The Guam Election Commission voted 5-1 Tuesday to decline review of staff's decision to reject nominating petitions for gubernatorial candidate Jeffrey E. Pleadwell, effectively keeping him and running mate Charlie Hermosa off the ballot.
Staff rejected petition sheets listing the candidate as "Jeff Pleadwell" rather than his legally documented name under a 2025 law requiring candidates to use the name appearing on their birth certificate, passport or Real ID.
Commissioner Patrick Civille was the lone dissenter, arguing the commission had not applied the standard uniformly. He cited accepted petitions from other candidates that used abbreviated versions of their legal names.
"For consistency's sake, we should allow the petition to stand and go forward," Civille said.
Executive Director Maria Pangelinan confirmed at least two other candidates had sheets rejected for the same reason but still qualified with their remaining valid signatures.
Pleadwell said during public comment that sheets listing both "Jeffrey E. Pleadwell" and "Jeff Pleadwell" were accepted at the counter when he submitted 847 signatures, with no opportunity to correct the deficient ones. "The form itself did not say legal name on the petition," he said.
Hermosa called for process reform, saying the petition form is confusing for new candidates.
The commission's next meeting is June 24.