The Chicago election board begins hearing challenges Monday that could affect who appears on the ballot in the February municipal and mayoral elections. Candidates must collect 12,500 valid signatures from registered Chicago voters to make the ballot, and they often gather three to four times that many to survive challenges.
The Chicago election board must certify the ballot by Dec. 17. The mayoral election is scheduled for Feb. 23, 2027, and early voting begins Jan. 14, when mail-in ballots will also be sent out. A runoff, if no new mayor is chosen in February, will be held April 6. Starting Monday, the board has 108 cases to consider, involving the mayoral race as well as City Council and other local races.
The challenges target current Mayor Brandon Johnson and several of his opponents. One challenge to Johnson’s signatures comes from the campaign of Willie Wilson, which claims that some of the signatures the mayor submitted were photocopies. Johnson’s campaign said it has more than enough signatures to qualify for the election.
There is also a dispute over whether three candidates can run for mayor while simultaneously seeking reelection to their current state or federal offices. Mayoral candidate Bill Quinlan filed an objection against Alexi Giannoulias, Mike Quigley and Maria Pappas, arguing that state law requires them to choose one of the two candidacies. The three ran, respectively, for Illinois secretary of state, the U.S. Congress and Cook County treasurer in the midterm elections on Nov. 3 of this year. Last month, a judge dismissed his lawsuit because it was filed too early, but left the legal question open. Quinlan has now brought the matter to the Chicago election board.
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Source: Polski.FM
