First filings indicate big 2012 election
By Steve Lord slord@stmedianetwork.com November 28, 2011 10:46AM
Former mayor Bill Santo of Carpentersville, running for Kane County Board chairman, and Angie Greviskes of Aurora, running for Kane County Board 6th District, talk with others seeking to file their petitions at the Kane County clerk's office in Geneva on
Updated: December 30, 2011 8:04AM
GENEVA — The length of the line at the Kane County Clerk’s office Monday morning indicated high interest in the elections of 2012.
About 50 people — either filing election petitions for themselves or for others — packed a room at the clerk’s office before 8:30 a.m. seeking to be the first to file and gain that coveted first ballot position.
Even before that, at about 6:30 a.m., people began lining up in the cold and some early snow flurries to file for their respective county offices.
“This is going to be a big election,” said County Clerk Jack Cunningham, surveying the crowd patiently awaiting the opening of filing.
The first-to-file honor went to Robert Sauceda of South Elgin, who stood in line early to turn in his papers for the Republican nomination in the 16th County Board District.
Even though he was first in line, however, Sauceda might not necessarily have the top-of-the-ballot position. At least one opponent, incumbent County Board member Michael Kenyon, also of South Elgin, was in line before 8:30 a.m. That means they, like many candidates, will participate in a lottery to see whose name actually ends up first on the ballot.
Cunningham said the lottery will be Dec. 5 or 6.
Also participating in that lottery will be State Sen. Chris Lauzen of Aurora and Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns, who both filed their petitions for County Board chairman.
But just what does it mean to be first on the ballot? No one can say definitively, but it has been a long held belief that being first has some value.
Cunningham said that might go back to the paper ballot days, where it was considered valuable to be first on the ballot, and also to have the longest name. That’s why many office seekers add nicknames and middle names to their filing monikers.
“First or last is usually where you want to be,” said County Board member Jim Mitchell of North Aurora, who is not running himself but was at the clerk’s office early Monday to file papers for another candidate.
While ballot position may mean something, or may just be a superstition, the election itself will be important, Cunningham said. And he added that willingness to stand in the cold or sit in a room for a while might indicate a candidate’s interest.
“Just think of how many millions of taxpayers’ dollars these people will oversee, or decide how to spend,” he said.
Filing for county and state legislative positions runs through Dec. 5.
Filings for primaries for area congressional races has been postponed to Dec. 23-27 by a federal court. The court is considering a lawsuit filed by Republicans challenging Illinois’ new congressional district maps, which were drawn by Democrats.
The primary election will be March 20. The general election is set for Nov. 6.
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