Candidates in the crowded field for Chicago mayor have until Monday to challenge the petitions of their opponents, and one of the potential frontrunners could be facing a fight to stay on the ballot.
Multiple sources have told NBC 5 that around half of the signatures submitted by Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza are being heavily scrutinized, and while the campaign has said they believe they have more than enough signatures to withstand a challenge, other campaigns are looking into the issue.
Challenging petitions is always a hot button topic in Chicago, as signees must be registered voters and are only allowed to sign petitions for one candidate.
These Are the Candidates Currently Running for Chicago Mayor
Numerous campaigns have said that a good number of voters have signed more than one petition, and there could be court challenges around whether it’s possible to prove which petition was signed by a voter first.
Candidate Bill Daley has hired a robust staff to check the documents, and he says that his campaign is looking into signatures on petitions for several candidates, including Mendoza and Paul Vallas.
“There’s legal obligations, and I’m sure people are looking at mine all over the place, so we’ll look at them and see whether or not it warrants a challenge,” he said.
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One election attorney told NBC 5 that Mendoza’s petitions are “embarrassing,” but her campaign disputes that characterization.
“We’re confident that we’ll have more than enough signatures to get on the ballot,” Attorney Anthony Jacob said.
Formal challenges must be filed by 5 p.m. Monday.
