Theodore “Ted” Hoskins, a veteran of Berkeley politics, has jumped back into the race for his city council seat this spring, even though prosecutors dropped election-related charges against him in 2023 after he agreed not to seek public office again. His name is now on the municipal ballot, a twist that has rival candidates crying foul and local election officials stuck with a thorny question: can a prosecutor’s agreement override a certified candidacy? The answer may decide whether votes for Hoskins actually count in April.
According to documents obtained by reporters, Hoskins submitted his declaration of candidacy on Dec. 12, 2025, and is listed as a candidate for Berkeley’s Third Ward on the April 7 municipal ballot, First Alert 4 reports. He is one of four candidates in the race, and the others have questioned whether his move breaks the earlier deal with prosecutors. Reporters reached out to Hoskins for comment but had not heard back as of publication.
The criminal case that led to that agreement dates to 2019, when Hoskins was charged with multiple election offenses along with a forgery count, according to reporting at the time. Prosecutors ultimately dismissed the case in 2023 after Hoskins agreed not to run for elected office again and was allowed to finish out his then-current term, as reported by the Associated Press. That bargain is now under renewed scrutiny because it appears to bar the very candidacy he filed in December.
First Alert 4 also reports that St. Louis County election officials say they do not have authority to unilaterally remove a certified candidate from the ballot. The Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has been contacted and is reviewing the filing and the earlier deal. Several of Hoskins’ opponents told reporters they believe his name should be taken off the ballot.
Legal questions
When it comes to what happens next, the practical options are limited. The county elections office says it cannot independently decide whether a candidate is qualified and that any formal challenge would likely need to be filed in court by another candidate or an interested party, according to Spectrum News. In previous local disputes, election boards have posted notices telling voters that ballots cast for a later-disqualified candidate would not be counted, but those steps typically follow a judge’s order. Jackson County prosecutors have said they are reviewing the situation, while publicly available online court records tied to the original case remain sparse.
For now, Berkeley voters will still see Hoskins’ name on the April ballot, and any final decision about disqualifying him will likely land with a judge, either before or after Election Day. The City of Berkeley’s official website currently lists Hoskins as the councilmember for Ward 3, with a term that runs through this year, a detail cited in earlier coverage of the 2023 agreement that allowed him to serve out that term. The coming weeks will reveal whether the promise prosecutors relied on in 2023 can actually be enforced, or whether Hoskins’ political fate will ultimately be settled at the ballot box or in court.
