Joe Parnarauskis, Socialist Equality Party candidate for the 52nd District of the State Senate, announced he is still on the November ballot. This announcement came after a 4-4 split on a State Board of Elections vote on whether to include him.

“This morning the Democratic commissioners of the State Board of Elections failed to get a majority vote to uphold the bad-faith objections filed against my petitions,” Parnarauskis said.

Parnarauskis said that Democrats have done everything in their power to exclude him from the ballot because he is a third-party candidate. He said this time around, because of the Democrats claim that some of Parnarauskis’ nominating petitions contain typographical errors, they should be thrown out.

Parnarauskis said the Democrats contended that the errors on 44 of the petitions misled the public. Instead of reading “State Senator – 52nd district” they read “State Senator.” Parnarauskis said that the Democrats believe this might have driven some petitioners to believe they were nominating a potential US Senator. However, there currently are no openings for US Senate in Illinois. Those positions are filled by Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill.

“The Democrats are terrified of a socialist and anti-war (candidate) who will give voice to the mass opposition,” Parnarauskis said.

Parnarauskis is on the ballot alongside Democratic candidate Mike Frerichs and Republican candidate Judy Myers.

Myers’ spokesperson Bill Cleeland said in a prepared statement that she is disappointed because there has not been a resolution.

“The Democrats are starting to look like playground bullies,” Cleeland said. “It’s probably in everyone’s interest, from Joe’s to the voter’s to even the Democrats, that we move beyond this and let Joe be a choice for voters.”

Frerichs’ prepared statement seemed to agree with Myers’. The statement was given by Mike Ruemmler, Frerichs’ campaign manager.

“Just like Parnarauskis we’d like to see this issue resolved soon,” Ruemmler said. “Mike is looking forward to a series of vigorous debates with the candidates who are on the ballots.”

And Frerichs is not the only one looking forward to participating in debates with the other candidates. Parnarauskis hopes to soon have debates, but is waiting for Frerichs and Myers to contact him to work out the details.

Thomas Mackaman, Parnarauskis’ campaign manager, said they have a number of strategies for the campaign.

“We’re going to be building up as big of presence as we can here on campus,” Mackaman said.

One way the Parnarauskis campaign will address the student population will be by holding a public meeting on campus in Gregory Hall at 7 p.m. on the Sept. 20, Mackaman said.

“We hope to encourage the students to join us to build a mass political party of the working class in opposition to this criminal two-party system in the United States,” said Parnarauskis.

Parnarauskis’ strongly disagrees with the war in Iraq and wants to find better ways for students to pay for college.