Objector petitioned for judicial review of Electoral Board’s denial of objector’s challenge to nominating petitions filed by candidates for village president that did not contain statutory minimum number of signatures from persons who voted in most recent election, based on determination that candidates reasonably relied on representations by village president that, presumably due to COVID-19 pandemic, candidates needed to obtain signatures from only one percent of voters.
The Circuit Court affirmed, and objector appealed. The Appellate Court affirmed. Objector filed petitions for leave to appeal. Petitions were granted and consolidated.
The Supreme Court held that statute governing signature requirements for nominating petitions for candidate for village president was mandatory and required strict compliance, regardless of whether candidates may have relied on representations of village clerk to contrary, overruling Merz v. Volberding, 94 Ill. App. 3d 1111, 50 Ill.Dec. 520, 419 N.E.2d 628, and Atkinson v. Schelling, 370 Ill.Dec. 502, 988 N.E.2d 700.