Dist.Ct. did not err in dismissing plaintiff’s section 1983 action alleging that defendant’s refusal to place his name on primary ballot for Cook County Sheriff due to his inability to obtain 8,236 valid signatures violated his 1st and 14th Amendment rights. Instant access requirement was only slight burden, and burden of obtaining said signatures was justified by Illinois’s legitimate interests in preventing voter confusion, blocking frivolous candidates from ballot and protecting integrity of elections. Plaintiff obtained over 5,400 valid signatures, and Ct. rejected plaintiff’s claim that strict scrutiny analysis applies whenever statute imposes higher ballot-access requirement for countywide office than 5,000 valid signature requirement for statewide offices.
