Jeramey Jannene
City Hall

Ieshuh Griffin Booted From Ballot In Two Aldermanic Races

Griffin attempted to run to replace both Cavalier Johnson and Nik Kovac.

By - Jun 6th, 2022 07:42 pm
Ieshuh Griffin. Photo from the candidate.

Ieshuh Griffin. Photo from the candidate.

After filing to run for both open Common Council seats, Ieshuh Griffin won’t appear on the ballot for either.

“There is nothing that would prevent someone from running in two aldermanic districts,” said Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Claire Woodall-Vogg at the commission’s Monday afternoon virtual meeting. The residency requirement in state law is at the time of the election.

But Griffin, who finished seventh in the mayoral race earlier this year, failed to submit the necessary 200 valid signatures of eligible voters to appear on the ballot for either race.

“IT WAS ALL STAGED AND ENGINEERED JUST LIKE THE MAYORAL RACE,” said Griffin in a series of tweets after the meeting, promising a federal lawsuit and state complaint (ed: In March, Griffin filed a claim in federal court against Jannene, Woodall-Vogg and others during the mayoral race that was dismissed with prejudice). “I will be FORMALLY filing a complaint with the STATE and using the video and pictures and EVIDENCE asking for a JOHN DOE INVESTIGATION.”

She recorded herself attempting to interrupt the virtual meeting as “evidence,” but was participating via the listen-only public link. She claims to have been “ignored” and “booted out.”

Griffin did submit more than the minimum number of signatures, but they were not all validated. She submitted 300 signatures in the second district race to replace alderman-turned-mayor Cavalier Johnson and 239 signatures in the third district race to replace alderman-turned-budget-director Nik Kovac.

Only 82 of the 300 second district signatures were confirmed to be residents of the district.

In the third district, Griffin ran into an entirely different problem: the signatures were collected too early. While Kovac’s impending resignation was known, the race wasn’t formally called until May 9. Griffin submitted signatures dated May 3, 4 and 5.

As allowed, she submitted a notarized corrective affidavit claiming that the signatures were collected on May 13, 14 and 15. But the declaration applies only to the dating of her signature on the nomination form, and not the date written by each of the signers. Each signer would need to submit an affidavit that they signed on an eligible date said Woodall-Vogg.

Woodall-Vogg recommended the three-member commission, selected by the two political parties, not certify Griffin for ballot access. With only a discussion that going into closed session wasn’t necessary, the board unanimously adopted her recommendation.

Griffin also submitted a complaint at approximately 2 p.m. Monday attempting to get opponents in both races barred from the ballot. But she was primarily challenging the registration statements of the candidates, which Woodall-Vogg said a discussion with the City Attorney’s Office confirmed

“We do not believe the challenges meet the venue requirement,” said the executive director. Griffin would need to pursue the challenge in court.

She also challenged the legitimacy of the individuals that circulated third district opponent Jonathan Brostoff‘s nomination papers. Woodall-Vogg advised the commissioners that they could review that complaint, but that she verified the eligibility of each of the circulators, including County Supervisor Ryan Clancy and deputy county clerk Stefan Dostanic.

“There has been no evidence on what makes these circulators ineligible,” said Woodall-Vogg. The commission rejected the complaint.

Griffin, as she submitted and posted on social media, alleges Brostoff is ineligible because he registered to run on April 25. But Brostoff technically registered to first run in the 2024 election. Despite declaring his intention to run just hours after Kovac was announced as the city budget director, Brostoff didn’t circulate nomination papers until after the special election was formally called.

With Griffin’s rejection, Brostoff is now the only candidate who will appear on the Nov. 8 ballot to replace Kovac.

The three candidates who successfully submitted signatures to appear on the second district ballot are Jerel Ballard, Mark Chambers Jr. and Keyellia Morries. A primary will be held Aug. 9.

Walt Love and Annette Jackson registered for the second district race, but did not submit the necessary number of signatures to appear on the ballot. Neither challenged the ruling.

Griffin could still contest the commission’s rulings in Milwaukee County Circuit Court.

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Categories: Politics, Weekly

2 thoughts on “City Hall: Ieshuh Griffin Booted From Ballot In Two Aldermanic Races”

  1. Douglas Lueck says:

    The spirit of Roman Blenski is alive, well and lives on!

  2. MilwMike1 says:

    Her use of capital letters reminds one of defeated candidate and former President, trump.

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