EVERETT — A Snohomish County Superior Court judge granted a motion from the city of Everett on Wednesday to intervene in a court case that alleges a City Council candidate in District 4 is ineligible to appear on the ballot.

The largely procedural move laid out a timeline for the steps needed to ensure the election contest process complies with state law. The city stressed in its court filing it wasn’t taking a position on who should be certified as the primary’s top two lawful vote getters — that’s up to a judge to decide at a later date.

A hearing to determine Niko Battle’s eligibility to appear on the ballot is now scheduled for Sept. 9.

Battle, who earned the most votes in the Aug. 5 primary for the District 4 seat, did not attend the hearing and did not respond to a subsequent requ

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