The five candidates for the Glasgow city council who were disqualified from running for those seats because they did not file their financial disclosure statements may still be appointed, according to a statement issued last week by the City of Glasgow.

“The State has indicated that the disqualified candidates may not be elected to the seats for which they filed and were disqualified. Therefore, if any qualified candidates receive votes for an open council seat, the qualified candidate with the most votes will be considered by the State to have won the seat,” the city said in the statement.

“In the event that no qualified candidates receive a vote, or the winning candidate refuses the seat, there would be a vacancy that will be filled by appointment from the mayor with the approval of the remaining council members. A disqualified candidate may be appointed to fill a vacancy.”

While the city will be short of a quorum following the election, a mechanism in state law, called the Rule of Necessity, allows for the mayor to appoint aldermen. However, those new aldermen still must receive a majority vote from the remaining council members before they may be sworn in.

“While this situation is certainly not ideal, the City will continue to function and provide essential services to the residents,” the city said.