Grundy County Judge Scott Belt has tossed out part of the recount petition the LaSalle County Republican Party filed. Belt found Friday that Party Chairman Larry Smith doesn’t live in the 76th Illinois House District, therefore he can’t petition on any problems he believes there are in that district’s results. Democrat Lance Yednock won reelection against Republican Travis Breeden.
But the judge is letting the party refile a petition on the State’s Attorney’s race, in which Democrat Todd Martin defeated incumbent Republican Karen Donnelly. The petition will exclude Larry Langston, another LaSalle County GOP official, who isn’t being allowed into the case because he’s taken too long.
Judge Belt found that the 30-day window for bringing the complaint has passed, meaning it’s too late for another person to get into the case as a plaintiff. That was how the Republican Party hoped to remedy the problem of Smith not being eligible to file against the House race results. Langston lives in that district.
The case will be in court again on the 22nd.