Harold G. Downs and Kirk Mottram

The Democratic field for Secretary of State narrowed to two candidates Wednesday after the Illinois Board of Elections voted unanimously to throw state Sen. Penny Severns, D-Decatur, off the March primary ballot because of fraudulent nominating petitions.

Severns opponent, Orland Park Police Chief Tim McCarthy, protested the petitions, claiming she did not have the required 5,000 signatures because thousands of names had been forged or mistakenly included.

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Following a recommendation from hearing officer Carl Draper, who suggested Severns did not have enough signatures to vie for Secretary of State, the board wrestled with the decision for hours and ultimately concluded that about 3,000 of the 8,000 signatures submitted were either forgeries, unregistered voters, or haphazardly compiled.

In a statement released after the decision, McCarthy said:I believe that the board’s unanimous decision vindicates my position that petition fraud must not be tolerated in our election process. I am pleased that the State Board of Elections has upheld the law for ballot access and recognizes that all candidates must play by the same rules.

Kitty Kurth, a spokesman for McCarthy, said Severns’ campaign workers violated the law and that caused her ouster.

They were just bad petitions, Kurth said. They (Severns’ workers) did not follow the letter of the law. They didn’t even follow the spirit of the law.

This neither hurts nor helps our campaign, but everyone should follow the rules of ballot access.

With Severns out of the race, McCarthy will battle Jesse White, Cook County Recorder of Deeds, for her support base. Since Severns received only 200 signatures from Decatur, Kurth said she doubted Severns ever had a base.

Severns could not be reached for comment.

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Barb Brown, an SIUC lecturer in political science and a candidate for state Senate, called Severns’ exit from the race a real disappointment.

I hold her in such high regard as a person of great integrity, she said.

It’s extremely unfortunate but, ultimately, candidates have to assume responsibility for the people who work for them. But in a situation like this it’s really difficult.

That’s one of the reasons people go out and get more signatures because some of your signatures will always be thrown off.

Brown and Severns attended SIUC at the same time. Brown said Severns was her mentor and a major force behind her political aspirations.

She was the [resident assistant] on my floor when I lived in Mae Smith, Brown said. We’ve been friends ever since. I really attribute my involvement in politics to her.