Community college trustees in Illinois are elected on April 6, 2027. To get on that ballot, you collect signatures from registered voters who live in the college district, on the official petition form, and file them with the secretary of the college board between November 16 and 23, 2026, along with a notarized Statement of Candidacy and a receipt for your Statement of Economic Interests. The signature requirement is 50 or 10% of voters, whichever is less (110 ILCS 805/3-7.10). Then you get through the objection window and campaign across a district that is usually far larger than any village.
That size is the defining feature of this race. A college district can cover many towns, and sometimes more than one county, so the campaign is less about knocking every door and more about reaching the people who already care. The steps below use the Illinois State Board of Elections (ISBE) 2027 Candidate's Guide and calendar. Both say they are not legal advice; neither is this post, so confirm the specifics with the board secretary or an election attorney. For other offices, see our guide to running for local office in Illinois.
Step 1: Confirm the track and the filing office
Community college boards are on the April 6, 2027 track. Your dates:
- August 25, 2026: circulation could begin.
- November 16 to 23, 2026: filing period, with the secretary of the community college board (ISBE Candidate's Guide, p. 54).
- 5:00 p.m., November 23: last moment to file your Statement of Economic Interests receipt.
- December 1 or 2: objections due (December 1 if the filing office is open Friday, November 27).
- January 28, 2027: ballot certified.
- February 25: early voting opens in most places (March 12 where a February primary ran).
- April 6, 2027: election.
Call the college's board office now. Ask who the board secretary is, where and when they will accept filings during November 16 to 23, which petition form to use, and how many seats are up. Write down what they tell you and who told you.
Step 2: Get your signature number
The published requirement is 50 qualified voters or 10% of the voters, whichever is less (110 ILCS 805/3-7.10). Ask the board secretary which of the two applies to your district and what the exact number is.
Then aim higher. Objections strike invalid signatures, and many campaigns aim for 1.5 to 2 times the minimum, so if your number is 50, a goal of 75 to 100 good signatures follows that rule of thumb. That range is common practice, not law. Because the district is large, gather most of your signatures close to home, where you can be confident the signer lives inside the district.
Step 3: Circulate the petition
Fill in the heading first. Election, your name, the office, your residence: complete and identical on every sheet before anyone signs. Use the same name everywhere, with no titles or degrees. That last point matters for college board candidates, who are sometimes tempted to add "Dr." or "Professor." ISBE says titles and degrees do not belong in the ballot name.
Circulators. Must be U.S. citizens, 18 or older (or 18 by the consolidated election). They do not need to be registered voters or district residents. You can circulate your own petition. Each sheet has one circulator, who personally witnesses every signature on it.
Signers. Registered voters in the college district, at the address written beside their name, signing for themselves only. For nonpartisan races, ISBE says the number of seats to be elected is the number of petitions a voter can sign.
The 90-day rule. Signatures gathered more than 90 days before the last filing day do not count.
Paper only. Original signatures on the official form, in dark ink. Illinois candidate petitions cannot be signed electronically, so a campus email blast asking people to sign online will not help.
Notarize. The circulator completes the statement at the bottom of each sheet (address, dates circulated, that every signature was made in their presence) and signs before a notary. ISBE suggests the notary not be someone who signed the petition.
Step 4: Assemble and file
Review every line. Strike anything doubtful yourself: only the candidate or circulator may strike, with initials and a certificate of deletions (SBE Form P-2A). Then assemble:
- Statement of Candidacy, notarized, at the front.
- Petition sheets, original, numbered from 1, fastened in book form at one edge.
- Statement of Economic Interests receipt. File the SEI with the county clerk of the county where the college district's principal office is. File the receipt with the board secretary by 5:00 p.m. on November 23.
- Certificate of deletions, if any lines were struck.
The Loyalty Oath is optional. You can file in person, by mail or through an agent. The filed petition cannot be altered, except that the SEI receipt may be added by the deadline. Be in line at opening on November 16 if you want to enter the lottery for the top ballot position; a filing between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. on November 23 enters the drawing for the last positions.
Step 5: Know who hears objections
Any legal voter of the college district may object, in writing, with an original and two copies, by the December 1 or 2 deadline. The objection must state its grounds, the objector's interest and the relief requested (10 ILCS 5/10-8).
Community college candidates have their own electoral board: the Education Officers Electoral Board, made up of the community college board chair, its secretary and its longest-serving member (10 ILCS 5/10-9). The board meets three to five days after the chair receives the objection, may subpoena records, and must give written findings. Circuit court review must be sought within five days of the decision. If you are served with an objection, call an election attorney right away.
Step 6: Plan a districtwide campaign
From January 28 certification to April 6, you have about ten weeks. In a district this size, prioritize:
- People already connected to the college: alumni, students' families, local employers who hire graduates, people who take continuing education classes.
- Endorsements and introductions from local officials and community groups who can vouch for you in towns where you are unknown.
- Targeted door knocking in the precincts closest to you and where you have volunteers.
- Two reminders: when early voting opens, and the weekend before April 6.
Watch the money threshold. Raising or spending more than $5,000 in 12 months, your own contributions and loans included, requires a Form D-1 with ISBE within 10 business days (2 business days inside the last 30 days).
Step 7: Reach your opted-in supporters across the district by text
Texting is how a candidate in a large district stays in touch with supporters who live 20 minutes in every direction. Here is how to set it up properly in CampaignCNX+.
Form your committee and get verified. Political texting needs Campaign Verify, which requires a committee with an EIN and a filing published by an election authority; candidates with no committee are not eligible. The fee is $95 per two-year cycle. Request it on or after November 15, 2026, and it lasts to January 31, 2029; earlier requests expire January 31, 2027, more than two months before your election. Our guide to Campaign Verify for local candidates has the details.
Register your number. CampaignCNX+ files the 10DLC or toll-free carrier registration for you.
Build a consent-first list. Text only people who opted in on a dated sheet or form that plainly says they agree to receive campaign texts. A petition signature is not consent; read can you text the people who signed your petition? for the reasons and the wording.
Schedule and reply. Schedule your February 25 early voting message and your final-weekend reminder inside quiet hours. Replies land in a two-way inbox, which you can share with campaign volunteers by adding them as team members. STOP replies are handled automatically.
Start setting up now, while you circulate
Campaign Verify and carrier registration both have to clear before your first text, so start them alongside your petition. 100 free SMS included. Your number is $5 a month. Basic is $55 a month with 1,000 SMS if your list grows. For Illinois campaigns there is an offer through January 31, 2027: 1,000 free texts with a month of Pro and white-glove setup for $149 (normally $299). See our Illinois political texting page.