Signatures are in— and city ballot is filling up

The nomination papers are in and the municipal election race is now underway. Candidates seeking a mayoral or city council seat in the fall election were required to submit their papers and signatures for verification by Tuesday.

Mayor Martin Walsh has enough verified signatures to make the ballot, as do challengers City Councillor Tito Jackson and Joseph A. Wiley of East Boston. Still awaiting signature verification are: Robert Cappucci, Mary A. Franklin, Donald M. Osgood Sr., and Christopher G. Womack.

Walsh’s campaign said today that his team had collected 38,521 signatures for his nomination push.

A preliminary election in September will whittle the number down to two. The Board of Election Commissioners will certify valid signatures by June 27.

It remains unclear if there will be a preliminary election for at-large councillor. Nine candidates must be in the field to trigger a run-off election among citywide hopefuls in September. Presently, only six have qualified including all four sitting citywide councilors— Annissa Essaibi-George, Michael Flaherty, Ayanna Pressley, and Michelle Wu. Also guaranteed ballot spots are Althea Garrison of Dorchester and Pat Payaso of Roxbury.

Five other challengers have not yet been verified, according to the city Election Department.

District councillors Frank Baker (District 3), Andrea Campbell (District 4), and Matt O’Malley (District 5) are verified and unopposed.

The heaviest field remains District 7 (Roxbury-Dorchester), where Tito Jackson’s departure to seek the mayor’s job triggered 16 hopefuls to scramble for his seat. Twelve of the 16 have submitted enough verified signatures to make the primary ballot: Dorchester residents Joao Gomes DePina, Charles Clemons Muhammad, and Steven A. Wise; and Roxbury residents Angelina Magdalena Camacho, Rufus J. Faulk, Kim Janey, Deeqo Jibril, Brian Keith, Jose Lopez, Roy Owens, Domonique A. Williams, and Hassan A. Williams.

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