Will County Board Candidates File Dueling Election Objections, 1 Removed From Ballot

BOLINGBROOK, IL — A candidate for Will County Board Member District 11 will not appear on the ballot after an objection was sustained by the Will County Electoral Board. District 11 represents the Bolingbrook area.

Democratic candidates Barbara Ann Parker and Tyler Giacalone both filed objections for each other's nominating papers. They also both filed objections to each other's nominating papers for Democratic DuPage 13 precinct committeeperson.

After hearings by the Electoral Board, Giacalone's name will not appear on the ballot for the County Board. Parker's name will appear on the ballot.

For committeeperson, Giacalone's name will appear on the ballot; Parker's name will not.

Parker currently serves as DuPage Township Clerk.

Currently, District 11 is represented by Jacqueline Traynere and Elnalyn Costa. Candidates who have filed to run for the March primary (vote for two) include Democrats Giacalone (who will not appear on the ballot), Parker, Jacqueline Traynere, Sheldon Watts and Republican Steven Smith.

Candidates who filed to run for DuPage 13 committeeperson include Giacalone and Parker (who will not appear on the ballot).

Objections Filed

Parker v. Giacolone for committeeperson

According to the county clerk's website, the objection for Giacolone's committeeperson nomination papers was withdrawn.

Parker v. Giacolone for District 11 Board Member

According to the county clerk's website, Parker's objection alleged that Giacolone has not lived in the District for at least a year before the primary, and so was ineligible to be a candidate.

The objection was first heard on Nov. 14, and further on Nov. 18. According to the ruling, the parties agreed that Giacolone had moved to the county board district in June 2025. The Electoral Board had to decide if the "election" referred to in the county code is the primary or general election.

The primary will be held in March 2026, while the general election will be in November 2026.

Two board members —Kimberly Fladhammer and Andrea Chasteen — voted to sustain the objection, while one, Scott Pyles, voted to overrule. The objection was sustained and Giacolone's name will not be printed on the ballot, although he could file for judicial review of the decision.

Giacolone v. Parker for District 11 Board Member

Giacolone's objection alleged that Parker didn't list the District number that the candidate was seeking office for on several petition signatory sheets, creating "a basis for confusion." Once those signature sheets of the petition are stricken, Parker would not have obtained enough signatures necessary under election code, according to the ruling.

Some of the petition pages lacked the "Will" written for the county. According to the ruling, access to a position on the ballot is a "substantial right which should not be lightly denied," and so a minor error should not result in removal from the ballot.

The Electoral Board found that the missing "Will" in some of the pages would not create confusion, and that the petitions as a whole were in "substantial compliance" with the code. The objection was overruled, and Parker's name will be on the ballot for County Board.

Giacolone v. Parker for Committeeperson

The objection alleged that Parker didn't list on either of the two petition signatory sheets the precinct number she was seeking office for, creating "a basis for confusion," according to the ruling. Once those signature sheets are stricken, Parker would not have enough signatures under the election code.

There are 37 precincts in DuPage Township, and neither of the two signatures sheets had written on them anywhere the precinct number.

The Electoral Board concluded that "there was failure to substantially comply with the Election Code, as there was clearly a basis for confusion as to the specific office sought."

According to the ruling, the objection was sustained and Parker's name will not be printed on the ballot for commiteeperson.