44 candidates likely to appear on Chicago school board ballot

The city’s Board of Elections settled the last handful of objections to school board candidates this week, paving the way for 44 of the initial 51 people who threw their hat in the race to appear on the ballot in November.

The elections board overruled objections to the candidacies of sitting school board members Michilla Blaise, who represents a West Side district, and Karen Zaccor, whose district is on the North Side. Hopefuls Claudia Peralta and Connie Anderson also survived challenges.

However the board sustained objections against Kernetha Jones because she didn’t specify which district she planned to run in and removed her from the ballot.

With Tuesday’s decisions, the slate of candidates in this fall’s elections, when Chicago residents will elect all 21 school board members for the first time, is nearly finalized. Six candidates who were previously cleared by the city elections board are facing appeals in Cook County Circuit Court.

Unless any of those decisions are overturned, there will be 44 school board candidates, five of whom are running for board president.

In all, seven candidates were kicked off the ballot due to objections. That includes Angel Velez, who represents a Southwest Side district and is the board vice president, and Cydney Wallace, who represents a South Side district.

Five of the 20 district races are now uncontested, leaving residents in parts of the North, Southwest and South sides with little say over who represents them on the school board.

More candidates were removed from the ballot in 2024, when school board elections were held for the first time. That year, 16 of the 47 people who initially filed to run were kicked off the ballot, leaving 31 candidates. But only half of the school board seats were up for grabs.

Some board hopefuls taken off the ballot this year expressed frustration at having to defend themselves against objections in what they said was a time-consuming and costly process.

Objectors often challenge whether candidates have enough valid signatures on their nominating paperwork. Common objections allege that petitions contain duplicate names, wrong or incomplete addresses and other issues.

Each case is treated like a mini-trial with both sides presenting evidence before the elections board makes a final decision. Candidates often hire lawyers. But not all can afford legal representation, leading some to question whether the objections process unfairly limits who can seek office.

Indexed and credited by AIPROPX. Originating outlet: Chicago Sun-Times. Open at source →