2 independent candidates in Illinois 4th Congressional District race off ballot
CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Illinois State Board of Elections on Tuesday rejected a last minute appeals from independent candidates Byron Sigcho-Lopez and Mayra Macias, removing both from the fall ballot in the race to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia.
The board unanimously ruled that neither candidate had enough valid petition signatures to qualify.
The decision, while expected, left both candidates sharply criticizing the process.
"I understand that the intent of the objection process is to ensure that candidates are viable, have community support, and they're not submitting false signatures. But the spirit of the law is being completely broken in this race," Macias said.
Sigcho-Lopez, who faced the same petition challenge, called the outcome discriminatory.
"This is a shame on our state disenfranchising Latina, Latino voters," he said.
The objections were filed in connection with Garcia's withdrawal from the race, which came late in the filing period.
Garcia's move drew criti…