The March 17 Democratic primary field for Danny Davis’s 7th Congressional seat will remain crowded after five of six Democrats survived petition challenges.

Both Republican candidates also will remain on the ballot. 

As of Dec. 15. Chicago Board of Elections hearing officers have forwarded recommendations to the election board on all but one candidate. While a final vote by the election board must wait until Dec. 17, the full board generally accepts the recommendations from its hearing officers.

Max Bevar, Chicago Board of Elections spokesman, said Monday that it’s likely no final report will be filed on the objection to Democrat David Ehrlich, saying, “The objector filed a motion to withdraw the objection … so that objection is now moot, and the candidate will be on the ballot.”

Bevar said no final recommendation has yet been filed on the objection to Democrat Anna Mendoza’s petitions. 

Since mid-November, officials with the Chicago Board of Elections have been working to process formal objections, reviewing thousands of voter registration signatures and hearing legal arguments. 

“It was a lighter year than usual, and we expect to be wrapped up sooner,” said Bevar, who said the elections board had only 23 objections this year..

Three petition objections by Chicagoan Marlo Payne will be dismissed. Hearing officer Laura Jacksack recommended that the objection against Republican Patricia Easley be “defaulted” due to Payne having failed to appear at the scheduled hearing. 

Hearing Officer Mary C. Meehan found that Payne’s objection against Anthony Driver was moot because Payne “clearly resides outside the district … and therefore the objector lacks standing to file the objection.”

Meehan dismissed Payne’s objection to Felix Tello on the same grounds, finding that Payne lacked legal standing as a non-district resident.

Other objections were recommended to be dismissed after signature reviews. Democrat Kina Collins’ name remains on the ballot after hearing officer Mathias Delort found that, despite 863 being determined to be invalid, she had 348 more valid signatures than required. 

Delort made the same recommendation for Democrat Jazmin Robinson, who was found to have 436 valid signatures over the number needed.

Objector Omari Davis alleged that Chad Koppie, an 87-year Kane County farmer, had committed fraud by not gathering all the signatures on his 53 pages of nominating sheets himself. 

Koppie offered evidence, “including bank statements that showed gas purchases and White Castle purchases in the Oak Park-Forest Park area.” 

He also produced, hearing officer Terence Flynn noted, “a notarized handwritten (by the notary” statement from the manager of the Oak Park Jewel, attesting to requesting Koppie leave the premises when collecting signatures.”

“There could be other reasons for a farmer from Kane County to drive to Oak Park for gas and White Castle sliders,” Flynn reasoned, “but this hearing officer cannot think of any.”

Koppie’s otherwise unchallenged 530 nominating signatures, Flynn found, were “well over the 272 minimum” number required. 

An electoral board’s scope of inquiry is limited solely to the issue of whether a challenged petition and papers comply with the provisions of the Election Code. Objectors in a proceeding must prove their objections by a preponderance of the evidence.

Hearing officers have the same duties and powers as an electoral board, but cannot make final, binding decisions, only make recommendations to the electoral board.

Jan. 8 is the last day for candidates to be certified for inclusion on the 2026 primary ballot. That deadline is based on the need for the state’s 108 local election authorities to finalize names in order to begin printing primary ballots.