Republican Treasurer candidate Janet Windish is off the March 17, 2026, Primary ballot after the Knox County Electoral Board ruled Friday that her statement of candidacy was incomplete.
The ruling is the latest in a series of Democratic-led challenges filed last week against five Republican candidates, alleging forged, duplicate, or otherwise invalid signatures on their nominating petitions. An 8-minute hearing on Nov. 14 set the stage for Friday’s signature verification and removal of Windish from the ballot.
The three-member board — County Clerk Scott Erickson (chair), State’s Attorney Ashley Worby, and Circuit Clerk Mary Ostrander — unanimously upheld the objection after finding Windish left three required fields blank, including the office she was seeking and the date of the primary election.
Windish left the courthouse without comment.
27 Signature ‘Occurrences’ Stricken
The board also completed a records examination on challenged signatures for four other Republican candidates: Scott Erickson (County Clerk), Jerrie Ann Walters (Treasurer), and County Board District 1 candidates Anthony R. Weiss and Tammy Weiss.
Treasurer candidates Walters and Windish were seeking the GOP nomination to challenge incumbent Democrat Robin Davis, who has held the office since 2002. Erickson, seeking re-election as clerk, faces no Republican primary opponent but Democrat Johan Henriksen in November.
A total of 27 “occurrences” of mismatched signatures were removed because they did not sufficiently match voters’ official registration cards. Some individuals signed multiple petitions, so the actual number of people affected is lower. Erickson recused himself from any deliberation or vote involving his own challenged petitions.
The Weiss candidates now fall below the minimum threshold unless they can rehabilitate signatures at the next hearing. They were not in attendance at Friday’s hearing.
Next Hearing Set
Attorney James Greenwood of Rock Island, representing objectors Pam Davidson, Darla Krejci, and Ronald Erickson, observed Friday’s binder check and successfully argued for some subpoenas to be issued. The next hearing will focus on allegations of fraud by petition circulators and possible dual-party signature conflicts.
The next hearing is set for 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12 at the Knox County Courthouse.
Challenges remain active against County Clerk Erickson, Treasurer candidate Walters, and District 1 candidates Anthony and Tammy Weiss.
