Missouri's general municipal election is Tuesday, April 6, 2027. For local candidates, the calendar starts with the filing window, which opens at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 15, 2026 and closes at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 5, 2027. Two January dates follow closely: the personal financial disclosure is due January 19, 2027 for offices that require it, and January 26, 2027 is both the final certification date and the day a candidate who still has not filed that disclosure is removed from the ballot. In March come the voter registration deadline (March 10), no-excuse in-person absentee voting (from March 23), the write-in deadline (March 26) and the 8-day-before campaign report (March 29).
The table lists every date in order, and the sections after it explain each one. Dates come from the Missouri Secretary of State's 2027 election calendar and the Missouri Revised Statutes (RSMo). Dates marked "computed" are derived from a statutory formula and are not printed on an official 2027 calendar, so confirm them with your filing officer, your election authority or the Missouri Ethics Commission (MEC).
For the full process of running, from qualifications to Election Day, see our guide to running for local office in Missouri.
The calendar at a glance
| Date | Deadline or event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Before December 15, 2026 | Each subdivision publishes its filing notice | RSMo 115.127.5 |
| Tuesday, December 15, 2026, 8:00 a.m. | Candidate filing opens | SOS 2027 calendar; RSMo 115.127.5 |
| Tuesday, January 5, 2027, 5:00 p.m. | Candidate filing closes | SOS 2027 calendar; RSMo 115.127.5 |
| Friday, January 15, 2027 | Quarterly campaign report, for committees with more than $500 of activity in the quarter | RSMo 130.046 |
| Tuesday, January 19, 2027 | Personal financial disclosure due, where required (computed) | RSMo 105.487 |
| Tuesday, January 26, 2027 | Final certification date; ballot questions certified; candidates without a required disclosure removed (computed) | SOS 2027 calendar; RSMo 115.125, 105.492 |
| Tuesday, February 9, 2027, 5:00 p.m. | Last day to withdraw by court order (computed) | RSMo 115.127.6 |
| Tuesday, February 23, 2027 | Absentee ballots must be printed and available by this date (computed) | RSMo 115.281 |
| 30 days before the election | Candidates over the no-committee limits must have formed a committee | RSMo 130.016 |
| Wednesday, March 10, 2027 | Last day to register to vote | SOS 2027 calendar |
| Tuesday, March 23, 2027 | No-excuse in-person absentee voting begins (computed) | RSMo 115.277.1 |
| Wednesday, March 24, 2027, 5:00 p.m. | Mailed and other absentee applications must be received (computed) | RSMo 115.279.4 |
| Friday, March 26, 2027, 5:00 p.m. | Write-in declarations of intent due (computed) | RSMo 115.453 |
| Monday, March 29, 2027 | 8-day-before campaign report due (computed) | RSMo 130.046 |
| Thursday, April 1, 2027 | Notice of cancelled uncontested elections published by this date (computed) | RSMo 115.124.1 |
| Monday, April 5, 2027, 5:00 p.m. | Last in-person absentee applications | RSMo 115.279.4 |
| Tuesday, April 6, 2027 | General municipal election | SOS 2027 calendar; RSMo 115.121.3 |
| Thursday, May 6, 2027 | 30-day-after campaign report due (computed) | RSMo 130.046 |
Before filing opens
Each political subdivision or special district must notify the public, before the sixteenth Tuesday before the election, of the opening filing date, the offices to be filled, the place for filing and the closing date. The notice may be a newspaper legal notice (RSMo 115.127.5). Watch for it in October and November, or ask your city clerk or district secretary directly.
Before December 15, file the tax affidavit with the Missouri Department of Revenue, since you need a copy when you file (RSMo 115.306.2), and confirm that every report from any earlier race is filed (RSMo 130.071).
The filing window: December 15, 2026 to January 5, 2027
Filing opens at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 15, 2026 and closes at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 5, 2027. These are the default times set by RSMo 115.127.5 when law or charter does not set others.
The first day matters for ballot order. Names on nonpartisan ballots are listed in the order candidates file (RSMo 115.237.1). For candidates who file before 5:00 p.m. on the first day, the filing officer may instead hold a random drawing to set their order (RSMo 115.124.2). Ask your filing officer before December 15 whether a drawing will be held. Our guide to filing a declaration of candidacy in Missouri explains what to bring.
The window spans the holidays, so confirm office hours in advance.
January: disclosure and certification
January 15, 2027. Committees file quarterly reports by the 15th of January, April, July and October, but a report is not required for a quarter with $500 or less in activity (RSMo 130.046). Ask the MEC whether your committee owes one.
January 19, 2027 (computed). Candidates for an office of a political subdivision with an annual operating budget over $1 million must file a personal financial disclosure with the MEC no later than 14 days after filing closes, unless the subdivision has adopted its own conflict-of-interest ordinance and filed it with the MEC (RSMo 105.483, 105.485, 105.487). The filing official gives you written notice of this when you file. A late statement costs $10 per day (RSMo 105.963).
January 26, 2027. This is the final certification date on the Secretary of State's calendar and the 5:00 p.m. deadline for certifying ballot questions (RSMo 115.125.1). It is also the 21st day after filing closes: a candidate who still has not filed a required disclosure by close of business is disqualified and removed from the ballot (RSMo 105.492). See mistakes that can disqualify a Missouri local candidate.
February: withdrawals and ballots
February 9, 2027 (computed). After certification, a candidate may withdraw only by court order, no later than 5:00 p.m. on the eighth Tuesday before the election, and only if there is no added ballot cost or the candidate pays it (RSMo 115.127.6). This is also the last day a ballot question can be added late by court order (RSMo 115.125.2). No name may be struck from the ballot less than eight weeks before the election except on death or by court order (RSMo 115.127.3).
February 23, 2027 (computed). Absentee ballots must be printed and available by the sixth Tuesday before the election or within 14 days after certification (RSMo 115.281). This is a printing deadline; ask your election authority when it begins absentee voting.
March: voters, write-ins and reports
30 days before the election. Candidates who go over the no-committee limits ($1,000 total, or more than $325 from one contributor, in most small races) must form a committee by this point (RSMo 130.016). Do it well before early March.
March 10, 2027. The last day to register to vote in the April election.
March 23, 2027 (computed). Beginning on the second Tuesday before the election, any registered voter may vote absentee in person with photo ID, without giving a reason, through the day before the election (RSMo 115.277.1).
March 24, 2027 (computed). Absentee applications by mail, fax, email or relative delivery must be received by 5:00 p.m. on the second Wednesday before the election. In-person applications are accepted until 5:00 p.m. on April 5 (RSMo 115.279.4). Mail absentee voting requires a reason listed in RSMo 115.277.3, such as illness or absence. No one may solicit a voter to obtain an absentee application (RSMo 115.279.2), so keep campaign messages to dates and refer voters to their election authority.
March 26, 2027 (computed). Write-in votes count only for candidates who file a declaration of intent by 5:00 p.m. on the second Friday before the election (RSMo 115.453). After this date you will know everyone who can receive votes in your race.
March 29, 2027 (computed). The 8-day-before report covers the period ending on the 12th day before the election (RSMo 130.046). The late fee for this report is $100 per day (RSMo 105.963).
April and after
April 1, 2027 (computed). If an election is cancelled because it is uncontested, the election authority publishes a notice naming the candidates who will take office by the first of the month in which the election would have been held (RSMo 115.124.1). This applies to school districts and special districts, and to cities only if they have 2,000 or fewer people and have adopted it by a vote of the people.
April 6, 2027. The general municipal election.
May 6, 2027 (computed). The 30-day-after report covers the period ending on the 25th day after the election (RSMo 130.046). Confirm all report dates against the MEC's published 2027 calendar. A winner who has not filed required reports may not take office until they are filed (RSMo 130.071).
Other 2027 election dates
The Secretary of State's 2027 calendar also lists:
- February 2, 2027: bond elections only.
- March 2, 2027: charter cities and charter counties only, under their charters. The default filing period for this date is November 10 to December 1, 2026.
- August 3 and November 2, 2027: available for public elections.
The City of St. Louis holds its municipal primary on March 2, 2027 and its general election on April 6, 2027, with its own filing rules; see running for office in the City of St. Louis in 2027. Kansas City had not published its 2027 calendar as of October 5, 2026, so Kansas City candidates should check with the Kansas City Election Board.
Put the voter dates in front of your supporters
A short text is a direct way to share the voter dates with supporters who asked to hear from you. In CampaignCNX+, you can schedule those messages ahead of time:
- Group your opted-in supporters. Add only people who gave written permission to receive texts, record the date in a custom field, and put them in a group.
- Write one message per date. For example: "Reminder from the Smith for School Board campaign: the last day to register to vote for April 6 is Wednesday, March 10. Reply STOP to opt out." Keep each under 160 characters.
- Schedule them. Set each message to go out on the right day. Texts send only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., and quiet-hours scheduling keeps them within that window.
- Answer replies. Questions arrive in a two-way inbox, and STOP replies are handled automatically.
Political texting requires Campaign Verify, a nonprofit check that confirms to the mobile phone companies that you are a real campaign. It needs a committee with an EIN (a federal tax ID number) and a filing published by an election authority, so confirm your committee's filing can be viewed online before you request it. See Campaign Verify for local candidates.
For a week-by-week version of this calendar, see our campaign plan to April 6 for Missouri local races.
Start before December 15
100 free SMS included. Your number is $5 a month, and nothing sends until it is bought. If you want your reminders ready before filing opens, start your CampaignCNX+ trial.