How to Run for Mayor, and What It Costs

To run for mayor, you confirm that you meet the qualifications, find out when the seat is next on the ballot and where candidates file, and complete the steps that put your name on the ballot, which in many places means a petition signed by registered voters. You then set up campaign finance reporting when the law requires it, and build a budget and a plan for reaching likely voters.

The cost depends mostly on how many voters you need to reach. There is no reliable national figure, so this guide builds two example budgets line by line. In those illustrations, a small-town race comes to about $2,700 and a mid-size city race to about $28,000.

The examples come from Illinois, checked against the Illinois State Board of Elections (ISBE) 2027 Candidate's Guide and calendar. For state detail, see our guides to running for local office in Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri. Elsewhere, start with your state election office and your clerk. This guide is not legal advice.

Step 1: Confirm that you qualify

Qualifications for mayor are set by state law and, in some cities, by a charter or local code. Ask your clerk these questions and keep the answers in writing:

• What is the minimum age, and must I be a U.S. citizen and a registered voter?
• How long must I have lived in the city or village, and by what date?
• Does anything disqualify a candidate, such as a past conviction?

In Illinois villages, the comparable office is village president, and these steps apply to both.

Step 2: Find your election date and filing office

Ask your clerk for the date of the next mayoral election, whether the race is partisan, whether there is a primary, and where candidates file. Filing usually closes months before Election Day.

Illinois example. In 2027, Illinois municipal offices fall on two tracks:

• February 23, 2027: partisan municipal races in towns over 5,000, nonpartisan municipal primaries, council-manager cities and all City of Chicago offices. Circulation began July 28, 2026, and filing is October 19 to 26, 2026.
• April 6, 2027: most nonpartisan villages (confirm yours), plus independent and new-party municipal candidates. Circulation began August 25, 2026, and filing is November 16 to 23, 2026.

Candidates file with the city or village clerk or, where a Board of Election Commissioners exists, with the clerk of that board.

Step 3: Complete the paperwork and petitions

Depending on your state and city, getting on the ballot may require petition signatures, a declaration of candidacy, a filing fee, or a combination. Your clerk can give you the official forms and your exact requirement.

Illinois example. Mayoral candidates collect signatures on the official petition form:

Signatures are made in ink on the official form, never electronically, and every sheet carries a circulator's statement sworn before a notary. Because an objection can strike invalid signatures, many campaigns aim for 1.5 to 2 times the minimum, as common practice rather than law.

You file the petition with a notarized Statement of Candidacy and your Statement of Economic Interests receipt, and any legal voter of the municipality may object within five business days after the last filing day. Our post on running for mayor or village president in Illinois covers circulators, the packet and objections in full.

Step 4: Set up your committee and finance reporting

Campaign finance rules differ by state, so ask your state election office when a committee is required.

Illinois example. If you raise or spend more than $5,000 in any 12-month period, you generally must file a Statement of Organization (Form D-1) with ISBE within 10 business days, or within 2 business days in the 30 days before an election (10 ILCS 5/9-3). Your own money and in-kind contributions count toward the $5,000. Once registered, a committee files every required report until it files a Final Report.

A committee also matters for texting. Campaign Verify, the service that confirms to the carriers (the mobile phone companies) that a sender is a real campaign, requires an EIN (the committee's federal tax ID number) and a filing published by your election authority. Candidates with no committee are not eligible.

Step 5: Build a budget

Start from the households you need to reach and how often you will reach each one. Price every line from local quotes, then compare the total with what you can realistically raise.

The two examples below are illustrations, not quotes or averages. Texting uses CampaignCNX+ prices, and Campaign Verify and 10DLC registration (the carrier registration for texting from a standard local phone number) are real fees. Every other figure is an estimate. Neither includes filing or notary costs, so ask your clerk whether any fee applies.

Example 1: A small town (illustrative)

A village president candidate in a village of about 2,500 households focuses on the 1,500 that include a regular voter. The campaign has 300 opted-in supporters (people who gave written permission to receive texts) and sends each of them five texts.

The 100 free SMS on a new account would lower the text line by $6. This total stays under $5,000, but texting still requires a committee for Campaign Verify, and a committee must keep filing reports once registered.

Example 2: A mid-size city (illustrative)

A mayoral candidate in a city of about 30,000 households focuses on 12,000 households of likely voters. The campaign has 4,000 opted-in supporters and sends 24,000 texts over four months: 5,000, 5,000, 6,000 and 8,000.

Pro is $225 a month with 5,000 SMS included and $0.045 for each text after that. The same 24,000 texts would cost $1,440 on pay as you go, and unused included messages roll over to the next month. For the full method, see how to budget a village or school board race and what it costs to text a local race.

Step 6: Make a plan to reach voters

Work backward from Election Day, marking the filing window, ballot certification and the first day of early voting. In Illinois, early voting opens January 14, 2027 for February 23 races and February 25, 2027 for April 6 races (March 12 where a February primary ran).

• Doors. Knock on the doors of likely voters, working from a walk list (registered voters in your area, sorted by address), and record each result so that you can return to undecided voters.
• Literature, signs and forums. Hand a short printed piece to every voter you meet, offer yard signs to supporters, and accept invitations from civic groups.
• A supporter list. Ask supporters to sign a separate sheet that says plainly that they agree to receive campaign texts, and record the date. A petition signature is not consent, and a voter list is not a texting list. Our post on turning petition season into a supporter list explains the sheet.

Step 7: Welcome your opted-in supporters by text

Once your committee has an EIN and a published filing, set up CampaignCNX+ and send your first message.

1. Request Campaign Verify. It costs $95 per two-year cycle, and CampaignCNX+ guides you through it. Requests made before November 15, 2026 expire January 31, 2027, and requests on or after November 15 last to January 31, 2029, so a 2027 campaign should request on or after November 15.
2. Open your account and buy your number. Your number is $5 a month, and nothing sends until you buy it. CampaignCNX+ files your 10DLC registration, a one-time $75 fee.
3. Add only opted-in supporters. Put them in a group, because messages are sent to groups, and record each opt-in date and source in a custom field.

4. Write the welcome text. Keep it under 160 characters so it sends as one SMS, and include "Reply STOP to opt out."

   Hi [Name], this is [Candidate] for mayor of [Town]. Thank you for signing up. I will text only key dates. Reply STOP to opt out.

5. Schedule it. Texts send only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., and quiet-hours scheduling keeps every message inside those hours.

6. Answer replies. Replies arrive in the two-way inbox, and STOP replies are handled automatically. Volunteers can help as team members with admin, manager or staffer roles.

Illinois campaigns can find registration details on our Illinois political texting page.

Running for mayor in a small town

The steps are the same in a small town, but the scale changes the work.

• The signature number can be small. In an Illinois nonpartisan village, it is 1% of the total vote for village president at the last election. If 1,200 people voted last time, 1% is 12 signatures. Collect well above that.
• You can meet many voters yourself. With a few thousand households, one candidate and a few volunteers can reach a large share of likely voters at their doors.
• The budget is smaller. Door literature, a few yard signs and texts to opted-in supporters can be enough, as Example 1 shows. Most nonpartisan Illinois villages vote on April 6, but confirm with your village clerk.

Common questions

How do you run for mayor of Chicago?

Chicago's mayoral race is on the February 23, 2027 track, with filing October 19 to 26, 2026, and candidates need at least 12,500 valid signatures. A candidate with more than 50% on February 23 wins outright; otherwise, the top finishers meet in an April 6 runoff. Confirm details with the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.

How long does it take to run for mayor?

Plan on several months. In Illinois, petitions may not be circulated more than 90 days before the last filing day, so for the February 23, 2027 election, circulation began July 28, 2026, about seven months before the vote.

Can you run for mayor as an independent?

In Illinois, yes. Independent municipal candidates file November 16 to 23, 2026 for April 6. They need at least 5% of those who voted at the last regular election, and no more than 8% or 50 above the minimum, whichever is greater. A partisan candidate who loses at the primary cannot then run as an independent.

Do you need political experience to run for mayor?

No. Prior office is not among the filing requirements covered here; you need to meet the qualifications and file correctly. Our guide to running for local office with no experience covers choosing a first office and finding help.

Set up texting before your first deadline

CampaignCNX+ files your 10DLC registration, guides you through Campaign Verify, handles STOP replies and keeps every send within quiet hours. 100 free SMS included. Your number is $5 a month. Registration takes time, so open your account well before your first planned message. Start your CampaignCNX+ account.