How objections could shrink the mayoral ballot

Although the ballot for next year s special mayoral election will not grow any further, it could shrink in coming weeks, as residents may challenge the validity of candidates petitions and other paperwork through 5 p.m. Monday. Objections can target any claimed deficiency in a candidate s paperwork, and when upheld can disqualify a candidate from appearing on the ballot. The 2017 mayoral election had numerous objections, creating plenty of confusion but not resulting in any removals, and in the 2021 cycle, former Councilmember Jane Grover (7th Ward), now a candidate for mayor, suspended her campaign for city clerk when faced with an objection she expected to succeed. A common objection is a challenge to the validity of a candidate s petition signatures from registered voters. Mayoral candidates had to file at least 946 valid signatures to get on next spring s ballot, so if an objection invalidates enough to bring them below that threshold, they ll be disqualified. Candidates w