The Madison County Board voted to include on the ballot an advisory resolution supporting “fair and impartial ballot access in Illinois.”
The resolution passed unanimously out of the Executive Committee before it was then approved by the full board on Jan. 17.
The resolution states that “the right to vote is a fundamental American right, and ensuring fair and impartial access to the ballot for all qualified candidates is crucial for maintaining public trust in the electoral process.”
Mick Madison
| Madison County Board
The resolution urges the Illinois State Board of Elections to apply criteria for ballot access, including filing deadlines and petition requirements, objectively and consistently to all candidates “regardless of their political affiliation, background, or past accusations that have not resulted in a criminal conviction.”
“[D]enying ballot access based on unproven allegations undermines the presumption of innocence and jeopardizes the fundamental right to participate in the democratic process,” the resolution states.
“Now, therefore, be it resolved, the Illinois State Board of Elections should uphold its commitment to fair and open elections by ensuring that all qualified candidates who meet the established legal requirements for ballot access are permitted to appear on the ballot, including those who have been accused but not convicted of a crime,” it continues.
The resolution urges state officials and election authorities prioritize election integrity and ensure accurate ballot counts while “facilitating open and impartial access to the ballot box for all eligible candidates.”
During the County Board meeting, board member Alison Lamothe (D-Edwardsville) said she was abstaining from the vote.
“In summary,” she said, “I acknowledge that I am in the minority on this board and that my Republican colleagues feel compelled to send a message to the Illinois State Board of Elections, but I cannot in good faith support this resolution nor vote against the spirit of free and fair elections.”
Lamothe said she believes the resolution was introduced in response to an objection to former President Donald Trump’s inclusion on Illinois’ Republican primary ballot, which was filed Jan. 4 by Illinois residents Steven Daniel Anderson, Charles J. Holley, Jack L. Hickman, Ralph E. Cintron, and Darryl P. Baker.
The objectors rely on the 14th Amendment’s Insurrectionist Disqualification Clause, holding Trump accountable for the protest at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2020.
“An individual need not personally commit an act of violence to have ‘engaged’ in insurrection,” the objection states.
Lamothe said the resolution ignores the allegations against Trump.
“One of my issues with the resolution is that it makes no mention of the actual grounds upon which objections to the former president’s placement on our ballot were based,” she said.
She said that “even if Trump has successfully delayed decisions” on the criminal indictments regarding the Jan. 6, 2020, allegations, he has been convicted of other conduct “that would destroy the aspirations of just about any other political candidate.”
Lamothe added that only the Illinois State Board of Elections has the authority to decide who appears on the ballot.
The Board of Elections held a special meeting on Jan. 17 to discuss the objection. The full Board of Elections will vote on their recommendations on Jan. 30.
County Board member and Chairman Pro-Tem Mick Madison (R-Bethalto) said the advisory resolution sends a message to the Illinois State Board of Election to be fair. He said Lamothe’s statement “is the reason this resolution was written.”
He explained that anyone could accuse a political candidate of anything, regardless of truth, in an effort to sabotage their inclusion on the ballot.
“We have one political party going after their political opposition, and they’re using the courts to do it,” he said.
Madison added that the board room isn’t a courtroom.
Board member Paul Nicolussi (R-Collinsville) asked a representative of the State’s Attorney’s Office if the state can supersede the federal government in the federal election to take someone off the ballot.
She responded that if a candidate in the county has pending objections to their candidacy, they are barred from appearing on the ballot until the objections are resolved.
“When it comes time to print the ballots, if those objections are still pending, we cannot, by law, put that person on the ballot,” she said.