Jerico Matias Cruz’s Response or Rebuttal to Atty. Kent Sinson’s Petition Objection

I completely disagree with Atty. Kent Sinson’s objection filed against my 2024 IL Primary Election’s petitions. Pursuant to 10 ILCS 5/7-10(b), (1) I should collect at least 0.5 % of the IL Qualified Primary Electors in the IL-5th Congressional District, which is equal to or greater than 412.45 signatures or 413 signatures, based on the 2022 IL Primary Electors from election data last year as of Cong. Mike Quigley received 82,490 total votes from IL-5th Congressional District registered voters (Source: Illinois State Board of Elections & CNN.com:: Chicago: 60,290 votes; Cook County Suburbs: 19,283 votes; and Lake County: 2,917 votes); or (2) I should collect at least 600 signatures of IL Qualified Primary Electors of Democratic Party in IL-5th Congressional District. 

“Congressional office or congressional delegate to a national nominating convention. Except as otherwise provided in this Code, if a candidate seeks to run for United States Congress or as a congressional delegate or alternate congressional delegate to a national nominating convention elected from a congressional district, then the candidate’s petition for nomination must contain at least the number of signatures equal to 0.5% of the qualified primary electors of his or her party in his or her congressional district. In the first primary election following a redistricting of congressional districts, a candidate’s petition for nomination must contain at least 600 signatures of qualified primary electors of the candidate’s political party in his or her congressional district.” 10 ILCS 5/7-10(b). 

Further, I should have more than 10% of the “gross signatures” for the Illinois State Board of Elections (SBE) to consider my petition forms for the official ballot for the 2024 IL Primary Election. According to SBE’s 2024 Election Congressional District Candidate Guide, 

“Effective with the 2018 Primary Election and continuing thereafter, the State Board of Elections will implement a limited 'apparent conformity' review of all nominating petitions filed with the Board. The review will take place after a petition is filed, and will be limited to determining the following: (1) whether a signed Statement of Candidacy has been filed, and (2) whether the filed nominating sheets contain gross signatures equal to or exceeding 10% of the minimum number of signatures required for the office sought.”

I collected more than 800 signatures from IL Qualified Primary Electors in the IL-5th Congressional District, which is more than 10% the gross signatures to be considered by the SBE, whether the legal argument of quantity of minimum signatures is 413 signatures or 600 signatures, as required by 10 ILCS 5/7-10(b). 

Hence, Atty. Kent Sinson’s legal argument of the quantity of 968 signatures from IL Qualified Primary Electors needed to be qualified or to be officially in the 2024 IL Primary Election Ballot is false as there is no Illinois statutory law to support his legal argument under the provisions of the Illinois Election Code, 10 ILCS 5/7-1 et seq.

Therefore, I, Jerico Matias Cruz, am fully qualified to be included in the 2024 IL Primary Election Ballot, as required by 10 ILCS 5/7-10(b), and is fully qualified to run with the Democratic Party in the IL-5th Congressional District, as required by Article I, Section 2, Clause 2, of the United States Constitution. 

Sincerely,

/s/ Jerico Matias Cruz

Jerico Matias Cruz

5135 N Keating Ave

Chicago, IL 60630