Lawyer: Challenges to Biden Candidacy "Foolish"
President Joe Biden visits a Kankakee County farm in 2022.
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Multiple conservative activists have challenged President Joe Biden’s nominating petitions for the March primary. Numerous election lawyers in Illinois and Washington believe there is little substance to the challenges.
One, which received widespread social media attention this weekend, claimed Biden was ineligible for the ballot because he used an out-of-state notary for his filing documents (because, apparently, he’s expected to fly to Chicago on Air Force One to get his Statement of Candidacy notarized at a Chase branch.)
Three minutes of searching on the Illinois State Board of Elections website debunked the claim:
Must the notary reside in Illinois, and may the notary also be a signatory of the petition?
Under the provisions of the Uniform Recognition of Acknowledgements Act (765 ILCS 30/1 et seq.), notarial acts may be performed outside of Illinois for use in Illinois.
Another, filed in part by former U.S. Senate candidate Peggy Hubbard, claim Biden has “given aid or comfort to the enemies” of the United States.
“This is insane,” one election attorney told us after reading the objection to Biden’s candidacy. “Foolish conspiracy theories like this are why nobody takes this process seriously.”
But the motives are clear. In a release issued Wednesday, Timothy Conrad, one of the objectors, explained the attack on Biden’s candidacy.
“The tables must be flipped over,” he said. “Our Constitution only works if people defend it. That is what American’s (sic) do.”
“This is going to get laughed out of the room,” a Republican attorney said.
The State Board of Elections begins hearing objections Wednesday.