DuPage to review candidates’ right to stay on primary ballot

Joseph C. Wozniak, a forest preserve commission candidate in DuPage County, soon could learn whether his name will remain on the March primary ballot.

The county’s electoral board on Monday afternoon is expected to begin the process of determining whether Wozniak of Naperville and two other candidates seeking countywide seats have valid nomination papers.

Opponents claim petitions submitted by Wozniak, Mary Lou Wehrli and Mike Quiroz don’t have enough valid signatures to qualify them for the March 18 primary election.

Wehrli, a DuPage County Forest Preserve commissioner, is running against fellow board member Joe Cantore of Oak Brook for the district’s presidency in the Republican primary.

Quiroz, a Democrat from West Chicago, hopes to challenge Sheriff John Zaruba during next fall’s general election.

An initial hearing for all three challenges is scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday at the DuPage Election Commission office in Wheaton.

Due to the complexity of the challenges, an attorney for the election commission said it’s unlikely a decision on Wehrli’s and Quiroz’s paperwork will happen on Monday. Additional hearings might be needed. But it is possible electoral board members will make a ruling about Wozniak’s paperwork, the attorney said.