Nag Jaiswal
Two of the nine candidates for Naperville City Council face challenges to their nominating petitions — and the possibility of being booted off the ballot.
Farid Shabazz and Nag Jaiswal are fighting to stay on the ballot after three people — Diane McGuire, Nancy Turner and Mark Urda — objected to their petitions. The city’s electoral board will conduct a hearing on Wednesday.
The objectors noted Shabazz did not properly disclose a name change. Under Illinois law, candidates must disclose any name changes that have occurred within the last three years.
In 2023, Shabazz changed his name from David Hughes to Farid Shabazz. On 18 of 54 of his petition pages, Shabazz did not disclose his previous name.
“The candidate’s current and former names are the only means by which voters can do research to learn about a candidate or follow news about a candidate,” the objection to his petition reads. “Without an accurate name to go on, voters can be easily misled and misinformed.”
Shabazz could not be reached for comment on Monday. Over the weekend, he posted about the objection on social media.
“I was warned that local Democratic Party people would try to make me withdraw and cause me issues,” Shabazz said in the Facebook post. “It’s a frivolous complaint. Turning local races partisan and picking on minority candidates.”
In Jaiswal’s complaint, objectors challenged 184 of the more than 400 signatures Jaiswal collected. Candidates must have 317 valid signatures to be placed on the ballot.
It is the second time Jaiswal has faced objections to his petitions. In 2022, his petitions were initially challenged, but the challenge was later withdrawn, Jaiswal said. However, he ultimately lost the election for city council.
In a response to a Facebook post by the Safe Suburbs USA PAC — a conservative political organization — Jaiswal thanked the group for bringing the petition challenges to light.
“Naperville Democratic machinery doesn’t want me on the ballot for many reasons,” he wrote. He went on to list four reasons — his stance on a Quran burning issue in 2023, his stance against property tax increases, his attempts to end what he called “Hindu-phobia,” and his views on immigration.
He believes he was targeted because he is a “threat” to candidates his objectors support.
The city’s electoral board consists of three members, including Mayor Scott Wehrli, City Clerk Dawn Portner and Councilmen Patrick Kelly. The hearing will begin at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the municipal center, 400 S. Eagle St.