Mike Walkup held his cards close to his chest, so to speak, as he filed for McHenry County Board in the Republican primary.
Crystal Lake Park Board member Michael Walkup obviously was going to file someone’s petition(s).
He arrived about 4 when I did, but was very secretive about what was inside the unmarked plain paper envelope.
Jim Kennedy was there to file as a Democrat when we walked in the County Clerk’s Office. But, as detailed here, Kennedy was running in District 2, not District 5, which he served for four years. He had been remaped into the district to the east.
Only Huntley’s Mike Skala, running in District 5, was similarly waiting for the last moment. Obviously, both wanted the last ballot position.
McHenry County Clerk warned the two that their receipt for income disclosure must be filed and attached to their petition packets and the processing of the filing started before the 5 PM deadline.
Skala took her advice more seriously than Walkup, but both filed in time.
And, what did Walkup file?
A petition for himself for McHenry County Board in District 3.
McHenry County Board 2012-20 District 3 map.
As explained in my District 6 GOP County Board candidate story, last place gives a candidate a bonus of about 5%, the same as second place, with first place on the ballot worth an extra 10%.
Since six of the eight District 3 candidates had filed simultaneously, two would get bonus position, while the other four would be in the middle of the ballot.
Those six first minute filers are
- Mary Alger
- Mary Donner
- Joe Gottmoller
- Mary McClellan
- Nick Provenzano
Next to last is the worst position on the ballot and that’s where Jim Schlader ended up.
Presumably Walkup decided that filing last was the safety play.
Let’s look at the numbers from the two previous District 3 elections.
In the 2008 Presidential primary election, there were 7,976 votes. Remember that each person got two votes.
From the canvass below, you can see that many people–2008–did not use both of their votes, probably lest their second choice beat out their first choice.
In the 2008 GOP primary election, here is how people voted in County Board District 3. Click to enlarge.
Similarly, election results in 2010, seen below, saw 6,944 votes cast. 1,772 votes went uncast.
Click to enlarge these 2010 County Board election returns for District 3.
One of the first things one does in a campaign is try to figure out how many votes it will take to win.
What’s your guess in District 3’s Republican primary election?