A Bloomington physician running for Congress as an independent candidate has filed a lawsuit challenging the signature requirement.
David Gill is seeking a U.S. House seat in the 13th District, which covers an area from central Illinois to near St. Louis.
State election officials found Gill fell short of the 10,754 required valid signatures as an independent. His lawsuit filed this week alleges "severe and overly burdensome" signature requirements for independents. Democrats and Republicans need fewer than 740 signatures.
Gill turned in over 11,300 signatures, but fewer than 8,600 were found valid.
Republican U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis is seeking re-election against Democratic challenger Mark Wicklund of Decatur.
Gill has run for Congress several times before. Most recently, he ran as a Democrat in 2012 and narrowly lost to Davis.
