Republican political candidates who do well in Queens usually win citywide or statewide elections.
The department also objected to the use of citywide elections.
Two of the nine school board seats are chosen in citywide elections.
This year he enhanced his authority by running for citywide popular election and winning easily.
He has never before run in a citywide election.
He was the council's first black president and won his only citywide election for that office the next year.
He formally won the chairmanship in a citywide special election on November 6, 2012.
But rather than dropping, the number of petition challenges is actually up from the last citywide election.
The changes would take effect after the 2005 citywide election.