Cook County GOP Challenges Electoral Board Decision Over Petition Affidavits (Chicago, IL) – The Cook County Republican Party is appealing a decision by the Cook County Officers Electoral Board that allowed Julie Cho to remain on the ballot for New Trier Township Republican Committeeperson, arguing the board failed to review sworn affidavits raising questions about how her nominating petitions were circulated.
Party Chairman Aaron Del Mar, joined by township and ward committeepersons and state party officials, said the board improperly declined to consider notarized affidavits from petition circulators who contend that Cho falsely certified that she personally collected certain signatures submitted with her nomination papers.
According to party officials, the affidavits were submitted by volunteers who say they gathered and witnessed signatures on six petition sheets containing a total of 60 signatures later certified by Cho. Under Illinois election law, petition circulators must personally witness each signature they attest to collecting.
In addition to the circulator affidavits, party leaders cited a separate sworn statement from an individual who said she and her husband were residents of another state and informed Cho of that fact, but were nonetheless asked to sign petition sheets listing them as New Trier Township residents. The electoral board declined to consider that affidavit as well, according to the party.
The Cook County Republican Party said an appeal will be filed in Cook County Circuit Court seeking judicial review of the board’s decision. Attorneys Christine Svenson and Jeffrey Meyer are representing the objector, Charles Hutchinson of Wilmette.
Del Mar said the board’s refusal to review the affidavits undermines confidence in the election process. “When residents come forward under oath to clarify how signatures were collected, the Electoral Board has a responsibility to review that evidence,” he said. “Refusing to do so undermines public confidence in the process.”
Julie Cho is not a first-time candidate, Del Mar added, noting that this would be her fifth appearance on the ballot. “She knows the rules,” he said. “When sworn affidavits contradict how petitions were collected, those facts deserve scrutiny.”
During public comment before the board, Joan McCarthy Lasonde, the 9th District state central committeeperson, criticized the decision, arguing that Illinois law clearly requires circulators to witness signatures firsthand. She said the evidence presented showed multiple petition pages were not circulated by the person who certified them and argued that removing those pages would have disqualified Cho from the ballot.
Svenson, attorney for the objector, said the affidavits uncovered during the review process directly contradicted the sworn circulator statements filed with Cho’s petitions. “Those affidavits go to the heart of petition validity,” Svenson said. “The Board’s refusal to consider them elevates procedure over truth.”
Ed Lapinski, Elk Grove Township committeeman and secretary of the Cook County Republican Party, said circulator affidavits are sworn legal documents, not technicalities. “When individuals come forward under oath stating that they personally circulated petitions later certified by someone else, the Board has an obligation to review that testimony,” he said.
T.J. Brown, Northfield Township Republican committeeman, said he personally notarized the affidavits of two volunteers whose statements were not reviewed by the board. Brown argued that the issue was not with the volunteers but with how their work was later certified. He also noted that Cho is seeking re-election to a position that helps oversee elections, which he said requires a high standard of compliance with election law.
The Cook County Republican Party said the dispute centers on ballot integrity, respect for sworn testimony and public trust in the election process. Del Mar called on Cho to withdraw her candidacy and resign her post, and urged the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office to investigate the matter.
“When sworn testimony is ignored, voters lose confidence,” Del Mar said.
Cook County GOP Challenges Electoral Board Decision Over Petition Affidavits
