9th District Candidate's Signature Forged

WILMETTE, IL - A candidate in the 2016 Republican primary for the U.S. House of Representatives 9th District in Illinois says someone forged her signature on a petition objecting to one of her opponents.

Joan Lasonde, of Wilmette, called police after being informed her name and address were included on a petition against Susanne Atanus, who is also seeking the 9th District representative spot - according to a Chicago Tribune report. David Earl Williams III is also in the Republican primary. The winner will face incumbent Democrat Jan Schakowsky.

Lasonde recently received a letter from the Illinois State Board of Elections stating her objection to Atanus’ candidacy had been rejected since it was not filed correctly.

Her response, in effect, was ‘what objection?’

“I felt totally violated,” Lasonde said. “I was very upset. I’m no wimp, but I had tears in my eyes,” adding she feels she is running “a positive campaign” and that she would never object to an opponent.

“That’s why we have elections.”

She said the signature on the returned objector’s petition was not hers, but “it looked like someone tried to make it look like mine.”

The situation is a new one to Ken Menzel of the elections board, who said the incident is “silly” and likely “a juvenile prank.”

From the Chicago Tribune:

“Lasonde’s objection was rejected when it arrived because petition objections must, by state statute, include both the objection and two copies, and the envelope contained only the original objection.

It was returned to Lasonde because hers was the address on the envelope in which it arrived at the board.”

more via the Chicago Tribune