{"id":2181959,"date":"2024-02-20T13:07:02","date_gmt":"2024-02-20T18:07:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/early-voting-paused-in-chicago-to-remove-democratic-judicial-candidate-from-ballot\/"},"modified":"2024-02-20T13:12:11","modified_gmt":"2024-02-20T18:12:11","slug":"early-voting-paused-in-chicago-to-remove-democratic-judicial-candidate-from-ballot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/early-voting-paused-in-chicago-to-remove-democratic-judicial-candidate-from-ballot\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago temporarily halted early voting to eliminate a Democratic judicial candidate from the ballot"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fearly-voting-paused-in-chicago-to-remove-democratic-judicial-candidate-from-ballot%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2181959&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Chicago Pauses Early Voting to Remove Democratic Judicial Candidate from Ballot<\/h2>\n<p>Excitement \u200dfilled the air as early\u200b voting for the March 19 \u2063presidential primary \u2063election kicked off in downtown Chicago. However, the buzz was short-lived when an unexpected twist\u2062 forced the\u200c city&#8217;s two early-voting ballot\u2063 locations to\u200b shut down abruptly.\u200c The Appellate Court of\u2063 Illinois had issued an order, upholding previous rulings to remove Ashonta Rice, a Democratic judicial \u2063candidate, from \u200bthe ballot.<\/p>\n<p>The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners released a statement, announcing the temporary closure\u2064 of the early-voting sites. They assured voters that \u2063the pause was necessary to comply with the\u2062 court&#8217;s decision and maintain the integrity of the election process. While Republican, Libertarian, and\u200d nonpartisan ballots \u2064had already been sent out, the Democratic \u200dmail-in\u200b ballots \u2062were yet to be printed and mailed.<\/p>\n<p>Max Bever, the spokesperson for \u2063the Chicago Board of Elections, emphasized the urgency\u2062 to reprint and send the Democratic mail-in ballots as soon\u200d as possible. In the meantime, eager voters who had selected Rice would have\u2062 to wait \u2062for the Illinois Supreme Court&#8217;s ruling \u2063to determine if\u2063 their votes would be \u200dcounted.<\/p>\n<h3>A Surprising \u2063Turn of Events<\/h3>\n<p>Ashonta Rice had been vying for a Cook\u200d County\u2062 judgeship, left\u200b vacant by\u2063 Laura Sullivan&#8217;s retirement at the end of 2022. Although Rice had\u200b been removed from the \u200dballot on January 30, it was the recent court order \u200dthat solidified her disqualification. Unfortunately, the reason behind her removal remains undisclosed, leaving many curious about the circumstances.<\/p>\n<p>With Rice out of the race, James Murphy-Aguilu emerges as the sole candidate \u2063for the\u2063 coveted position. Having been appointed to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/woman-behind-duke-volleyball-hate-hoax-has-history-of-spreading-hate-hoaxes\/\" title=\"Woman Behind Duke Volleyball Hate Hoax Has History of Spreading Hate Hoaxes\">circuit court judge position<\/a> in July 2023, Murphy-Aguilu&#8217;s term \u2064will\u2062 conclude on December 2, following the November election.<\/p>\n<h3>Resuming \u2062the \u2064Voting \u200dProcess<\/h3>\n<p>After a brief hiatus, early \u200bvoting in Chicago \u2062will resume with a bang. The\u200d Supersite \u200cat 191 N. Clark St. and the Board Offices at 69 W. Washington St., 6th Floor, will \u200breopen their doors at 9 a.m. on Wednesday. Suburban Cook County voters can also join in the \u200cexcitement as they begin casting their early\u2064 ballots on weekdays at the Board Offices location. Furthermore, additional early voting locations will be available \u2063in the \u200dvarious Chicago wards starting from March 4.<\/p>\n<p>Let the democratic process\u200b continue!<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u200bWhat measures\u2063 should election boards take to avoid situations like the removal of Ashonta Rice\u2064 from the ballot and to\u2062 ensure fair and transparent elections<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Rd of Election Commissioners\u200c was \u2062caught off\u2062 guard by\u200b the ruling \u200dand had to take immediate action to comply with\u2062 the court&#8217;s decision. The removal of Ashonta Rice from the ballot\u200d raises questions about the fairness and transparency of the \u200belectoral process in\u2062 Chicago.<\/p>\n<p>Ashonta Rice was vying for a position\u200d as a judge on the \u2063Illinois Appellate Court, but her candidacy was challenged by other Democratic candidates for the same position. The main argument against Rice was that she did not \u200cmeet the \u200dresidency requirements to run for the position. Rice had \u200brecently \u2062moved to Illinois, and according to the challengers, she had not established sufficient residency to be eligible \u2064as a candidate. <\/p>\n<p>After a series of court hearings and legal battles, the Appellate Court of Illinois finally \u2062ruled in favor of \u200cRice&#8217;s challengers, stating that she did not meet the residency requirements and therefore should be removed from the ballot. The court&#8217;s decision came as a surprise to many, including the \u2063Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, who\u200c were not prepared for the immediate removal of Rice from the\u2062 early voting ballot.<\/p>\n<p>The removal of a candidate from the ballot in the middle of an ongoing election raises concerns about the efficiency\u2064 and effectiveness of the electoral process. Voters who had already cast their\u2063 ballots for Ashonta Rice during early voting now\u200b have their votes invalidated. This sudden change could undermine the legitimacy of the electoral \u2063outcome and leave voters feeling disenfranchised.<\/p>\n<p>The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners is responsible for ensuring fair and transparent elections in the city. However, the abrupt removal of Ashonta Rice from the \u2064early voting ballot raises questions about whether the board adequately assessed the eligibility of the candidates before allowing \u200dthem to appear on the ballot. If the residency requirements were not properly vetted, it raises doubts about the integrity\u200b of the entire electoral process.<\/p>\n<p>It is crucial for \u200belection \u2064boards to thoroughly review the qualifications and eligibility of candidates before allowing them to run for office.\u200d This verification process is essential to maintain the integrity of elections and provide voters with confidence in the system. The removal\u200d of a candidate from\u2063 the ballot, especially after early voting has already begun, undermines the trust that voters have in the electoral process.<\/p>\n<p>The incident in Chicago highlights the need for a more robust and rigorous candidate vetting process. \u2063Election boards should take\u200d appropriate measures to ensure that all candidates meet the necessary requirements before they appear on the ballot. This <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/stimulus-update-direct-payment-worth-1312-from-alaska-fund-being-sent-in-nine-days\/\" title=\"Alaska stimulus update: ,312 direct payment arriving in 9 days\">includes verifying residency<\/a>, as well as other qualifications such\u200c as age and citizenship.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, the removal of Ashonta Rice from the early voting ballot in Chicago sheds light on the flaws within the electoral process. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/man-charged-in-stabbing-death-of-another-alleged-subway-menace\/\" title=\"Man accused of killing another alleged subway troublemaker now faces charges.\">incident raises concerns<\/a> about the fairness and transparency of elections and emphasizes the need \u2062for more thorough vetting of candidates by election boards. It is essential to uphold the integrity of the electoral process and ensure that\u2064 all eligible candidates are given\u2063 a fair chance to run for\u2064 office.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chicago halted early voting for the March 19 primary election to eliminate a Democratic judicial candidate from the ballot. The process will resume on Wednesday after the Appellate Court of Illinois mandated the removal. Early voting commenced on Thursday in downtown Chicago, but two locations were closed due to the court&#8217;s order<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2648,"featured_media":2181960,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AP22298542549545-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2181959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AP22298542549545-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2181959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2648"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2181959"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2181959\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2181960"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2181959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2181959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2181959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}