Eight sitting alderpersons face ballot challenges, and five more could end up with no opponent
Objections reach at least 14 wards, from Hopkins in the 2nd to Clay in the 46th. Every challenged incumbent turned in more than twice the 473 lines needed, by our count of their petitions.
For a week, the 2027 objection story has been about the mayor's race. Now the ward races are on the docket too. Eight sitting alderpersons face challenges to their nominating papers, and in five other wards the challenges target everyone running against the incumbent, NBC Chicago reported as Board of Elections hearings opened Monday.
Why it matters: a candidate needs 473 valid signatures from voters in the ward. If the Board strikes every challenger in a ward, the incumbent runs unopposed on Feb. 23, and voters there have no choice for alderperson.
This follows last Thursday's story, when no ward challenges had been reported.
Incumbents who face a challenge
Our numbers are the filled-in signature lines on the copy of each petition the Board gave us. They are not counts of valid signatures; the Board decides those when someone objects. Every copy below is complete except where noted.
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| Ward | Alderperson | Lines we counted | Also challenged, per NBC | |---|---|---|---| | 2nd | Brian Hopkins | 3,073 | His only opponent | | 5th | Desmon Yancy | 1,361 | His only opponent | | 6th | William Hall | 1,070 | | | 7th | Gregory Mitchell | 2,143 | All five opponents | | 9th | Anthony Beale | 1,699 | One of his two opponents | | 24th | Monique Scott | 2,244 | | | 37th | Emma Mitts | 2,460 | | | 46th | Angela Clay | 2,194 | |
The smallest cushion is Hall's, about 2.3 times the minimum. That doesn't predict a ruling: the Board strikes lines for many reasons, such as a signer who isn't registered at the address given or who signed two candidates' petitions.
In the 46th Ward, the objection to Clay's petition was filed by Nicole Edelman, one of her three challengers, Block Club Chicago reported, citing the Board's Nov. 4 objection list.
Wards where only the challengers face objections
In these wards, NBC reported challenges to every opponent, and none to the incumbent:
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- 16th: Ald. Stephanie Coleman (3,608 lines) and three challengers.
- 17th: Ald. David Moore (2,350) and four challengers.
- 27th: Ald. Walter Burnett (2,471) and four challengers.
- 29th: Ald. Chris Taliaferro (1,872) and two challengers.
- 31st: Ald. Felix Cardona Jr. (1,703 on an incomplete copy; ours is missing four readable sheets) and two challengers.
In the 28th Ward, the only person who filed against Budget Committee chair Jason Ervin, Precious Joy Frasier, faces an objection, Block Club reported Tuesday. Our count of her petition is 769 lines on a complete copy.
What our records add
Ten incumbents already had no opponent on the Board's list as of Oct. 30, as we reported. If the Board removes every challenger in even some of the wards above, the number of uncontested Council seats will grow.
The full list of who challenged whom is the Board's to publish. Our objections page is built from that list; we haven't been able to reach chicagoelections.gov since Nov. 2, most recently at 9:35 a.m. Tuesday. Until we can, this story relies on NBC and Block Club, and it may be missing wards.
What's next
Hearing officers are assigned to each case, and the Board rules in the coming weeks. It must certify the ballot by Dec. 17. Each ward page above will show rulings as they're posted.