Round tabling.

• The practice of people sitting around a table signing names on petitions from a phone book or other source.
• Technique for lazy or disparate politicians to get enough signatures to get on the ballot.

Around McHenry County, people became aware of the practice when Republican Kane County State’s Attorney Gene Armontrout was indicted for round tabling signatures to help get a meaningless advisory petition on the ballot at Governor Jim Thompson’s behest in 1978.

Daily Herald reporter Tony Gordon reports that two of State Senator, Senate Majority Caucus Chairman and Lake County Democratic Party Chairman Terry Link’s paid workers have been indicted for perjury and forgery.

Link told the Daily Herald thqa he was busy in Springfield to be personally involved.

Obviously, the buck stops somewhere way over there.

Link’s primary opponent, former North Chicago mayor Jerry Johnson, brought the fraud to the attention of the State Board of Elections, but the board ruled Link had enough signatures even without the potentially future felons and convicted druggies help.

Republican Keith Gray is Link’s GOP fall challenger.

The two indicted were not the brightest bricks on the block.

One forged signature was former Springfield correspondent of the Waukegan News-Sun Ed Nash. Another was former Link GOP opponent Charles “Chuck” Fitzgerald, according to Team America’s Tenth District Blog.

McHenry County Democrats were not tempted to emulate their successful brothers in Lake County. Only one countywide Democrat, McHenry County Coroner candidate Dave Bachmann, even bothered to pass petitions. Democrats caucused the rest onto the ballot after the primary election was held. State Rep. Jack Franks also passed petitions.

Here’s more information from Team America’s 10th District Blog.