Judge Harrison upholds Alton Electoral Board's decision in Rauschkolb case

EDWARDSVILLE – After contesting the Alton Electoral Board’s ruling that he could not run on the Alton ballot for mayor on April 4, 2017, Dan Rauschkolb took it to Madison County Circuit Court.

Earlier on Thursday, Judge Clarence W. Harrison ruled in favor of the Alton Electoral Board’s decision.

Both Rauschkolb and Joshua Young will be able to run in the Alton general mayor election in April as write-in candidates. Young and Alton citizen Pat Schwarte cited a 2016 Illinois Appellate case of Rudd vs. Lake County Electoral Board in which party switching is not allowed in elections. The ruling said that if someone runs in the primary and affiliate themselves with a party they cannot switch parties or run as an independent in the general election.

Rauschkolb switched parties; he originally filed to run for mayor as a Democrat which would have necessitated a primary because Joshua Young filed as a Democrat as well. Neither man provided a statement of economic interest on time, according to Alton City Clerk Mary Boulds, meaning neither could run on the ballot as a Democrat. Once Rauschkolb  discovered he couldn’t run as a Democrat, he then applied to run as an independent.

“It is clear that my opponents have no confidence in their ability to succeed in this election with me on the ballot, so they have gone to great lengths to deprive the citizens from seeing my name on the ballot,” Rasukolb said. “The citizens, however, have proven in the last election that they can think for themselves and they can “write in” their choice in leadership.

There has never been a primary election for a race in Madison County and Madison County Clerk Debra Ming-Mendoza said it would have been required if both men were able to run as Democrats.

Attorney John Stobbs, who represented Schwarte, said the person at fault in the case is Rauschkolb for not filling out the paperwork properly and he said he was very happy with the judge’s decision.

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