Now that Jay Stone’s short-lived mayoral campaign is over—he’s been knocked off the ballot—it’s time to ask what that was all about.
The suit points out that candidates for those positions need to gather more signatures than most candidates for Illinois governor. Only 5,000 signatures are needed to run in the Democratic or Republican gubernatorial primaries, whose winners are automatically on the ballot in the general election. (To get on the ballot in the general election without winning a primary requires 25,000 signatures.) Illinois has four times as many residents as Chicago.
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The suit also points out that Chicago requires more nominating signatures than Los Angeles or New York, both of which have more residents. New York requires 3,750; Los Angeles requires 500 along with a $300 filing fee, or 1,000 signatures with no fee. Chicago has no filing fee ,and neither does New York.
In 1995 a bill for nonpartisan Chicago elections—this one pushed by Republicans—passed in Springfield. Republicans hoped that they might actually be able to win an occasional Chicago election if their party affiliation wasn’t noted on the ballot.
There were a record 426 challenges made this election—including the numerous challenges to mayoral candidate Rahm Emanuel’s residency. Most challenges are easily resolved—it quickly becomes apparent that the candidate has or doesn’t have sufficient valid signatures. But in closer cases, the challenged candidate may have to sit through several hearings conducted by a hearing officer, whose recommendation is sent to the full board of three commissioners, which may hold another hearing. Witnesses may be called in to verify their signatures, with a court reporter transcribing the proceedings.
To bolster his court case, Stone persuaded Frank Coconate, a political maverick from the northwest side, to file for city clerk. Coconate rounded up 61 signatures. On December 6, his ballot bid was challenged by state senator Rickey Hendon, acting on behalf of Patricia Horton, another candidate for clerk.
Ben Joravsky discusses his reporting weekly with journalist Dave Glowacz at mrradio.org/theworks.
