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Government

4 Moline Candidates Thrown Off Ballot

Moline Mayor Scott Raes will be the only name printed on the ballot for mayor in next year's municipal election. This morning, the city's Municipal Officers Electoral Board ruled four candidates' nominating petitions are invalid because their signature pages were not numbered, as mandated by Illinois law.

Raes challenged the petitions of mayoral candidates At-Large Ald. Stephanie Acri and Bob Vogelbaugh, plus Sonia Berg, an at-large alderman candidate. Dick Potter challenged the petitions of 4th Ward Ald. John Zelnio.

After the announcement, Rais said, "Everyone that was asked, with the exception of Mr. Zelnio, said you could read 'sheet number' on the form. And it wasn't, I mean it was legible. You could see it. And four of the five at-large candidates turned their forms in correctly. They were signed, numbered, notarized, and the whole nine yards."

Acri says she accepts the board's decision and will not appeal. But she plans to run as a write-in candidate in the primary and let voters decide who should be on the ballot in the general election.

Today is the deadline to file as a write-in candidate for the primary (if one is necessary). But without more than four candidates running for mayor in the non-partisan municipal election, the State Board of Elections says there won't be a primary (Illinois Municipal Code, 65 ILCS 5/3.1-20-45).

The same is true for the at-large race. That means if Berg doesn't file to be a write-in candidate in the primary by the end of business today, a primary election will not be necessary. Here are the four candidates who will be on the ballot for the general election: Carol Triebel, Angie Normoyle, Gregory Swanson, and Edward Johnson.

Those rules also apply to 4th Ward Ald. Zelnio. Dick Potter will run uncontested unless Zelnio files to run as a write-in candidate.

The deadline to file as a write-in candidate for the general election in April is February 2nd.

UPDATE: The Dispatch & Rock Island Argus reports Acri and four other people have filed to declare themselves write-in candidates for mayor triggering the need to hold a primary election on Feb. 28th. A request to the Moline City Clerk for the names of the write-in candidates has been referred to the city's Freedom of Information Act officer. 

Officially, Michelle's title for 28 years was WVIK News Editor. She did everything there is to do in the newsroom and whatever was needed around the radio station. She also served as Acting News Director from September 2023 - January 2024.
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