Chicago talks - Emmanuel ballot controversy

On January 24, 2011, Rahm Emmanuel, Chicago's statistically favored mayoral candidate for the upcoming election, was recently taken off the ballot for state residency technicalities. The State appellate court accused Emmanuel of not meeting the one-year requirements necessary to run for mayor in the upcoming 2011 mayoral election.

It is not doubt many Chicago residents have a strong opinion on the matter of his removal from the ballot, and on the Supreme Court's decision to expedite the case.

South loop Chicago resident Eva, age 30, said about expediting Emmanuel's case, "I think it should be allowed." She went on to say that if Emmanuel were not allowed back on the ballot Chicago's reaction would be dreadful.

Tom, a 57-year-old Fox Lake resident said on the topic of expediting the case, "I don't think it's right." Although he agreed that if Emmanuel were not put back on the ballot, Chicago would have a bad reaction. He also mentioned that if Emmanuel were booted from the election, Gery Chico would be the prime candidate .

Many people in Chicago seemed to be uniformed on the issue and therefore did not want to comment with an opinion on the matter. Juan, a Chicago resident, admitted to being uninformed on the issue but said that he would not vote for someone who didn't meet the residency whether they were on the ballot or not.

Despite his own views on residency, he thought that the general Chicago public would have a poor reaction if Emmanuel were to be disqualified. "If he is kicked off, no one will want to vote for the other [four candidates]."

The Supreme Court announced it on January 27th that Emmanuel is now officially put back on the ballot. It was ruled that no Illinois laws backed the allegations against him.

Also on January 27th, Rahm Emmanuel participated in the Chicago mayoral debate. Even though it aired only two hours after the court decision was made, it was evident that the ballot controversy had not affected his campaign strength.

The reactions of many Chicago residents have shown how much support he has going into the final stretch of the campaign. Rahm Emmanuel stated during the debate that the controversy would not be a major focal point of his campaign because he would like to concentrate on more important issues facing Chicago.