In February we reported Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson would remain unopposed in the 2023 municipal elections. One contestant has emerged in the form of a write-in campaign and another is legally disputing his disqualification from the mayoral race.

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Jrmar Jefferson announced plans to run for Dallas mayor this year, when he posted Jan. 20 on his Facebook page that he was trying to secure the 404 signatures required to do so. Jefferson also said at the time that his twin brother Lamar Jefferson would run for Dallas City Council. But neither of those things happened, officially.

Despite the fact that Jefferson says in this Facebook video on Feb. 24 that he garnered more than 1,000 signatures, City Secretary Bilierae Johnson told Dallas Morning News that week that Jefferson didn’t obtain enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot.

Election officials also determined that Lamar Jefferson, who filed to run against incumbent Adam Bazaldua to represent D7, which includes parts of East and South Dallas and Pleasant Grove, was not registered to vote in Dallas County, which disqualifies him from running for city council.

Now the 42-year-old twins are suing and “seeking a Dallas County judge’s help to order the city to put their names on the election ballot,” according to a report from the Dallas Morning Newss Everton Bailey Jr.

They also requested in the lawsuits that the judge order the city to hold a separate election for the mayor and D7 seats since they have “lost valuable campaigning time” according to the lawsuits.

Jrmar Johnson made a Facebook Live video from “the law library” on Feb 27 and told his followers he was trying to figure out how to sue the city. He said the city was refusing to count half of his more than 1,000 signatures in attempt to “make sure the mayor of Dallas has no competition.”

The brothers will represent themselves, Jrmar said in that Facebook address.

According to the DMN, the twins deny in those lawsuits that they did not meet requirements.

Forest Hills resident and incumbent Eric Johnson’s will be the only name on the ballot for mayor, although Kendal Richardson’s write-in campaign is underway.

Incumbent Adam Bazaldua is running against Marvin Crenshaw, Tracy Dotie Hill and Okema Thomas in D7.

Jrmar Jefferson lost his race for Texas’ 1st congressional district last November to former judge Nathaniel Moran (R).

One more thing, the Jefferson twins have appeared on both American Idol and America’s got Talent as an act called Timez 2. In both cases they passed the first round but progressed no further, per AGT fandom.

The City of Dallas mayor and city council vote takes place May 6.