Hearings cover 108 election cases
The Chicago Board of Elections has 108 petition-challenge cases to consider across the mayoral, City Council and other local races, CBS News Chicago reported. The challenges involve eight sitting City Council members as well as the 12 mayoral candidates, according to NBC Chicago.
Monday's proceedings begin with a 9 a.m. electoral board meeting to establish rules and assign hearing officers. Hearings are scheduled to start at 10 a.m., with officers taking up multiple cases simultaneously at the Cook County Office building on West Washington, WLS reported.
Block Club Chicago reported that 16 candidates submitted mayoral nominating petitions by the Oct. 26, 2026, deadline. Qualifying for the ballot requires at least 12,500 valid signatures. Campaigns typically collect thousands beyond that minimum to allow for rejected entries, such as signatures from people who are not registered voters or those who sign for someone else.
Johnson's campaign disputes signature allegations
Rickey Hendon, a former state senator and longtime adviser to mayoral candidate Willie Wilson, filed the objection to Johnson's petitions on Wilson's behalf on Nov. 2. Hendon alleged that only about 5,000 of Johnson's roughly 33,000 submitted signatures are valid, according to reporting by Block Club Chicago and FOX 32 Chicago.
Hendon's allegations include more than 1,000 photocopied signatures and petition sheets for City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin mixed into the mayor's filing. Johnson's campaign said it has more than enough valid signatures to secure a ballot spot.
The last incumbent Chicago mayor to face such a challenge was Richard M. Daley in 2007. That objection was unsuccessful, according to Board of Elections data cited by Block Club Chicago on Nov. 2.
Other objections concern dual candidacies and residency
The challenged mayoral contenders also include Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas and Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza.
Attorney and mayoral candidate William (Bill) Quinlan filed objections against Giannoulias, Quigley and Pappas, arguing that Illinois law prohibits them from seeking the mayor's office while also running for reelection to their current posts. A Cook County judge dismissed Quinlan's earlier lawsuit over that issue in October 2026 as premature, without resolving the underlying legal question, CBS News Chicago reported.
John Kelly faces a residency challenge, separate from signature objections, over where he officially lives. His campaign said Chicago has been his legal residence since October 2024.
Ballot certification is due in December
The Board of Elections must certify the ballot by Dec. 17, 2026. Early voting begins Jan. 14, 2027, when mail ballots also go out, ahead of the Feb. 23 mayoral election. A runoff, if necessary, is scheduled for April 6.
