Signature requirements for established party candidates:

While hundreds of candidates lined up outside the Illinois state election offices to file their nominating petitions on Monday, the first day of the filing period for the 2010 elections, some high-profile candidates have held back.

The candidates who had not submitted their papers as of Thursday included incumbent Cook County Board President Todd Stroger and Chicago Urban League President Cheryle Jackson, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Roland Burris.

Monday is the last day for established-party candidates to file for the Feb. 2 primary ballot.

Some campaigns said late filing was part of a deliberate strategy. Others said they simply place little importance on being first to file. Candidates who are in line with their papers when the election office opens on the first day of the filing period have their names entered in a lottery to be listed first on the primary ballot. Many believe that billing gives them an advantage.

Dan White, executive director of the State Board of Elections, said the first ballot position is far more coveted than the last, but some jockey for the last position.

All the campaigns who commented for this story said they had already surpassed the number of signatures required to qualify, although some still had petitioners out gathering signatures.

“There’s no rush to file, because since so many people file on the first day, it doesn’t guarantee you the top spot,” said Susan Chandler, spokeswoman for Jackson’s campaign. “I think that filing on the first day is kind of a media stunt.”

Chandler said the campaign has thousands more signatures than the 5,000 required, but is taking extra time to make sure each name and address is valid. During every election cycle, candidate filings are challenged, she said, so Jackson’s campaign wants to make sure it can submit 10,000 pristine signatures, the maximum number allowed.

Stroger's campaign manager, Vincent Williams, said the campaign has more than the 8,147 signatures required to make it to the primary. The campaign still has petitioners on the streets, Williams said, because members of the church groups and other volunteers who have supported the campaign wanted a chance to participate.

The Cook County Democratic Party snubbed Stroger when it announced its slate of primary endorsements in September. The party did not endorse a candidate for county board president.

“Because we weren’t slated by the party and the unions have opted to sit on their hands, we’ve had to do a grassroots campaign as an incumbent, which is very strange and runs against all the things I’ve ever seen in politics with an incumbent that’s done his job,” Williams said.

Patrick Hughes, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, said his petitioners, a combination of volunteers and paid staff, are still out gathering signatures so that he can make a show of strength when he files. Hughes said he would rather file last and get the last position on the ballot than file at the beginning of the period and have only a one in five or six chance of being listed first.

Republican candidate for state comptroller William Kelly said on his part, the choice to file last was part of a deliberate strategy. Kelly said while some undecided voters may simply pick the first name they see, he believes more of them will read through all the options and pick the last one.

“It’s kind of like those strategies on how to pass a multiple choice exam if you don’t have a lot of time,” he said. “My belief is that you’re actually better off having the last name on the ballot.”

White said 539 candidates were waiting in line at 8 a.m. on the first day of filing. He expected to see about 100 file on the last day.