# The Board's lottery set the top and bottom of Chicago's mayoral ballot: Kelly first, Maronto last

*Five candidates who filed when the doors opened Oct. 19 drew for the first five lines, and six who filed in the final hour drew for the last six. Mayor Johnson filed in between.*

By Chicago Politics · Updated Nov 2, 2026

The order of names on Chicago's Feb. 23 mayoral ballot is set. In drawings required by its [2027 election calendar](https://cboeprod.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/prod/2026-06/2027%20Election%20Calendar-ADOPTED.pdf), the Board of Election Commissioners drew lots among the candidates who filed at the opening bell and among those who filed in the final hour. The Board's results, which our site received in an undated copy (the file is dated Oct. 30), match the order of its Oct. 30 candidate list.

Why it matters: candidates go to some lengths for these spots. Five mayoral candidates were at the Board's office when filing opened on Oct. 19, [the Chicago Sun-Times reported](https://chicago.suntimes.com/elections/2026/10/19/mayor-race-candidates-stacks-nominating-petitions-chicago-board-of-elections), and six filed within an hour of the Oct. 26 deadline, [the paper reported a week later](https://chicago.suntimes.com/elections/2026/10/26/chicago-mayoral-race-last-day-of-filing-mendoza-pappas-2027-election).

## The rules

The Board's [2027 pamphlet](https://cboeprod.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/prod/2026-06/2027%20Election%20Calendar-ADOPTED.pdf) explains it:

- Everyone in line at 9 a.m. on the first day of filing is treated as having filed at the same moment.
- Filings received in the last hour before the deadline are also treated as simultaneous.
- Everyone else is listed in the order the Board received their papers.
- Ties are broken by a public lottery, held within nine days after filing closes. The Board must give seven days' written notice of the time and place to party chairs and to citizen groups that were entitled to poll watchers in the preceding election, and post a notice at its office entrance.

Candidates are certified in that order: those who filed first, in lottery order, then later filers in order of receipt.

## The results

**First five lines**, drawn among the opening-bell filers:

1. John Kelly
2. Alexi Giannoulias
3. Matt Brewer
4. Willie Wilson
5. Mike Quigley

**Lines 6 through 10** go to candidates who filed between the two drawings, in the order the Board received their papers. Mayor Brandon Johnson, who filed Oct. 23, and Susana Mendoza are in this group. See our [mayor's race page](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/elections/2027/mayor) for the full order.

**Last six lines**, drawn among the final-hour filers:

11. Maria Pappas
12. Joe Holberg
13. Zoe X. Ma
14. Danielle Carter-Walters
15. George A. Cardenas
16. Jessica "Jesse" Maronto

In the treasurer's race, Melissa Conyears-Ervin drew the first line and Bruce Leon the second. The Board also drew lots in 23 wards' Council races; each ward page on our site shows the results.

## What our records add

**The mayoral field.** Our [mayor's race page](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/elections/2027/mayor) lists all 16 candidates in ballot order, with each lottery result marked.

**Ballot position isn't the only thing that can change.** If an objection filed by Monday's 5 p.m. deadline knocks a candidate off, the remaining names keep their order.

## What's next

- **Mon., Nov. 2, 5 p.m.:** objections due. [Where our counts stand](/on-my-block/chicago-2027-objections-due-monday-petition-counts-137-council-candidates).
- **November and December:** Electoral Board hearings on any objections.
- **Dec. 17:** the Board certifies the ballot, in the order set by filing and the drawings.

*Sources: [CBS Chicago: Who filed petitions to get on the ballot for Chicago mayor](https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/chicago-mayor-election-candidates-2027-petitions-filed/).*


## Sources

1. Chicago Sun-Times: [the Chicago Sun-Times reported](https://chicago.suntimes.com/elections/2026/10/19/mayor-race-candidates-stacks-nominating-petitions-chicago-board-of-elections)
2. Chicago Sun-Times: [the paper reported a week later](https://chicago.suntimes.com/elections/2026/10/26/chicago-mayoral-race-last-day-of-filing-mendoza-pappas-2027-election)
3. CBS News: [CBS Chicago: Who filed petitions to get on the ballot for Chicago mayor](https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/chicago-mayor-election-candidates-2027-petitions-filed/)

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Source: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/chicago-mayor-ballot-lottery-results-kelly-first-maronto-last · Chicago Politics, an independent tracker of the Chicago City Council. Guide for agents: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/llms.txt