A judge has allowed Juan Beto Ruiz, who is challenging incumbent Esiah Campos in the Lake County Board District 16 race, to remain on the ballot amid an appeal after he was previously removed in a rare set of events.
Juan Roberto “Beto” Ruiz is challenging incumbent Esiah Campos in the primary election for Lake County Board District 16, which encompasses Round Lake Beach, Round Lake Heights, Round Lake Park and part of Round Lake.
Ruiz’s candidate petitions were challenged by voters of the 16th district alleging his complete surname, “Ruiz Reynoso,” was excluded. Ballots have been printed listing him as “Juan Beto Ruiz.”
The Lake County Electoral Board ruled in a 2-1 vote in November to allow Ruiz to remain on the ballot.
The objectors filed for a judicial review in the 19th Judicial Circuit Court and Lake County Judge Luis Berrones ruled last Wednesday that Ruiz should be stricken from the ballot.
Ruiz filed a motion to stay the ruling until the Illinois Second District Appellate Court could make a ruling in an appeal that he was filing.
Berrones granted the motion to stay the ruling, allowing him to get back on the ballot for the March 17 election.
Lake County Clerk Anthony Vega said it is unlikely the appellate court will make a decision ahead of election day.
The results posted on election night will be unofficial results before Vega certifies the election at 3 p.m. on April 6 — the official deadline is April 7.
Vega said he believes a decision could be made by the appellate court in the two-week period after election day before certification.
If the appellate court affirms the lower court’s ruling, then the votes for Ruiz will not be counted.
If they reverse the lower court’s ruling, then the votes for Ruiz will be counted and the race between Ruiz and Campos will be decided based on who has more votes.
It is possible that either party could petition the Illinois Supreme Court to hear the case after the appeals court makes a ruling.
Vega said this is a “very rare situation” and the outcome might not be known until after election day.
He said he would work with the state’s attorney’s office on the next steps should a ruling not be released before the certification deadline.
“The Lake County Court ruled that the nominating petitions of Ruiz for the Lake County Board’s Sixteenth District violated the Illinois Election Code and that his name shall be stricken from the primary ballot. This decision was exactly what we anticipated,” Campos said in a statement after the circuit court’s initial ruling.
“If you’re running for office, you must be able to follow the straightforward and transparent rules set by the legislature. If you can’t do that, how can you be an effective steward as an elected official?” Campos said.
Ruiz said the election board ruled in his favor but the appeal to the courts has led to a months-long battle.
Ruiz said the issue centers around something many families in the community understand, where those in the Hispanic community carry two last names — a paternal surname and a maternal surname.
He said he has always been publicly and professionally known by his “Ruiz” surname.
“There was no attempt to confuse voters. Many residents sign our petition because they know who I am and they believe in our mission and our vision for our community,” Ruiz said.