ROCKFORD — A pair of Democrats hoping to take Litesa Wallace’s place in the statehouse were removed from the ballot Thursday by the Illinois Board of Elections.

Former Rockford School Board member Lisa Jackson and business owner Jesse Aguirre had their names struck from the list for the March 20 Democratic primary following a unanimous vote by the state body. That leaves a field of four Dems vying for Wallace’s 67th State House seat.

In both cases, the state board cited signatures collected that did not match with proper addresses for the signees; signatures that were not genuine or did not include complete addresses; or persons that did not live in the district. Candidates must file at least 500 valid signatures on petitions.

Maurice West II, Valeri DeCastris, Angela Fellars and Gerald O. Albert are left to battle it out in the March primary. Wallace will see out the rest of her term. She is running as a candidate for lieutenant governor with Daniel Biss and has held the 67th seat since her July 2014 appointment to replace Chuck Jefferson.

The board says that it upheld a December recommendation that both candidates be removed from the ballot. Aguirre told the Register Star that he didn’t feel the board’s decision was fair. R.