for pdf)
Ratowitz provided 50 petition signature sheets containing a total of 680 signatures of alleged voters living in the 5th Congressional District. But those pesky laws pertaining to securing ballot access require that certain requirements be met, and filings contrary to those requirements must be voided by the BOE. These are the specific charges that were made to his petitions, so whether or not he will make it onto the ballot is still a big question mark.
I wonder what Judge Napolitano would say about this:
- Ratowitz’s nomination papers contain the names of numerous persons who are not in fact duly qualified, registered, and legal voters at the addresses shown opposite their names in the 5th Congressional District of the State of Illinois and their signatures are therefore invalid, as set forth in the Appendix-Recapitulation under the column designated “SIGNER NOT REGISTERED AT ADDRESS SHOWN (A)”, attached hereto and made a part hereof, all of the signatures being in violation of the statutes in such cases made and provided.
- the Nomination papers contain the names of numerous persons who have signed said petition who are not duly qualified, registered voters at addresses that are located within the boundaries of the 5th Congressional District of the State of Illinois as shown by the addresses as given on the petition, as more fully set forth in Appendix-Recapitulation under the column designated “SIGNER RESIDES OUTSIDE OF DISTRICT (B),” attached hereto and made a part hereof, all of said signatures being in violation of said statutes in such cases made and provided.
- said Nomination papers contain the names of numerous persons who did not sign said nomination papers in their own proper persons, and that the said signatures are not genuine, as more fully set forth in the Appendix-Recapitulation under the term designated “SIGNERS SIGNATURES NOT GENUINE (C),” attached hereto and made a part hereof, all of said signatures being in violation of said statutes in such cases made and provided.
- said Nomination papers contain the names of numerous persons whose signatures are accompanied by incomplete or missing address, or are otherwise invalid, as set forth in Appendix-Recapitulation under the term designated “OTHER (E),” attached hereto and made a part hereof, all of said signatures being in violation of said statutes in such cases made and provided.
- Candidate’s Petition Sheet No. 48 is invalid in its entirety for the reason that said sheet purports to have been circulated by Dan Ferreri, and the circulator’s affadavit signed by Dan Ferreri, but sworn before the notary Scott Davis. Said impropriety invalidates Petition 48 in its entirety.
- the Candidate’s Statement of Candidacy states that the office sought is “U.S. House of Representatives,” whereas no such office exists. Moreover, this description of the office sought is different than the Candidate’s petitions, in further violation of Illinois Code of Elections thus invalidating all petitions sheets.
The conclusion the Objector comes to in the document is to point out once again that Ratowitz has not met the requirements in the petitions as set forth by law, and then asks the BOE to strike his name as a candidate and not print his name on the ballot.
The final hearing is December 4th.
