Jason Decker Runs for Cook County Commisioner District 5, Libertarian Party Sues Cook County Clerk to Get Candidates on the Ballot
Jason Decker Runs for Cook County Commisioner District 5, Libertarian Party Sues Cook County Clerk to Get Candidates on the Ballot (Midlothian, IL) A complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division seeks to compel Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough to accept nomination papers from Libertarian candidates for the June 28, 2022 primary election as established party candidates under provisions found in Article 7 of the election code.
Section 7-2 of the election code confirms that a political party which receives more than
5% of the vote in the last general election is declared to be an established party. The
Libertarian Party received more than 6% of the vote for Cook County States Attorney in
the election of 2020.
Libertarian Party Chair
Libertarian Party of Illinois State Chair Steve Suess said, "I wish I could say I was
surprised. Libertarians, independents, and other parties not fitting within the boundaries
of the political duopoly are continuously denied equal access to the ballot all around the
country. Luckily, we have the law on our side this time."
Clerk Yarbrough maintains the candidates for county board do not qualify for
established party status after redistricting. However, since all commissioner districts fall
within the borders of Cook County, established party status should extend to all
candidates running for offices where those voting districts are entirely within county
boundaries.
Cook County Libertarian Party Chair Justin Tucker said, “This is a true example of
rigging elections through the elimination of choice. Poll after poll shows voters want
more choices at the polls on Election Day and Clerk Karen Yarbrough is denying voters
more cho. This is another sad instance of Chicago-style politics.”
Cook County Commissioner Candidate James Humay
Cook County District 1 candidate James Humay said in a statement, “It has been over a
decade since the voters of District 1 have had more than one candidate on the ballot. It
appears that the County Clerk is only interested in maintaining and consolidating power
for her party and political allies, rather than allowing for the free will of the district's
constituency. I strongly urge Clerk Yarbrough to reconsider her decision and grant
established party status to Libertarian candidates running for county board."
District 5 candidate Jason Ross Decker announced "We must be granted the ballot
access we deserve, to give the people of Cook County a choice other than the same
group of people controlling the County's business and our lives for decades. To be denied would be disheartening and make voters lose even more faith in their County
Government."
The complaint is being filed by the Libertarian Party of Illinois, state and local party
executive officers, party candidates for county board and concerned citizens. It asserts
that the Cook County Clerk and Board of Election Commissioners are willfully violating
the First and Fourteenth Amendment rights of the plaintiffs.
Voting Rights
While Democrats in Washington D.C. argue for legislation to protect voting rights, in
Cook County, the Democratic machine has no interest in fair ballot access and is
actively working to deny voters from having a choice of candidates. The Libertarian
Party of Chicago and Cook County Libertarian Party believe all voices have the right to
be heard in the voting booth and that restrictive ballot access laws inhibit the democratic
process.
Jason Decker Runs for Cook County Commisioner District 5, Libertarian Party Sues Cook County Clerk to Get Candidates on the Ballot
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