Former US President Donald Trump will remain on the upcoming Illinois primary election ballot for the 2024 presidential election cycle, according to a Tuesday decision from the Illinois State Board of Elections. The unanimous vote from the bipartisan board signaled that a challenge to Trump’s ability to appear on the ballot is better addressed by the courts than the board. The challenge, like the one the US Supreme Court agreed to take up from Colorado, dealt with Trump’s eligibility to appear on the state’s ballot based on Section 3 of the US Constitution’s Fourteenth Amendment—what is commonly known as the “disqualification clause.”
This decision followed guidance from retired Judge Clark Erickson. Erickson formerly presided over a detailed evidentiary hearing on the issue. He advised the board that it does not possess the legal mandate to delve into a complex constitutional analysis of Trump’s involvement in the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot—which was at the heart of the disqualification challenge.
Last month, a group of Illinois voters contested Trump’s eligibility to appear on the state’s ballot based on section 3. The voters pointed to Trump’s involvement in the Capitol riot and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, which Trump lost to current President Joe Biden. Following the decision, the group said in a statement that they would immediately appeal, and expect the issues to be resolved in their favor by the Illinois courts.
Trump also spoke to the board’s decision on Truth Social. He praised the board’s decision as a victory for protecting American citizens from what he calls “Radical Left Lunatics.”
Trump currently faces challenges to his presidential bid in dozens of states. Although rulings in Colorado and Maine found Trump is ineligible to appear on their respective states’ ballots, those decisions have not yet been fully executed while the US Supreme Court deliberates on appeal from Colorado. The US Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on the issue on February 8, with a decision expected some time after that.
