A Campaign Plan to the August 3, 2027 Michigan City Primary

This plan is for candidates in Michigan cities that hold their regular elections in 2027 and nominate at the August primary. It runs in six phases. You prepare in November and December 2026, collect petition signatures from January to April, file by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 20, 2027, build your base in May and June, work the absent voting period that opens on Thursday, June 24, and finish with the primary on Tuesday, August 3, 2027.

We found no 2027 calendar from the Michigan Bureau of Elections, so every 2027 date here is computed from the Michigan Compiled Laws (MCL) or the Michigan Constitution. Confirm each one with your city clerk. Door counts, signature targets and weekly goals are examples only, so set your own from the size of your city or ward and the time you have. If your charter nominates by petition straight to November, or your city elects in May, your timeline is different; our guide to running for local office in Michigan explains those routes.

The dates this plan is built on

• Tuesday, April 20, 2027, 4 p.m.: nominating petitions and two copies of the Affidavit of Identity due to the city clerk (MCL 168.644f).
• Friday, April 23, 2027, 4 p.m.: last day to withdraw.
• Tuesday, April 27, 2027: last day for written signature challenges.
• Thursday, June 24, 2027: absent voter ballots become available, 40 days before the primary.
• Monday, July 19, 2027: last day to register online or by mail (MCL 168.497).
• Tuesday, July 20, 2027: in-person registration with proof of residency continues at the clerk's office through election day.
• Saturday, July 31 or Sunday, August 1, 2027: the clerk is available at least eight hours that weekend for absent voter ballots.
• Tuesday, August 3, 2027: primary day; polls open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. (MCL 168.720).

Our Michigan 2027 city election calendar lists every date, including the November 2 general election.

Phase 1: Prepare (weeks of November 9 to December 28, 2026)

Use the weeks before the petition drive to answer every question that could stop you from filing.

• Weeks of November 9 and November 16. Ask your city clerk whether the city holds a regular election in 2027, which seats are up, and whether your city nominates at the August primary. Ask for the charter sections on qualifications, nominations and signature numbers, and check that your voter registration shows your current address.
• Weeks of November 23 and November 30. Confirm your signature number with the clerk: the minimum, the maximum, and any rule about where signatures must come from, such as a ward. Ask whether your charter sets a first day for collecting signatures. If you plan to text supporters, form your campaign committee and get an EIN (the committee's federal tax ID number). Campaign Verify requests made on or after Sunday, November 15, 2026 last until January 31, 2029.
• Weeks of December 7 and December 14. Pick up petition sheets from the clerk, who must provide a reasonable number at no charge, and the Affidavit of Identity and Receipt of Filing form. Write a short statement of why you are running.
• Weeks of December 21 and December 28. As an example, list 50 people you know who might sign, circulate, volunteer or host a coffee. Ask three or four of them to help circulate.

Phase 2: The petition drive (weeks of January 4 to April 12, 2027)

The petition drive is also the first contact many voters will have with your campaign.

• Set a target between the minimum and the maximum. As an example only, a nonpartisan candidate in a city of 10,000 to 24,999 people under the state chart needs at least 40 valid signatures and may file no more than 100. Aiming for about 70 leaves room for signatures the clerk may reject while staying under the cap.
• Brief every circulator. Circulators must be at least 18 and United States citizens. Each sheet has one circulator, covers one city, and is signed in the circulator's presence. The circulator signs and dates the certificate only after the last signature, and never leaves a sheet unattended.
• Check sheets every week. Look for missing dates, missing street addresses and signers who live outside the city or ward. There is time to replace rejected signatures in February, and very little on filing day.
• Collect permission separately. Carry a sign-up sheet that asks whether the person would like campaign texts, with a line for the date. Never add anything to the petition sheet itself.

Beacon's guide to Michigan nominating petitions goes through the sheet line by line and explains how to plan a petition drive door to door.

• Weeks of March 29 and April 5. Complete your Affidavit of Identity and sign it before a notary; the date of notarization must match the date you sign. Count your valid-looking signatures and fill any gap.
• Week of April 12. Consider filing during this week. The clerk is not required to review a petition before the deadline, but if a problem is found early you may file supplemental signatures before April 20, within the maximum.

Phase 3: File, then build your base (weeks of April 19 to June 14)

• Week of April 19. File two copies of the affidavit and all petition sheets with the city clerk by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 20, if you have not already. Ask for a filing receipt. The withdrawal deadline is 4 p.m. on Friday, April 23.
• Week of April 26. Signature challenges are due by Tuesday, April 27. After that, ask the clerk whether your race will be on the August ballot. If no more than twice as many candidates as seats filed, there is no primary for that office unless the charter provides otherwise (MCL 168.644f), and your plan shifts to the November dates.
• Weeks of May 3 to June 14. These six weeks are the main door-knocking period before absent voting opens. Ask your clerk how to obtain a list of registered voters in your city or ward, divide it into areas you can cover in one evening, and return to households that were undecided. As an example only: a candidate and three volunteers who each knock on 50 doors a week for six weeks would reach about 1,200 doors.

Phase 4: Absent voting opens (weeks of June 21 to July 12)

• Week of June 21. Absent voter ballots become available on Thursday, June 24. Any registered voter may vote one without giving a reason. Tell supporters how to request one, and point them to Michigan.gov/Vote, where voters can request and track absent voter ballots.
• Weeks of June 28 and July 5. Keep knocking on doors, now focusing on supporters who have not yet voted and households that were undecided.
• Week of July 12. Remind supporters who have moved that Monday, July 19 is the last day to register online or by mail.

Text your supporters during absent voting

The weeks after June 24 are when a reminder helps most. Set up texting in CampaignCNX+ in the spring so it is ready.

1. Committee and Campaign Verify. Campaign Verify confirms to the carriers (the mobile phone companies) that a political sender is a real campaign. It needs a 527 committee (the federal tax status of a political committee) with an EIN and a filing with an election authority that is published online. In Michigan, a city candidate's committee files with the county clerk, so check with that office that your filing is viewable online before you request Campaign Verify, and ask Campaign Verify Support if it is not. It costs $95, and Campaign Verify decides eligibility.
2. Registration. CampaignCNX+ files your carrier registration, as 10DLC (the registration for texting from a standard local-style number) or toll-free, and files your Campaign Verify token with it. For a toll-free number, the carrier review usually takes about three business days.
3. Your supporter group. Add only the people who agreed in writing on your sign-up sheets, and record the consent date and source in a custom field.
4. Scheduled reminders. Schedule texts for June 24, July 19 and August 3. Texts send only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the recipient's time zone, and STOP replies are handled automatically. For example:

Hi [First name], it's [Name], running for [Office]. Absent voter ballots for the Aug 3 primary are available now. Reply STOP to opt out.

Today is the city primary. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Find your polling place at Michigan.gov/Vote. Thank you, [Name]

100 free SMS included. Your number is $5 a month. For more wording, see our campaign text templates for local races, and for texting rules across the region, see campaign texting in the Midwest.

Phase 5: The final two weeks (weeks of July 19 and July 26)

• Week of July 19. From Tuesday, July 20 through election day, voters can still register in person at the clerk's office with proof of residency. Write-in declarations for the primary are due by 4 p.m. on Friday, July 23, so ask the clerk afterward whether any write-in candidates filed in your race.
• Week of July 26. Ask the clerk for the weekend absent voter hours on Saturday, July 31 or Sunday, August 1, and share them. If the clerk offers early in-person voting for this local election, share those hours too; it is optional for local-only elections. Confirm your volunteer schedule for primary day.

Phase 6: Primary day and the week after

• Tuesday, August 3. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and anyone in line at 8 p.m. may vote. Thank your volunteers by name.
• Week of August 9. If you are a nominee, plan for Tuesday, November 2, 2027: absent voter ballots on Thursday, September 23, online and mail registration through Monday, October 18, and the election itself. Winners take office at noon on January 1, 2028, unless the charter sets an earlier date (MCL 168.644h).

Begin in November

The candidates with the easiest spring are the ones who confirmed their city's schedule, their seat, their signature number and their notary in November. Start Phase 1 this month. When you are ready to keep supporters informed through absent voting, start a CampaignCNX+ trial.