Missouri's general municipal election is Tuesday, April 6, 2027, and the schedule that leads to it is fixed by a few dates: candidate filing runs from December 15, 2026 to January 5, 2027, personal financial disclosure is due January 19, the ballot is certified January 26, voter registration closes March 10, and no-excuse in-person absentee voting runs from March 23 to April 5. This plan starts the week of October 5, 2026 and gives each period one main job, so the work happens in the right order.
The plan fits most April races: city council and alderman seats, school boards, fire and ambulance districts, and other special districts. If you are running in the City of St. Louis, your calendar includes a March 2 primary, so read our post on running in the City of St. Louis in 2027 first. For the full process of running, see our guide to running for local office in Missouri.
Dates marked "computed" were worked out from the statute rather than printed on an official 2027 calendar. Confirm them, and anything specific to your office, with your filing officer or election authority.
October 5 to November 1: decide, check eligibility, and start a list
Main job: make sure you can run, and start gathering supporters.
- Confirm the office and the filing place. Local candidates file with the political subdivision or special district, not with the Secretary of State. Before December 15, the subdivision must publish the opening date, the offices, the place for filing and the closing date (RSMo 115.127.5). Ask the clerk or board secretary now.
- Check the eligibility rules. Look at your office's age and residency requirements, the felony bar (RSMo 115.306.1), and the tax rules (RSMo 115.306.2). If you have run before, confirm that every campaign report from that race was filed. No one may file for office until all prior reports are filed (RSMo 130.071).
- Start the tax affidavit. Every candidate files the Affirmation of Tax Payments and Bonding Requirements with the Department of Revenue and includes a copy with the declaration (RSMo 115.306.2(2)).
- Start your supporter list. At every conversation, ask for permission to text, in writing, with the date.
Our post on filing a declaration of candidacy in Missouri covers the paperwork in detail.
November 2 to November 29: money and committee decisions
Main job: decide whether you need a committee, and set up your tools.
- Know your threshold. Most local candidates need no committee if they stay at $1,000 or less in total and $325 or less per contributor (RSMo 130.016.6). In cities over 100,000 the limit is $500, with a sworn exemption statement (RSMo 130.016.1).
- If you need a committee, appoint a treasurer, open one depository account at a Missouri bank or credit union, and file the statement of organization within 20 days (RSMo 130.021).
- If you plan to text, prepare for Campaign Verify. Campaign Verify is a check that confirms to the carriers (the mobile phone companies) that you are a real campaign. You need a 527 committee (the tax status of a political committee), an EIN (the committee's federal tax ID number) and a filing published online by an election authority. Requests made on or after November 15, 2026 last to January 31, 2029, so wait until then.
November 30 to December 14: final preparation before filing
Main job: have every document ready on the first morning.
- Gather proof of identity and your copy of the tax affidavit.
- Plan to file in person with ID, and confirm the procedure with your filing officer.
- Ask whether your filing officer will hold an opening-day drawing for ballot order. For candidates who file before 5:00 p.m. on the first day, the filing officer may set ballot order by random drawing (RSMo 115.124.2). Otherwise, names appear in the order filed (RSMo 115.237.1).
December 15 to January 5: filing period
Main job: file early and correctly.
- December 15, 2026: filing opens, at 8:00 a.m. by default unless your political subdivision sets other times by law or charter (RSMo 115.127.5).
- File for only one office. A person who files for one office and then, without withdrawing, files for another office at the same election is disqualified (RSMo 115.351).
- Sign the acknowledgment of your personal financial disclosure obligation when the filing official gives it to you.
- January 5, 2027: filing closes, at 5:00 p.m. by default.
January 6 to January 26: disclosure, certification, and the first real push
Main job: protect your place on the ballot, then start knocking doors.
- January 15: quarterly campaign finance reports are due for committees with more than $500 in activity in the quarter (RSMo 130.046).
- January 19, 2027 (computed): personal financial disclosure is due, 14 days after filing closes, if your political subdivision's budget is over $1 million and it has not adopted its own conflict-of-interest ordinance (RSMo 105.487(1)).
- January 26, 2027: the ballot is certified. It is also the computed 21st day after filing closes. A candidate whose disclosure has not been filed by then is disqualified and removed from the ballot (RSMo 105.492.2).
- Find out whether your race is contested. Uncontested school board and special district races can be cancelled under RSMo 115.124.
Once filing has closed, start knocking doors on every weekend you can.
January 27 to February 28: doors, supporters and message
Main job: meet as many likely voters as you can.
- February 9, 2027 (computed): the last day a candidate may withdraw by court order (RSMo 115.127.6).
- Knock doors every weekend. Ask each supporter for written permission to text, and record the date.
- Recruit volunteers for March, especially for the last two weeks.
- February 23, 2027 (computed): absentee ballots must be printed and available by this date (RSMo 115.281.1). Local start dates for absentee voting vary, so ask your election authority when it will begin.
March 1 to March 14: registration deadline
Main job: make sure supporters are registered.
- March 10, 2027: last day to register to vote for April 6.
- In the week before March 10, remind opted-in supporters to check their registration.
- If your 8-day report will be due, make sure your treasurer has the records ready.
March 15 to March 21: plan the final two weeks
Main job: schedule every volunteer shift through Election Day.
- Confirm your door and phone plans for March 23 through April 6.
- Draft your reminder messages for the absentee period and Election Day.
- Remember that no one may solicit a voter to obtain an absentee application, and applications may not be prefilled (RSMo 115.279.2). Share dates and locations; do not ask voters to request absentee applications.
March 22 to March 28: absentee voting opens
Main job: tell supporters when and where they can vote early.
- March 23, 2027 (computed): no-excuse in-person absentee voting begins, with photo ID, and runs through April 5 (RSMo 115.277.1).
- March 24, 2027 (computed): applications for absentee ballots by mail, fax, email or relative delivery must be received by 5:00 p.m. (RSMo 115.279.4).
- March 26, 2027 (computed): 5:00 p.m. deadline for write-in candidates to file a declaration of intent (RSMo 115.453(4)). Find out whether anyone has filed in your race.
March 29 to April 5: the last full week
Main job: turn supporters into voters.
- March 29, 2027 (computed): the 8-day-before campaign finance report is due if your committee files one (RSMo 130.046). Confirm the date with the Missouri Ethics Commission.
- Keep knocking doors, focusing on supporters who have not yet voted.
- April 5, 2027: last day for in-person absentee voting, and the 5:00 p.m. deadline for in-person absentee applications.
April 6: Election Day
Main job: make sure every supporter knows it is Election Day.
- Send one morning reminder to opted-in supporters and one in the afternoon.
- Thank your volunteers that evening.
- May 6, 2027 (computed): the 30-day-after report is due (RSMo 130.046).
Where texting fits in the plan
Texting works best in three places in this schedule: the week before the March 10 registration deadline, the opening of in-person absentee voting on March 23, and Election Day. Each message should go only to people who gave written permission, with the date recorded.
Schedule the key reminders in CampaignCNX+
Set up your account in December, while your committee and Campaign Verify are being completed. We file your carrier registration for you, including 10DLC (the carrier registration for texting from a local-style number). In January, import your opted-in supporters and tag them into groups such as "likely supporters," "volunteers" and "already voted." Then schedule the March 8 registration reminder, the March 23 early-voting message and the April 6 morning reminder to the right groups. Messages send only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., so never schedule outside those hours. When someone replies "I already voted," move them to the "already voted" group so they do not receive the next reminder. Our guide to political texting covers consent and registration in general.
An example message for March 23, under 160 characters:
Hi Ana, it's Sam's campaign. In-person voting for the April 6 election is open now through April 5. Bring photo ID. Reply STOP to opt out
Start this week
Open an account now, set up your supporter groups, and choose your number when your committee is ready. 100 free SMS included. Your number is $5 a month.