Petition challenge hearings begin for mayoral, City Council candidates

Elections Petition challenge hearings begin for mayoral, City Council candidates Monday will mark the first day of petition challenge hearings for Chicago mayoral and City Council candidates in the 2027 election season By James Neveau • Published 21 minutes ago • Updated 12 minutes ago The midterm elections wrapped up less than one week ago, but for candidates for Chicago mayor and City Council, another key battle is already shaping up. On Monday, the Chicago Board of Elections will hold its first hearing following the submission of challenges to nominating petitions for the 2027 consolidated election in the city. Stream NBC 5 for free, 24/7, wherever you are. WATCH HERE That list is going to include a staggering 12 of the 16 candidates who are running for Chicago mayor, including incumbent Mayor Brandon Johnson, and it will also feature challenges against eight current members of the Chicago City Council. Among the other notable mayoral candidates to face challenges will be Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, Rep. Mike Quigley and Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas. A mayoral candidate has to have 12,500 valid petition signatures in order to qualify for the February ballot. All of those signatures must be from registered voters and voters are only permitted to sign one petition, according to election laws. The City Council threshold is far lower, with only 473 signatures required on a petition, but that hasn't stopped several members of the Council from facing challenges. According to a candidate list published by the Chicago Board of Elections, eight current members of the City Council are among those having their petitions challenged, including 2nd Ward Ald. Brian Hopkins. Richard Omoniyi-Shoyoola, Hopkins’ potential 2027 opponent and the only other candidate in the ward to submit petitions to be on the ballot, will also have his petitions challenged, according to the board. The same situation is unfolding in the city’s 5th Ward, where Ald. Desmon Yancy and his potential opponent Ryan Green law are both facing petition challenges. Local Chicago Traffic 12 minutes ago I-88 lanes shut down in western suburbs due to crash; traffic and heavy backups expected JB Pritzker 52 minutes ago Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker undergoing outpatient medical procedure Monday Ald. William Hall will also face a petition challenge in the sixth ward, as will 9th Ward Ald. Anthony Beale. Beale’s potential opponent Cecelia Harrison is also facing a challenge. Alds. Monique Scott (24th Ward), Emma Mitts (37th) and Angela Clay (46th) will also face petition challenges. The 7th Ward could see plenty of fireworks in this year’s petition challenges, as Ald. Gregory Mitchell is facing multiple challenges of his nominating petitions, as are all five of the candidates who are attempting to run against him. In the 16th Ward, all three of Ald. Stephanie Coleman’s potential opponents are facing challenges, and she’s far from the only sitting member of the City Council who could run unopposed if the board disqualifies her opponents. The same is true in Ald. David Moore’s 17th Ward, and in Ald. Walter Burnett’s 27th Ward. Ald. Chris Taliaferro’s two potential opponents in the 29th Ward had their petitions challenged, as did the two candidates potentially running against 31st Ward Ald. Felix Cardona. Hearing officers will be assigned to each of the petition challenges for the candidates involved, and the Board of Elections will determine whether to allow those candidates to remain on the ballot or whether they will be disqualified in the coming weeks. The 2027 election is set for February 23. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote in a race, a run-off election will then be held between the top two candidates on Tuesday, April 6, 2027. This article tagged under: Elections