No one objected to his candidacy, so Edwardsville mayor will be on the ballot

No one objected to signatures gathered by Edwardsville Mayor Hal Patton by a Monday deadline, meaning his name will appear on the Nov. 6 ballot in the race for state senator.

Opponents could have filed objections by 5 p.m. Monday to the legitimacy of signatures Patton gathered, but no one did, according to Matt Dietrich, a spokesman for the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Patton needed 5,201 valid voter signatures to qualify as a third-party candidate. He gathered more than 9,000.

Patton said he felt "a mixture of relief and excitement to finally be back on the ballot."

"I look forward to meeting with the citizens of the district and beginning the process of getting Illinois back on a positive track," Patton said.

Patton's name was originally kicked off the March Republican primary ticket after he signed a petition for Democratic state Rep. Katie Stuart, violating Illinois election law by signing for a candidate in another political party.

Patton was forced to file as a third-party candidate to get his name back on the ballot. His self-formed party is called Downstate United.

The 56th state Senate district includes parts of St. Clair, Madison and Jersey counties.

Patton recently made headlines when a 10-year-old photo of him in blackface during a Halloween party surfaced.

This story was originally published July 3, 2018 at 9:36 AM.