Thomas Boken Jr. of DeKalb will be on the general election ballot as a Democratic candidate for the 90th House District seat being vacated by state Rep. Jerry Mitchell, R-Sterling, who is retiring after serving for 18 years.
The State Officers Electoral Board on Monday rejected an objection to Boken’s candidacy filed by Lee County Republican Party Chairman Greg Witzleb had objected to 178 signatures on Boken’s petitions.
Witzleb, a Dixon resident and Lee County Board member, said some signatures were not genuine, some signers lived out of the district or were not registered at the address given, and some incomplete addresses. He also said Boken’s petitions did not have consistent headings.
Hearing officer Phil Krasny agreed that 60 of the 594 signatures didn’t meet requirements.
That left Boken with 534 valid signatures. He needed at least 500.
Democratic leaders chose Boken to run against Tom Demmer of Dixon in the redrawn district, which includes parts of Lee, Ogle, DeKalb and LaSalle counties.
Krasny also found that although there were some inconsistencies in other signatures, they were valid under the doctrine of “substantial compliance.”
Election boards and courts tend to avoid denying ballot access for technical issues, Krasny wrote in his findings and recommendation report.