- Credibility:
SOUTH SHORE — Some South Side voters are getting new ballots in the mail this week after a disqualified 5th ward aldermanic candidate was mistakenly included in earlier versions.
The Chicago Board of Elections mailed 3,936 ballots for the Feb. 28 municipal election which incorrectly listed Adrienne Irmer as a candidate, officials confirmed.
Irmer entered the race to replace retiring Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th), but elections judges disqualified her Jan. 20 after determining she lives in the 8th Ward.
“Ms. Irmer was removed from the ballot on January 20, 2023 and is not qualified to have her name printed upon the ballot,” elections board spokesperson Max Bever said. “We sincerely regret this error and apologize for this inconvenience to voters.”
Elections officials mailed affected voters a new ballot Saturday and have sent letters and emails to voters with information about the mistake and options to vote by mail or in person, Bever said.
Ballots with Irmer’s name on it will be counted unless the voter submits a second, correctly printed ballot, Bever said. In that case, only the second ballot will be counted, he said.
Voters had not returned any misprinted ballots as of Friday, and no early voting ballots included Irmer’s name, he said.
Those who already mailed or returned a ballot with Irmer’s name on it should call the elections board at 312-269-7967 or email votebymail@chicagoelections.gov to tell officials whether they want their first ballot to be counted or they intend to submit a second ballot, Bever said.
The election is Feb. 28. If no one receives at least 50 percent of the vote, the top two finishers will go to a runoff April 4.
For more information on how to vote in the upcoming election, click here.
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