A judge reinstated North Miami District 3 City Council candidate Jobans Jules to the ballot Friday, one day after a ruling had disqualified him. The judge vacated the October 29 non-final order during an afternoon hearing.
Several other candidates remain off the city’s ballot listings or are still fighting in court before Tuesday’s election. North Miami Mayor Alix Desulme is listed as disqualified on the city website after a court found he paid his qualifying fees from a personal account rather than his campaign account. In the District 2 council race, Hector Medina and Laury Vanessa Metayer are also listed as disqualified. A judge removed Medina because his campaign treasurer had not signed his qualifying check.
The Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections Office said disqualified candidates will still appear on printed ballots because the ballots were printed before the rulings. Notices will tell voters that votes for those candidates will not count. The office said the disqualifications stemmed from the city clerk’s failure to properly qualify the candidates and to notify them of problems in their paperwork. The city clerk declined to comment.
The uncertainty has pushed some voters to hold off. Voter Laurie Landgrebe said she will wait until Election Day so she knows her choice is still in the race. Another voter, Eileen Bicaba, said candidates should not be knocked off over technicalities, but that the law must be upheld.
Early voting ends before Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and further court rulings could still change which candidates are eligible to receive votes.
