Indiana's 2027 municipal primary is on Tuesday, May 4, 2027, and the municipal election is on Tuesday, November 2, 2027. For candidates, the first dates that matter are Wednesday, January 6, 2027, when filing opens, and noon on Friday, February 5, 2027, the deadline for Democratic and Republican candidates to file a declaration of candidacy for the primary. Independent and minor party petitions are due by noon on Wednesday, June 30, 2027. Party candidates in small towns that hold no primary file by noon on Monday, August 2, 2027.
The 2027 ballot carries city and town offices only. School board races are not on it. Indiana elects school board members at the same time as the general election in even-numbered years, on November 3, 2026 or, in certain cases, in November 2028.
This page lists the 2027 dates in order. Every election date below comes from the Indiana Election Division's 2027 calendar brochure or its election administrators' calendar, so none of them is computed. The brochure reflects state law as of August 2026 and notes that the Indiana General Assembly can change election dates, so confirm each date with your county election board. "Noon" means noon local time, and most Indiana candidate deadlines fall at noon rather than 5 p.m.
For the full process of getting on the ballot, start with our guide to running for local office in Indiana.
Before filing opens: November and December 2026
Sunday, November 15, 2026, if you plan to text. Campaign Verify, the check that political campaigns need before texting from a registered number, sets its cycle by request date. Requests made before November 15 expire on Sunday, January 31, 2027, three months before the primary. Requests made on or after November 15 last until Wednesday, January 31, 2029, which covers both 2027 elections. The texting section below explains the steps.
Thursday, December 31, 2026. Last day for a town council to adopt an ordinance giving council members staggered terms at the 2027 election. It is also the last day for a town with fewer than 3,500 people to adopt or repeal an ordinance that schedules some town elections in even-numbered years.
January 2027: filing opens
Friday, January 1, 2027. Last day for the council of a town with fewer than 3,500 people to adopt an ordinance holding a town primary for major party candidates. Without one, the town's party candidates are nominated by town convention.
Wednesday, January 6, 2027. Filing opens. From this date:
- Democratic and Republican candidates for city office, for office in a large town, or for office in a small town with a primary ordinance may file a declaration of candidacy and a Statement of Economic Interests (form CAN-12) with the county election board.
- Democratic, Libertarian and Republican candidates in a small town with no primary may file a town office declaration (form CAN-16) and a CAN-12.
- Independent and minor party candidates may submit a petition of nomination (form CAN-44) to the county voter registration office for signature checks.
- Write-in candidates may file a declaration of intent (form CAN-51) and a CAN-12.
By noon on January 6, a small town that adopted a primary ordinance must also have filed it with the circuit court clerk.
February 2027: the declaration deadline
Friday, February 5, 2027, noon. Deadline for Democratic and Republican candidates to file a declaration of candidacy and a CAN-12 for the May 4 primary. File with the county election board in the county that has the largest share of your district's population. A filing that arrives after noon must be rejected, and a mailed filing counts only when it is received. Our post on filing your declaration of candidacy in Indiana covers what to bring and how to sign it.
Friday, February 12, 2027, noon. Last day to withdraw from the primary for any reason.
After filing closes. A registered voter of the district, or a county chair of a major party, may challenge a candidate's eligibility by filing a sworn statement with the county election board. State law sets the deadlines for these challenges. Ask your county election board for the 2027 dates and keep copies of everything you filed.
March to May 2027: the primary
Saturday, March 20, 2027. Deadline for the county election board to mail absentee ballots to voters whose applications have been approved.
Monday, April 5, 2027. Voter registration ends for the primary. Voters may register or update their address at a voter registration office until close of business, or online at indianavoters.in.gov until midnight.
Tuesday, April 6, 2027. Early voting begins in the circuit court clerk's office or a satellite office. A county election board may reduce the days or hours of early voting in a municipal election year, so check your county's schedule before you announce it to supporters.
Thursday, April 22, 2027, 11:59 p.m. Deadline for the circuit court clerk to receive an application to vote by mail. Voters may apply in person, by mail, fax or email, or online at indianavoters.in.gov.
Saturday, April 24 and Saturday, May 1, 2027. Saturday early voting. The clerk's office must be open at least seven hours (four hours in a county with fewer than 20,000 people), unless the county has reduced early voting for this election.
Monday, May 3, 2027, noon. Early voting in the clerk's office ends.
Tuesday, May 4, 2027. Municipal primary. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time in the cities and towns that hold a primary.
Tuesday, May 18, 2027. Voter registration reopens.
May to July 2027: vacancies, petitions and write-ins
Saturday, May 8 to noon Saturday, July 3, 2027. Where no Democratic or Republican candidate filed for an office in the primary, that party may fill the ballot vacancy during this window. The certificate of selection is due by noon on Tuesday, July 6.
Wednesday, June 30, 2027, noon. Independent and minor party candidates file their petitions of nomination with the county voter registration office, which checks each signature against the voter rolls.
Saturday, July 3, 2027, noon. Last day for the Libertarian Party to hold its convention to nominate candidates for city or large-town office.
Tuesday, July 6, 2027, noon. Write-in declarations are due. Indiana has no write-in candidates in a primary, and a write-in candidate's name is not printed on the ballot.
Thursday, July 15, 2027, noon. Independent and minor party candidates file their certified petitions, a consent form (CAN-45) and a CAN-12 with the county election board. This is also the last day for any candidate to withdraw from the November ballot for any reason. After it, a candidate may withdraw only for a narrow list of reasons set in state law.
August and September 2027: small towns without a primary
Monday, August 2, 2027, noon. Last day to file, or to withdraw, a town office declaration (CAN-16) for nomination at a town convention.
Sunday, August 8, 2027. Last day for the council of a small town to adopt a resolution creating a town election board. The resolution must be filed with the circuit court clerk by noon on Monday, August 23, 2027. If no resolution is adopted, the county election board conducts the town's election.
Monday, August 30, 2027. Last day for the Democratic, Libertarian and Republican parties to hold their town nominating conventions in small towns. The certificate of nomination from each convention is due to the circuit court clerk by noon.
Tuesday, September 7, 2027, noon. The circuit court clerk files a copy of each town convention certificate with the town clerk-treasurer.
September to November 2027: the municipal election
Saturday, September 18, 2027. Deadline to mail absentee ballots for the municipal election.
Monday, October 4, 2027. Voter registration ends for the municipal election.
Tuesday, October 5, 2027. Early voting begins, unless the county has reduced early voting days or hours.
Thursday, October 21, 2027, 11:59 p.m. Deadline for the clerk to receive vote-by-mail applications.
Saturday, October 23 and Saturday, October 30, 2027. Saturday early voting, on the same terms as in the spring.
Monday, November 1, 2027, noon. Early voting ends.
Tuesday, November 2, 2027. Municipal election. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time.
Step in the calendar: set up texting before early voting opens
Early voting opens on Tuesday, April 6, when most candidates are busy at the doors. Set up texting in December or January instead, so your reminders are ready.
- Form your committee, then check that its filing is online. Campaign Verify costs $95 per two-year cycle. It needs a 527 committee (527 is the federal tax status of a political committee), an EIN (the committee's federal tax ID number) and a filing with an election authority that is published online. Candidates with no committee are not eligible. In Indiana, a local candidate's committee files its statement of organization with the county election board, so ask that office whether your filing can be viewed online. If it cannot, contact Campaign Verify Support before you request. Campaign Verify decides eligibility.
- Open your CampaignCNX+ account. CampaignCNX+ files your registration with the carriers (the mobile phone companies), either as 10DLC (the registration for texting from a standard local-style number) or as toll-free. You buy the $95 Campaign Verify token from Campaign Verify, and CampaignCNX+ files it with your registration. 100 free SMS included. Your number is $5 a month.
- Schedule your reminders. Write short texts for the first day of early voting (April 6), the vote-by-mail application deadline (April 22) and primary day (May 4). Schedule them to the group of supporters who agreed in writing to receive your texts, and end each person's first message with "Reply STOP to opt out." Texts send only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the recipient's time zone.
Our campaign plan to the May 4, 2027 Indiana municipal primary turns these dates into a weekly schedule. For texting rules across the region, see our page on campaign texting in the Midwest.
Put the dates on your calendar now
The five weeks between January 6 and February 5 pass quickly, and Indiana deadlines close at noon. Mark the filing deadline, the withdrawal deadline and the first day of early voting today, and have your texting ready before you need it. Start a CampaignCNX+ trial once your committee filing is in place.
