Chicago

Mayoral Candidates Can Begin Filing Petitions Monday

Mayoral candidates for the upcoming election need 12,500 signatures – from registered voters who have signed only one petition

Monday morning will be the first time those running for Chicago mayor can hand in their petitions to get on the city ballot, but the process is complicated. 

Mayoral candidates for the upcoming election need 12,500 signatures – from registered voters who have signed only one petition.

That’s why the candidates usually file with many more signatures than needed. With so many interested in running for mayor – there will no doubt be some signatures challenged. 

Toni Preckwinkle, the current Cook County Board president, will be filing her petitions Monday morning. Her spokesman says she will likely have four or five times the number of signatures needed.

Bill Daley’s campaign also said "we will have more much than we need” and Garry McCarthy’s campaign said it is “very, very confident we have more than the required signatures." The Lightfoot campaign also said it has collected well beyond the minimum number of petition signatures needed to get on the ballot.

Not everyone will be filing on Monday, however. The candidates have until Nov. 26 to file. 

Susana Mendoza’s campaign will not say yet says when she is filing her petitions.

Those running for alderman will also begin filing their petitions Monday. They will need at least 473 signatures and to sign an aldermanic petition, a voter needs to have lived in that ward for one year. 

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