MILWAUKEE – A seventh mayoral candidate has had their nomination papers certified by the Milwaukee Election Commission just hours before the committee finalizes the ballot for the February 15th primary.
Isehuh Griffin submitted her papers on time, but Milwaukee Election Commission Director Claire Woodall-Vogg said that some of the signatures did not contain valid addresses.
“She turned in over 1500 signatures, but we were only able to validate just over 1400,” Woodall-Vogg said after the 5:00 p.m. deadline on Tuesday. “Because a lot of the addresses were not valid addresses in the city of Milwaukee.”
“When we typed them into multiple databases, including the city assessor’s office, the property information site, as well as the registered voter’s site… It was not a valid address. It did not exist in the city of Milwaukee.”
WTMJ has reached out to Woodall-Vogg to find out how the addresses were validated but has not heard back.
Ieshuh Griffin tells WTMJ that 83 of those signatures were approved after an appeal, giving her more than the required 1,500 signatures.
The website showing which candidates submitted their papers on time now shows that Ieshuh Griffin’s papers were approved on Sunday, January 16, 2022. She was certified for ballot placement that same day.
Griffin says she’s upset that the signatures and their addresses were challenged in the first place.
“It was very, very minute errors that didn’t even need to go this far,” Griffin told WTMJ.
“Some wasn’t errors at all… They claimed they couldn’t read people’s handwriting or what have you,” Griffin said.
“But I’m very appreciative of everyone who signed my nomination papers and they all have been rectified.”
The Milwaukee Election Commission will meet at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, January 17, 2022. They will hear challenges presented by Griffin to papers which have been circulated by fellow candidates Cavalier Johnson and Lena Taylor before moving to finalize the order in which candidates will appear on the February 15th primary ballot.
The top two vote-getters in the February primary will face off in the Spring election.
Other candidates who have been certified for ballot placement already include Acting Mayor Cavalier Johnson, state senator Lena Taylor, Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell Lucas, Milwaukee Alderwoman Marina Dimitrijevic, Bob Donovan and Michael Sampson.