JOLIET – Barbara Guerrero, a Democratic candidate for Will County circuit clerk, could very well fall short of the 666 signatures necessary to appear on the March primary ballot, according to the objector's attorney.
“By our tally, it appears to show she will come up about 46 short,” Joliet attorney Gary Mueller said Wednesday, noting his tally is preliminary and pending review of the Will County State's Attorney's Office.
A ruling by the three-member Will County Officers Electoral Board is expected Friday.
Mueller is representing Derrick E. Barry, of Naperville, who filed challenges this month to 514 of the 910 signatures obtained by Guerrero. Mueller said his client filed objections because he was interested in making sure the petition process was properly followed.
Guerrero said Wednesday she believes she was personally targeted because her opponents did not want her on the ballot.
“They were afraid. Because they knew that I would be a threat to them," said Guerrero, who works as a deputy chief in the Circuit Clerk's Office.
If Guerrero is kicked off the ballot, Andrea Chasteen and Robert Enright will be the only two Democrats running in the party's primary. Chasteen has been endorsed by Circuit Clerk Pam McGuire, who has decided not to seek a sixth term. Marlene M. Carlson, a Republican, is also running for circuit clerk.
Charles Pelkie, spokesman for the State's Attorney's Office, which is reviewing the tallies, said Wednesday the office could not comment while the matter is under review.
During a seven hour hearing Tuesday, members of the Officers Electoral Board conducted “binder checks” to compare petition signatures with those on voter registrations and to confirm the validity of addresses provided on the petitions.
Many signatures were stricken because they were printed, while others were stricken because the signers were not registered voters or addresses did not exist.
"Honestly, like I said, when you go door to door, you're expecting people to be forward and honest, like you're being forward with them," Guerrero said.
Guerrero said the board, in some instances, compared voters' 2015 signatures to signatures from as far back as the 1970s.
"A lot of the signatures that were kicked out weren't updated. Any person's signature can change over the years," Guerrero said.
Some signatures were those of deceased individuals. While it was determined that at least one individual died after penning a signature, the person was already deceased in at least one other instance.
"You can have two people in the family with the same name. Who's to say that wasn't the case?" Guerrero said.