Proviso Township Committeewoman Mary “May” Larry, who is facing a formal challenge to her nominating petitions for the influential 7th District Democratic State Central Committeewoman seat, will have to wait a bit longer for any resolution, until some election authority other than the Illinois State Board of Elections schedules a hearing.

However, based solely on the number of signatures Larry collected on the nominating petitions she submitted to the ISBE, it’s clear she fell far short of the required number needed to qualify to be on the March Democratic primary ballot, even if all those signatures are ruled valid. 

Of the possible 460 signatures Larrry submitted, 358 were allegedly invalid for one reason or another, and many of the remaining signatures were allegedly signed by people who live outside the 7th Congressional district. 

In fact, a review just of the municipalities noted on Larry’s petitions includes numerous towns and cities outside the boundaries of the 7th Congressional District, including Berkley, Melrose Park, Northlake, Berwyn, Riverside, La Grange and even the north suburban city of Evanston.

Should Larry be ruled off the primary ballot, the committeewoman race will be between three other contenders, incumbent committeewoman and 37th Ward Alderwoman Emma Mitts, City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin (who is also a candidate for Congress in the 7th district) and 5th District State Senator Lakesia Collins.

The date and time of any hearing on Larry’s case is currently unclear because the ISBE is required to pass legal responsibility for any decision to, most likely, the Chicago Board of Elections. 

ISBE Executive Director Bernadette M. Matthews forwarded a letter to Larry stating that “Because the 7th Congressional district is coterminous with the county boundaries or the boundaries of a city that has a board of election commissioners, the State Officers Electoral Board will not hear the objection to your nominating papers.”

Matthews told Larry she would be contacted by the governing electoral authority with “the time and date of the hearing on the objection.”