County Board Candidate Charged With Perjury, Forgery: Attorney General

SPRINGFIELD, IL — A former Sangamon County Board candidate is accused of using forged petition signatures in his election bid and could face prison time, according to state authorities.

Attorney General Kwame Raoul charged Donald Anderson, 44, of Springfield, with four counts of perjury and four counts of forgery, Raoul announced in a news release. Both charges are Class 3 felonies punishable by up to five years in prison, authorities said.

“Any candidate for public office in Illinois must follow election law, which starts with obtaining genuine signatures from members of your community,” Raoul said in the news release. “Individuals who aspire to serve the public in elected office cannot violate the public’s trust from the outset, and I appreciate the work of the Springfield Police Department in investigating this case.”

Anderson was a candidate for Sangamon County Board in July 2022 and is accused of delivering both pages of petitions with inauthentic signatures, according to authorities. He falsely swore in his circulator’s affidavit that he saw the voters sign the petition and that the signatures were genuine, authorities said, adding that Anderson withdrew his petition before the election took place.

He was appointed to run as a Republican for the District 18 seat and required nine valid signatures to be on the ballot, The State Journal-Register reported last summer.

Anderson was indicted May 24 and pleaded not guilty Thursday in Sangamon County court, according to authorities. His next court date is scheduled for July 31.