Progressive Ald. Byron Sigcho-López sues to run as independent in Illinois’ 4th Congressional District race
Progressive Chicago Ald. Byron Sigcho-López has filed a lawsuit against the Illinois State Board of Elections and its members in a last-ditch effort to gain a spot on the 4th Congressional District ballot.
The long-shot lawsuit filed Friday comes after the board determined late last month that Sigcho-López and another progressive who had been looking to run as an independent, Mayra Macías, did not collect enough signatures to appear on the November ballot. But Sigcho-López argued Monday that the decision was based on unfair rules that must be struck down.
“We spent weeks collecting signatures from thousands of voters only to have them challenged one by one in a rushed process where we had basically no time to defend them. That’s not protecting elections,” Sigcho-López said in a statement. “That’s protecting the status quo and rigging the system for party bosses.”
The lawsuit calls for Sigcho-López to be included on the ballot and for state law governing independent runs for office to b…