The 'two offices' question reaches the Electoral Board as Giannoulias, Quigley and Pappas appear on today's ballot

Three people running for mayor in February are also on today's ballot for other offices: Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (5th District) and Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas. On Monday, the last day to object to 2027 candidates, fellow mayoral candidate William Quinlan filed objections arguing that state law bars running for both, Block Club Chicago reported.

Why it matters: if the Electoral Board agrees, the Board's 2027 pamphlet says a candidate who files for incompatible offices and doesn't withdraw from all but one "shall not be certified, nor printed on the ballot, for any office." No court or election board has ruled on whether that rule reaches two elections held months apart.

This follows our Sunday story, which explains the law.

What happened Monday

No withdrawal reported. Monday was also the date the Board's calendar sets for candidates in incompatible races to withdraw. In the reporting we reviewed, none of the three said they had dropped either race.

Quinlan's objections. Quinlan argues a recent change to the election calendar, which moved mayoral filing ahead of the November election, makes the dual candidacies illegal, Block Club reported. He told the Sun-Times he is running "for one job" and that candidates should have to pick one office.

The response. Michael Dorf, an attorney working for Giannoulias, called Quinlan's effort "totally frivolous," according to Block Club. Dorf also filed an objection to Quinlan's petitions, citing what he said were unregistered, non-genuine and duplicate signatures. Quinlan hasn't had a hearing on those claims, and the Board has not ruled.

How this got to the Board

Quinlan first sued. A Cook County judge dismissed that suit on Oct. 14 as premature and said eligibility questions belong first before the Board of Elections, Block Club reported. Quinlan said he would appeal, CBS Chicago reported, and the Sun-Times reported Monday that he still plans to. We found no report of an appeals ruling.

In September, the Chicago Tribune reported that Illinois State Board of Elections officials have generally read the "incompatible" standard as applying to a single election and a single ballot. The Tribune noted that reading predates the law that put Chicago's mayoral filing ahead of November. Quigley's campaign called the suit "frivolous" at the time, and Pappas likened the situation to "a clown show," the Tribune reported.

What our records add

All three are on the Board's Oct. 30 list of mayoral candidates on our mayor's race page. Our counts of filled-in petition lines, which are not the Board's count of valid signatures:

• Giannoulias: 56,232 lines, from an incomplete copy.
• Quigley: 41,587 lines, a complete copy.
• Pappas: not yet counted.

Quinlan's objection, as reported, is about eligibility, not signatures, so those counts don't bear on it. We have no count for Quinlan's petitions.

What today means

All three names are on today's ballot, which voters have been casting since early voting began. Today's results do not affect whether they can stay in the mayor's race; that is the Electoral Board's question. If any of them wins today and later becomes mayor, the office won today would be filled another way. A U.S. House vacancy, for example, is filled by a special election, under Article I of the U.S. Constitution.

What's next

• Wed., Nov. 4: the Board posts its full list of objections, a spokesperson told Block Club. We'll add them to our objections page.
• Mon., Nov. 9: hearings begin, the Board told NBC Chicago.
• Dec. 17: the Board certifies the February ballot. Either side can seek review of an Electoral Board ruling in court.
• Every mayoral objection reported so far.