Petition Filed in Illinois to Bar Trump from Republican Primary

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — In an effort to prevent former President Donald Trump from appearing on the Republican primary election ballot in Illinois in March, a petition has been filed by five voters. The petition argues that Trump is ineligible to hold office due to his alleged role in encouraging and failing to intervene in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Similar petitions have been filed in numerous other states, making use of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. This section prohibits individuals who have previously taken an oath to defend the Constitution from holding office if they have later engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the country, or provided support to its enemies.

The petition, a lengthy 87-page document signed by individuals from various parts of the state, presents the case that Trump, having lost the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden, played a key role in inciting his staunch supporters to storm the Capitol on the day when Congress certified the election results. The resulting riot led to the deaths of five people and left over 100 injured.

Trump's name has already been removed from primary election ballots in Colorado and Maine. In response, Trump has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, seeking to overturn the Colorado Supreme Court ruling from December.

As of Thursday afternoon, the Illinois State Board of Elections had not scheduled a hearing for the petition. However, they are set to address 32 other objections regarding the proposed ballot at their meeting on January 11.

From the archives (December 2023): Police investigating 'incidents' against Colorado justices after Trump removed from state's ballot