An appeal has been filed in Cook County Circuit Court after the Cook County Electoral Board rejected affidavits alleging that New Trier GOP Committeeperson Chair Julie Cho submitted nominating petitions with potentially invalid signatures—an action challengers say could affect her ballot eligibility.
The dispute centers on six petition sheets containing 60 signatures that challengers said should have been invalidated. The board dismissed the affidavits on grounds that the issues raised were not cited in the original objection.
“Julie is accused of falsifying or giving false sworn testimony on a petition sheet,” Northfield Township Republican Committeeman TJ Brown told North Cook News.
Brown said Illinois election law requires petition circulators to personally witness signatures and swear to their validity before a notary.
He noted that Cho signed affidavits claiming she personally collected signatures on six sheets, while affidavits from Republican volunteers who circulated those sheets contradicted her claim.
“One of the people working for the objector talked to a signer, who mentioned that she had circulated the sheet,” Brown said. “At the bottom of the sheet, it was signed by Julie Cho, stating that she had watched these people sign it.”
Brown said the six sheets represent roughly 10 percent of Cho’s submitted petitions, potentially putting her below the threshold to appear on the ballot.
He also cited an affidavit alleging Cho accepted signatures from voters who were no longer Illinois residents.
“There was another instance where she knocked on someone’s door, and the residents told her and her husband that they were no longer Illinois residents and had changed their residency to a different state,” he said. “According to the affidavit, Julie said they could still sign because she thought they were still on the voter rolls.”
Brown said the affidavits documented three cases of potential irregularities that the Electoral Board declined to examine. He notarized two of the affidavits himself.
“If you have evidence that something funky is going on, you have a duty to report it and show it,” Brown said. “There have been cases where candidates who did this were charged with perjury.”
State Central Committeewoman Joan McCarthy Lasonde criticized the board during the hearing on Cho’s petitions.
Joan McCarthy Lasonde rebukes the Cook County Electoral Board for ignoring
affidavits alleging misconduct in challenges to New Trier GOP Chair Julie Cho’s
nominating petitions. (Facebook / Joan for Illinois)
“So the Cook County Electoral Board does not follow the law, and that is shocking,” Lasonde said. “We cannot have a valid petition process which then leads to voting if we turn a blind eye to fraud. And that is exactly what the Cook County Electoral Board did today.”
Following the ruling, objector Charles Hutchinson, a candidate in House District 18 in 2024, filed an appeal in Cook County Circuit Court. He is represented by attorneys Christine Svenson and Jeffrey Meyer.
Brown said the case raises broader concerns about election oversight in Illinois, citing the State Board of Elections’ decision not to impose nearly $10 million in recommended campaign finance penalties against Senate President Don Harmon.
“The four Democrats on the State Board of Elections voted not to impose a fine on Don Harmon, even though he grossly violated his own law,” Brown said. “There is bias.”
Brown added that the issue goes beyond partisanship.
“Our job as committeepersons is to help administer elections, whether it’s with the election judges, slating candidates or assisting candidates for other offices to get on the ballot and collect signatures,” he said. “If we can’t maintain a minimum standard like that, it doesn’t do much to improve confidence in local elections.”
Brown said integrity in the process is the key concern.
“To me, the bigger issue is dishonesty, and I want to investigate to see if the courts agree that this was not done properly,” he said. “If so, we need to address it one way or another.”
Cook County Republican Party Chairman Aaron Del Mar said election integrity begins with accurate petitions.
“Election integrity begins with truthful petitions,” Del Mar said in a press release. “When sworn testimony is ignored, voters lose confidence.”
The dispute comes amid a series of coordinated township committeeperson challenges across suburban Cook County and neighboring counties that have targeted incumbents, including unopposed candidates. Brown, Lasonde, and Del Mar are among those Cho has challenged.
Township committeepersons play a role in party governance, including representation at county conventions and the State Central Committee.
Some party members have linked the challenges to former Illinois GOP Vice Chair Mark Shaw and Cho, both prominent figures in the party.
Shaw was removed from party leadership in 2024 following allegations of misconduct. Cho, a candidate who has run for multiple offices, has faced scrutiny over PAC fundraising, consulting arrangements in which she personally benefited from PAC funds, and campaign finance compliance.
