John Steffen, a five-term member of the Elgin City Council who has held his seat since 2007, will not appear on the April 2027 municipal election ballot after city officials found problems with his nominating petition. Deborah K. Willis, another candidate who had been in the running, also lost her spot on the ballot. Both were initially listed among nine candidates before the city updated its candidate status.
Petition Review Knocks Two Names Off the List
Elgin released its official candidate list the day after the petition filing deadline closed, revealing that Steffen and Willis had been dropped, according to Chicago Tribune. The filing deadline had passed at 5 p.m. that Monday, and the city updated its candidate-status post days later, saying the change reflected what it described as updates in candidate status following a review of nominating petitions. Steffen had been scheduled to take part in a lottery to determine ballot placement, a process tied to the order in which petitions were filed, according to the City of Elgin.
Elgin Communications & Engagement Manager Josie Beecher-Crotty said in an email that certain councilmember petitions did not meet the filing requirements laid out in the Illinois election code, the same report notes. The city did not specify which requirements were not met or detail the exact defects found in Steffen's or Willis' filings. Messages left for both Steffen and Willis had not been returned at the time the Tribune's report was published.
A Long Council Career Hits an Unexpected Snag
Steffen's removal is notable given his tenure. He has served continuously on the Elgin City Council since 2007 and had already confirmed earlier this year that he intended to seek another four-year term, per the Tribune's prior reporting. That same report, published in July, noted that the council seats currently held by Rose Martinez, Anthony Ortiz, Tish Powell and Steffen were all up for reelection in the April 2027 cycle.
Willis, the other candidate dropped from the ballot, had run earlier this year in the Democratic primary for Kane County Board District 17, where she lost to Deborah Allen. Her bid for Elgin City Council would have marked a return to local political contests just months after that primary defeat.
How the Filing Window Worked
Nominating petitions for Elgin mayor and council seats could be filed only between Oct. 19 and Oct. 26, 2026, according to the Kane County Reporter. The City of Elgin's own notice specified that petitions had to be filed no earlier than 8 a.m. on that Monday and no later than 5 p.m. the following Monday, with ballot-name placement determined by the order in which petitions were filed. Elgin's consolidated general election remains set for April 6, 2027, the same filing notice confirms.
It remains unclear whether Steffen or Willis plan to challenge their removal from the ballot, and the city has not released a complete final candidate list or detailed petition-review record explaining the exact basis for the disqualifications. For now, the April election moves forward without two names that had been expected to appear on it.
