If you are on the February 23, 2027 ballot in Illinois, you have about 20 weeks from early October to Election Day, and the calendar is tighter than most local campaigns expect. Filing runs October 19 to 26, objections are due November 2, the ballot is certified December 17, and early voting opens January 14, 2027. That means the holidays fall right in the middle of your persuasion window, and voting starts barely two weeks into the new year.
This plan breaks those weeks into phases with one main job each. It applies to the February 23 track: partisan municipal races in towns over 5,000, nonpartisan municipal primaries, council-manager cities, and all City of Chicago offices. All dates come from the Illinois State Board of Elections 2027 calendar; confirm anything specific to your office with your election authority.
Our guide to running for local office in Illinois covers petitions, filing and the full 2027 calendar for both tracks.
The dates that frame the plan
- Circulation began July 28, 2026.
- Filing: Monday, October 19 to Monday, October 26, 2026.
- Objections due: Monday, November 2.
- Ballot position lottery: by Wednesday, November 4.
- Campaign Verify: requests on or after Sunday, November 15 last until January 31, 2029.
- Ballot certified: Thursday, December 17.
- Write-in declarations due: Thursday, December 24 (10 ILCS 5/17-16.1).
- Early voting opens: Thursday, January 14, 2027.
- Election: Tuesday, February 23, 2027.
What February 23 means depends on your race. In Chicago it is the municipal general election: a candidate with more than 50 percent wins outright, and a race where no one reaches a majority goes to a runoff on April 6, 2027. For many other towns it is a primary, with the winners moving on to April 6. Plan for both dates, even if you hope to need only one.
Weeks of October 5 and 12: finish the petition
Main job: margin, not minimum.
- Count your valid-looking signatures and keep circulating. Objections strike invalid signatures, so collect a margin. Many campaigns aim for 1.5 to 2 times the minimum as common practice, not law. Chicago alderperson candidates need at least 473 signatures per ward; mayor, clerk and treasurer need at least 12,500 (65 ILCS 20/21-28).
- Check every sheet: same heading on each, the circulator's statement filled in and notarized, sheets numbered and bound.
- File your Statement of Economic Interests with the county clerk so you have the receipt in hand.
- At every door, carry a separate, dated supporter sheet with a plain line saying signers agree to receive campaign texts. That is how your text list starts.
Weeks of October 19 and 26: file and survive objections
Main job: get on the ballot and stay there.
- File between October 19 and 26. Filings at opening on the first day are treated as simultaneous and go into a lottery for first position.
- Keep a copy of everything you filed. Once a petition is filed it cannot be changed, except for adding the SEI receipt by the deadline.
- Objections are due November 2. If one is filed against you, an electoral board will hear it quickly. Talk to an election attorney right away.
- Keep knocking supporter doors. The campaign does not stop while paperwork is pending.
Weeks of November 2 through November 23: build the list
Main job: doors and supporter list.
- The ballot lottery is held by November 4.
- Request Campaign Verify on or after November 15. A request made in October would expire January 31, 2027, which is in the middle of early voting. You need a committee with an EIN and a published filing with your election authority, and the fee is $95 per two-year cycle. More in our post on Campaign Verify for local candidates.
- If you raise or spend more than $5,000 in any 12-month period, you generally must file a Form D-1 with the State Board of Elections within 10 business days (10 ILCS 5/9-3).
- Schedule weekend door shifts through mid-December and again from January 2 on.
Weeks of November 30 through December 14: persuasion
Main job: as many first conversations as you can before the holidays.
- Put most of your door time into voters who have not heard from you.
- Record every result: not home, come back later, supporter, undecided, not interested.
- Set up your texting account and carrier registration so it clears well before January.
- Recruit volunteers for January and February now. People make holiday plans early.
Weeks of December 14 and 21: certification and the field
Main job: confirm the ballot and plan January.
- The ballot is certified Thursday, December 17. Check your name.
- Write-in declarations are due Thursday, December 24. After that date you know your full field.
- Doors slow down over the holidays. Use the time to write your January messages, build walk lists for early voting, and send a short thank-you text to opted-in supporters.
Weeks of December 28 and January 4: restart
Main job: get back on the doors fast.
- Restart door shifts on the first weekend of January.
- Committees file quarterly reports on the 15th of the month after each quarter, so a report covering October through December is due January 15. Contributions of $1,000 or more go on a Schedule A-1 within 5 business days.
- Confirm volunteers for the early voting weeks by name.
Weeks of January 11 through February 8: early voting
Main job: turn supporters into voters.
- Early voting opens Thursday, January 14. Text your opted-in supporters that day and send them to the county clerk's website for sites and hours.
- Track who has told you they voted and stop reminding them.
- Ask your election authority when vote by mail ballots go out and how voters request one, so your reminders are correct.
- From January 24, you are inside the 30 days before the election: a committee crossing $5,000 must file its D-1 within 2 business days, and $1,000+ contributions are reported within 2 business days.
Our early voting plan for local candidates breaks this stretch into a week-by-week list.
Weeks of February 15 and 22: get out the vote
Main job: every supporter, one more contact.
- Final weekend: supporter doors, reminder texts, rides for anyone who asks.
- Election Day, Tuesday, February 23: check your election authority's polling hours and plan shifts around them.
- If you are headed to an April 6 runoff or general, take two days off, then restart the plan with the April calendar. Early voting for April 6 opens March 12 where a February primary ran.
Step in the plan: have texting ready before January 14
Do this between November 15 and mid-December:
- Request Campaign Verify on or after November 15 so it lasts through 2028.
- Open your CampaignCNX+ account and buy your number. 100 free SMS included. Your number is $5 a month, and nothing sends until it is bought.
- Let CampaignCNX+ file your carrier registration for 10DLC or toll-free, with Campaign Verify guidance along the way.
- Load only opted-in supporters. A petition signature is not consent to receive texts. A sheet counts only when it says so plainly and the date is recorded.
- Schedule your January and February sends with quiet-hours scheduling, and work replies in the two-way inbox. STOP replies are handled automatically, and team members can share the inbox.
Most local lists fit pay as you go at $0.06 per SMS or Basic at $55 a month with 1,000 SMS. For Illinois campaigns there is an offer through January 31, 2027: 1,000 free texts with a month of Pro plus $149 white-glove setup (normally $299). See our Illinois political texting page.
The same weeks call for routed walk lists and door results (Beacon) and one record per voter across doors and texts (CoreCNX).
Start before the holidays
The February calendar leaves no slack in January. Get your texting account set up in November, and you will be sending reminders on January 14 instead of waiting on registration.