Running for mayor or village president in Illinois means four jobs before you ever campaign: find out which 2027 track your city or village is on, gather enough valid signatures from registered voters on the official petition form, file a complete packet with the municipal clerk (or the Board of Election Commissioners where one exists), and hold your place on the ballot through the objection window. Then you run a townwide race to either February 23, 2027 or April 6, 2027, depending on your track.
Below is the full sequence with dates from the Illinois State Board of Elections (ISBE) 2027 calendar and Candidate's Guide. Both documents say they are not legal advice, and neither is this, so confirm your specifics with your clerk or an election attorney. Our guide to running for local office in Illinois covers every office if you are still deciding.
Step 1: Find your track and your filing office
The top municipal job is usually the race that sets a town's calendar, so start by asking the clerk three questions: which track are we on, is this race partisan or nonpartisan, and where do I file?
February 23, 2027 track: 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.
- Filing: October 19 to 26, 2026.
- Objections due November 2. Ballot lottery by November 4.
- Ballot certified December 17.
- Early voting from January 14, 2027. Election February 23.
April 6, 2027 track: most nonpartisan villages (confirm yours), and independent or new-party municipal candidates.
- Circulation began August 25, 2026.
- Filing: November 16 to 23, 2026.
- Objections due December 1 or 2. Ballot lottery by December 2.
- Ballot certified January 28, 2027.
- Early voting from February 25 (or March 12 where a February primary ran). Election April 6.
Chicago works differently. February 23 is Chicago's municipal general election. A candidate with more than 50% wins outright, and if no one does, the top finishers go to a runoff on April 6. Chicago candidates should confirm filing details with the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.
Everywhere else, mayoral and village president candidates file "with the appropriate city or village clerk, or in those cities having a Board of Election Commissioners, with the clerk of that Board" (ISBE Candidate's Guide, p. 33).
Step 2: Get your signature number
| How you are running | Signatures needed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Party candidate for mayor or village president | At least 0.5% of that party's primary voters at the last regular election | 10 ILCS 5/7-10(e) |
| Nonpartisan village candidate | 1% of the total vote for village president at the last election | 65 ILCS 5/3.1-25-30 |
| Nonpartisan city candidate, or independent | 5% to 8% of voters at the last regular election (for independents, the maximum may be 50 above the minimum, whichever is greater) | 10 ILCS 5/10-3, 10-3.1 |
| Chicago mayor | At least 12,500 | 65 ILCS 20/21-28 |
Get your exact number in writing from the clerk. Then set a goal above it. Objections strike signatures that are not valid, and many campaigns aim for 1.5 to 2 times the minimum as common practice, not as a legal requirement. If your formula has a maximum, stay under it.
Step 3: Organize circulators and collect signatures
A citywide or villagewide petition usually needs more hands than a ward race. Recruit circulators early and give each one the rules on a single page:
- Circulators must be U.S. citizens and 18 or older (or 18 by the consolidated election). They need not be registered voters or live in your town. The candidate may circulate, and so may qualified relatives.
- One circulator per sheet, who personally witnesses every signature on it. Nobody passes a clipboard to a friend halfway down a page.
- Partisan circulators may not carry petitions for more than one established party, or for a party and an independent at the same time (10 ILCS 5/10-4).
- Signers must be registered voters in the city or village at the address they write. Each person signs for themselves. In a partisan primary, a voter may sign only for one established party's candidates.
- The 90-day rule: no signature gathered more than 90 days before the last filing day counts.
- Paper and ink: official form, original signatures, dark ink advised. Never accept e-signatures on an Illinois candidate petition.
- Fill in the heading first (election, your name, office, party where applicable, your residence), identically on every sheet, before anyone signs.
Each circulator completes the statement at the bottom of every sheet, with dates circulated, and signs it before a notary. ISBE suggests avoiding a notary who also signed the petition.
Step 4: Assemble and file the packet
Go through every sheet before filing. Only the candidate or the circulator may strike a line, by initialing it and listing it on a certificate of deletions (SBE Form P-2A).
What goes in the packet:
- Statement of Candidacy, notarized, on top. Your name must match the petition exactly; a mismatch "can result in the candidate not being certified."
- Petition sheets, originals, numbered consecutively from 1, fastened in book form at one edge.
- Statement of Economic Interests receipt. The SEI goes to the county clerk of the county where your city or village has its principal office. The receipt goes to your filing office by 5:00 p.m. on the last filing day. It is the only thing you may add after the petition is filed.
- Certificate of deletions, if you struck any lines.
The Loyalty Oath is optional. You may file in person, by mail or by an agent. If you want a shot at the top ballot line, be in line when the office opens on the first day; everyone in line then, plus the first USPS delivery, enters a lottery for first position. Filing between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. on the last day puts you in a drawing for the last spots.
Step 5: Get through objections
Any legal voter of the municipality may object, in writing with an original and two copies, within five business days after the last filing day: November 2, 2026 (February track) or December 1 or 2 (April track).
Objections to municipal candidates go to the Municipal Officers Electoral Board, normally chaired by the mayor or village president, with the municipal clerk and the longest-serving eligible council member or trustee. If an incumbent mayor is on that board while you are challenging them, ask an election attorney how your town handles it. Where the city lies wholly within a municipal board of election commissioners' jurisdiction, that board hears the case.
The board meets three to five days after the chair gets the objection, may subpoena records, and issues written findings. Judicial review in circuit court must be sought within five days of its decision.
Step 6: Campaign through early voting to election day
After certification, the race is a calendar exercise:
- February 23 candidates: December 17 certification, January 14 early voting, February 23 election. In Chicago, plan a second phase in case of an April 6 runoff.
- April 6 candidates: January 28 certification, February 25 early voting (March 12 where a February primary ran), April 6 election.
A mayoral race is big enough that money rules apply quickly. Raising or spending more than $5,000 in 12 months, counting your own contributions and loans, triggers a Form D-1 with ISBE within 10 business days (2 business days inside the final 30 days).
Step 7: Organize doors and texts across the whole town
A townwide race is a coordination problem: many volunteers, many precincts, one message.
Divide the map in Beacon. Start from your town's registered voter list (your clerk or county party can explain how to get one). Use territory management to give each precinct captain or volunteer their own turf, and route optimization to order every walk. Volunteers record each door's result, add notes and answer your survey questions, including "wants text updates: yes/no." Real-time tracking and analytics show which territories are moving and which have stalled. Every Beacon plan includes unlimited canvassers.
Run texting as a team in CampaignCNX+. Add staff and volunteers to your account as admins, managers or staffers, and work replies together in a shared inbox. Text only voters who opted in on a dated sheet that says so plainly; a petition signature does not count. Our post on turning petition season into a supporter list shows how to collect those opt-ins while you circulate. Schedule your early voting reminder within quiet hours, and STOP replies are handled for you.
Texting as a campaign requires Campaign Verify, which needs a committee with an EIN and a published election-authority filing. Requests made before November 15, 2026 expire January 31, 2027, which falls before both election days. Requests made on or after November 15 last to January 31, 2029.
If a trustee or alderperson slate is running alongside you, our step-by-step for village trustee candidates covers their side.
Get your texting ready before certification
CampaignCNX+ files your 10DLC or toll-free carrier registration for you and walks you through Campaign Verify. Basic is $55 a month with 1,000 SMS; Pro is $225 a month with 5,000 SMS for larger towns. To start, 100 free SMS included. Your number is $5 a month. See what we offer Illinois campaigns on our Illinois political texting page.