By the end of next week, Rock Island County voters may know which candidates for state's attorney will be on the ballot in March.
Four people filed objections to the petitions submitted by three democratic candidates -- Assistant State's Attorney Calvin Dane, Defense Attorney Herb Schultz, and current Rock Island County State's Attorney Dora Villareal. Two of the objectors are related to Ron Stradt, a democrat who's also running for state's attorney. He is currently a staff attorney for the Illinois Education Association.
County Clerk Karen Kinney says the reasons for challenging the petitions were similar for all three candidates, calling some of the reasons "nitpicking."
At a hearing on Monday, Kinney and Treasurer Louisa Ewert recused themselves from sitting on the electoral board for Villareal's case.
The panel also includes Circuit Clerk Tammy Weikert.
The county sheriff and a person appointed by the chief judge will serve on the board instead of Kinney and Ewert for the challenge to Villareal's petition.
And hearing has been scheduled for the day after Christmas.
For the challenges to Dane's and Schultz's petitions, Kinney says "letters of decision" will be presented at a hearing on Monday morning.
Four years ago, the Rock Island County Electoral Board threw out the petition of Jack Schwartz, who also wanted to run for state's attorney. The board ruled 30 pages of the petition incorrectly listed who gathered the signatures.
