Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez and Mayra Macias won't appear on ballot to replace U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia
Two independent Latino candidates seeking to run for retiring U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia's seat in Congress won't appear on the ballot in November, after the Illinois State Board of Elections ruled on Tuesday that they had not gathered enough signatures on their nominating petitions.
Chicago Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) and Mayra Macias, former executive director of the Latino Victory Project, both needed to file 10,816 valid signatures to appear on the ballot. While both of them submitted 17,304 signatures, the maximum number allowed, after challenges to their petitions, Illinois State Board of Elections general counsel Marni Malowitz determined they did not have enough valid signatures.
Malowitz said, following a review of their petitions, Macias had filed 9,758 valid signatures and Sigcho-Lopez filed 9,594 valid signatures, leaving both of them more than 1,000 valid signatures short.
After Malowitz presented her findings on Tuesday, the board voted unanimously to keep both Macias and Sigcho-Lopez off the ballot in November.
Both candidates lamented the board's decision during the hearing.
"I believe Democracy is strongest when voters have real choices," Macias said.
Sigcho-Lopez vowed to go to court to challenge the board's ruling, saying he would take the fight all the way to the Illinois Supreme Court if needed.
"Today, we see unethical attorneys, unethical lobbyists, they're stealing this election. This is a shame for our state, disenfranchising Latino and Latina voters," Sigcho-Lopez said. "Today, democracy dies, and the trust of the people dies."
Both Macias and Sigcho-Lopez had launched independent campaigns for Garcia's seat in the 4th Congressional District after he waited until just hours before the filing deadline for the March 17 primary election to drop out of the race, clearing the way for his chief of staff, Patty Garcia (no relation) to be the only Democratic candidate on the ballot.
The Illinois State Board of Elections decision to keep Macias and Sigcho-Lopez off the November ballot leaves only one independent candidate on the ballot: Lyons Mayor Chris Getty, whose nominating petitions were not challenged. Lupe Castillo will be the only Republican on the ballot after running unopposed in the GOP primary.
While independent candidates must gather more than 10,000 signatures to appear on the ballot for a congressional seat in Illinois, established party candidates like Garcia face a much lower threshold. Patty Garcia needed to gather only 697 valid signatures to get on the ballot.
Rep. Garcia is one of five Illinois Democrats who are not running for re-election to Congress in November.
Reps. Danny Davis and Jan Schakowsky are retiring after both have served nearly 30 years in Congress. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly opted not to run for re-election in failed bids to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin. Lt. Gov. Julianna Stratton won the Democratic primary for Durbin's seat, defeating Krishnamoorthi, Kelly, and several other candidates.
