The petition challenge to knock off Rod Blagojevich’s sister-in-law from the February primary ballot could come to a head tomorrow.

Joe Laiacona is running for state rep of the 40th district. He’s the one who filed the petition challenge against incumbent Deb Mell. Laiacona says Mell shouldn’t run on the ballot because she forgot to update her voter registration when she collected signatures.

But an official with Chicago Board of Elections recommended last week that the board dismiss this challenge, saying it doesn’t matter if Mell was registered or not. Laiacona’s lawyer, Rich Means, says he’s prepared to file an appeal.

MEANS: The election code isn’t completely clear. After all, we wouldn’t have lawsuits if everything were clear. It wouldn’t be necessary.

The board is expected to issue an decision on tomorrow. Mell says the election code supports her case.