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On My Block · Chicago Politics

No objections to 2027 candidates have been reported yet. Mayor Johnson's petitions may draw the first

With the window closing Monday at 5 p.m., NBC 5 reports a rival could challenge photocopied pages in the mayor's filing. Here is what our counts of the mayoral petitions show, and what they can't tell you.

By Chicago PoliticsUpdated

Four days into the one-week window for challenging the nominating papers of 2027 city candidates, no specific objection had been publicly reported as of Friday morning. Our objections page, which lists objections as the Board of Election Commissioners publishes them, shows none so far.

That could change quickly. Objections are due by Monday, Nov. 2, and campaigns often file in the final days. NBC 5 reported Thursday that Mayor Brandon Johnson's petitions could face a challenge from at least one rival. If that happens, it would be the first time a sitting mayor has gone through the Board's hearing process, according to the station.

Why it matters: an objection can remove a candidate from the Feb. 23 ballot. Even when it fails, it costs the challenged campaign time and legal fees during the weeks before the Board certifies the ballot on Dec. 17.

This follows our Oct. 27 story on the 16-person mayoral field.

What NBC 5 reported

  • Photocopied pages. Nearly 100 pages of the mayor's petitions are photocopies, NBC 5 reported. Chicago petitions must carry original signatures.
  • The treasurer's pages. The filing includes five pages of signatures from City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, the station said. Their validity is in question, but the report didn't spell out why.
  • The rival campaign. Former state Sen. Rickey Hendon, who is working for businessman Willie Wilson's campaign, told NBC 5 that "the Xerox copies are a big problem."
  • The mayor's campaign. A spokesperson acknowledged that a few photocopies "might have slipped in." The spokesperson called the petition system archaic and said the campaign is confident the mayor will have more than enough valid signatures.
  • The field. Election attorney Burt Odelson predicted that eight to 10 of the 16 mayoral filers will make the ballot. NBC 5 also said Danielle Carter-Walters filed about 13,500 signatures, which leaves her little room above the 12,500 minimum.

Earlier in the week, election lawyer Michael Dorf, who represents Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, told FOX 32 that challenges "always drain resources," even when they fail.

What our records add

We count the filled signature lines on every sheet of the Board's copy of each petition. That count is not the Board's count of valid signatures. It doesn't check whether a signer is registered, signed twice, or signed an original page rather than a copy. The Board only counts valid signatures when someone files an objection.

With that caveat, here is what our mayor's race page shows for the candidates we've counted so far, against the 12,500 minimum:

  • Alexi Giannoulias: 56,232 lines (incomplete: our copy has fewer readable sheets than his receipt lists)
  • Mike Quigley: 41,587
  • John Kelly: 35,993
  • Matt Brewer: 32,064 (incomplete)
  • Brandon Johnson: 31,904 lines on 3,301 sheets
  • Willie Wilson: 28,546

On our count, Johnson's filing is about 2.6 times the minimum. If roughly 100 sheets were thrown out, at the 10 lines a sheet his petitions average, he would still have far more than 12,500 lines left. Whether enough of the rest would hold up as valid is a question only the Board can answer if an objection is filed.

The Board's filing report shows Johnson filed at 12:53 p.m. on Oct. 23. Several mayoral candidates filed at 5 p.m. on Oct. 26, the last minute of filing, which puts them in a lottery for ballot position.

For the City Council, our ward-by-ward list shows our counts for every alderperson candidate whose petition we've read, against the 473-signature minimum. The Oct. 27 story on Council candidates lists those with the thinnest margins.

What's next

  • Through Monday, Nov. 2, 5 p.m.: objections are filed with the Board at 69 W. Washington St., Suite 800, open weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to the Board's notice.
  • By Nov. 4: ballot-position lotteries for candidates who filed at the same time, under the Board's election calendar.
  • November and December: the Electoral Board holds hearings on each objection, and losing sides can go to court.
  • Dec. 17: the Board certifies the ballot.

We'll add every objection to our objections page once the Board publishes it, with who filed it and how it was decided.