Qualkinbush v. Skubisz

State: Illinois

Court: 1st District Appellate

Docket No: 1-03-2528 Rel

Case Date: 03/31/2005

SECOND DIVISION
March 31, 2005
(Nunc pro tunc December 28, 2004)

No. 1-03-2528

MICHELLE MARKIEWICZ QUALKINBUSH,

Petitioner-Appellee,

GREGORY SKUBISZ,

Respondent-Appellant,

(David Orr, as Cook County Clerk, Dominick
Gigliotti, Michelle Markiewicz Qualkinbush,
Robert Fioretti, as the Calumet City
Canvassing Board, Dominick J. Gigliotti and
Nick Manousopoulos,

Respondents).

GREGORY SKUBISZ,

Counterpetitioner,

MICHELLE MARKIEWICZ QUALKINBUSH, as Calumet
City Clerk, DAVID ORR, as Cook County Clerk,
and the CITY OF CALUMET CITY,

Counterrespondents.

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Appeal from the
Circuit Court of
Cook County.

Honorable
Michael J. Murphy,
Judge Presiding.

PRESIDING JUSTICE BURKE delivered the opinion of the court:

Respondent and counterpetitioner Gregory Skubisz⁽¹⁾ appeals from an order of the circuit court certifying the April 1, 2003, mayoral election results for Calumet City in which the court declared petitioner and counterrespondent Michelle Qualkinbush mayor. On appeal, Skubisz contends that the trial court erred in failing to dismiss Qualkinbush's petition for election contest on the basis that section 19-6 of the Election Code (10 ILCS 5/19-6 (West 2002)), the absentee ballot return provision, was preempted by the federal Voting Rights Act (42 U.S.C.