Moore v. Ogilvie
Facts
Illinois required independent candidates for statewide office to file petitions signed by at least 25,000 qualified electors, including at least 200 qualified voters from each of at least 50 counties. In 1968, the appellants filed petitions containing 26,500 qualified voter signatures, but they were denied certification because they did not satisfy the 50-county distribution proviso. The Court noted that 93.4% of Illinois' registered voters lived in the 49 most populous counties, while only 6.6% lived in the remaining 53 counties. The challenged requirement therefore prevented voters in the 49 populous counties alone from forming a new party or placing candidates on the ballot, while a much smaller and more dispersed rural electorate could do so.
Issue
Whether Illinois may, consistent with the Equal Protection Clause, require independent candidates for statewide office to obtain 25,000 signatures including at least 200 signatures from each of at least 50 counties. Also, whether the case was moot after the 1968 election had passed.
Rule
When a State uses nominating petitions as an integral part of its election process, the procedure must satisfy the Equal Protection Clause and may not employ a rigid county-based formula that favors residents of sparsely populated counties over residents of populous counties in the exercise of political rights. A challenge to such an election law is not moot when the burden remains in place for future elections and is capable of repetition yet evading review.
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If Maya challenges the county-distribution requirement under the Equal Protection Clause, which is the strongest argument under the governing doctrine?