Virginia counties elect their sheriff, commonwealth's attorney, treasurer and commissioner of the revenue on Tuesday, November 2, 2027, each for a four-year term beginning January 1, 2028 (Va. Code § 24.2-217). These are called constitutional officers, because the Constitution of Virginia creates them (Article VII, Section 4). To run for one, you must have lived in Virginia for the year before the election and be a registered voter of the county. A candidate for commonwealth's attorney must also be a member of the Virginia bar (§ 15.2-1600).
Every route to the ballot except a party-run nomination needs a petition signed by at least 125 qualified voters, collected on or after Friday, January 1, 2027. A candidate in a party primary files with the local party chair between noon on Monday, March 15 and 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 1, 2027, for a primary on Tuesday, June 15. An independent candidate files with the general registrar by 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 15, 2027. These filing dates are computed from state law, because the Virginia Department of Elections (ELECT) had not posted its 2027 candidate bulletins when we checked, so confirm them with your general registrar.
For the full picture of a 2027 Virginia race, see our guide to running for local office in Virginia.
Step 1: Confirm that your office is on the 2027 ballot
The constitutional officers follow two different calendars (§ 24.2-217):
- Counties elect the sheriff, the attorney for the Commonwealth (commonwealth's attorney), the treasurer and the commissioner of the revenue in 2027, and every four years after.
- Cities elect those four offices in 2025 and 2029, not 2027, unless their charter says otherwise.
- Shared offices. Some cities share an office with a neighboring county. Where they do, the city's voters vote for that office on the county's schedule, so they may vote for a sheriff or commonwealth's attorney in 2027.
- Clerks of the circuit court serve eight-year terms. County clerks are not on the 2027 ballot, but clerks in cities that have a circuit court are, according to ELECT's schedule.
A county with an optional form of government, or a charter, may not elect every one of these offices (§ 24.2-217). Ask your general registrar which constitutional offices are on your 2027 ballot.
Step 2: Check that you qualify
For every constitutional office. You must have been a resident of Virginia for the one year before the election and be qualified to vote for the office (§ 24.2-500). Since these offices are elected countywide, you must be a registered voter of the county (or of a city that shares the office).
For commonwealth's attorney. "To qualify to be elected or hold office, an attorney for the Commonwealth shall be a member of the bar of this Commonwealth" (§ 15.2-1600).
For the other offices. Ask your general registrar or an attorney whether any other requirement applies to your office before you file.
One office at a time. You may not appear on the ballot for more than one office at the same election (§ 24.2-504).
Step 3: Choose your route onto the ballot
Parties may nominate candidates for these offices, but the ballot does not print a party name next to any county office. Virginia prints party labels only for federal, statewide and General Assembly offices (§ 24.2-613). You have three routes.
A party primary
Each party's county committee decides how it will choose its nominee for each office (§ 24.2-509), and reports a primary to ELECT by Tuesday, March 2, 2027 (based on state law; § 24.2-516). A party whose last nominee for the office won after a primary must use a primary again unless all its incumbents for the office agree otherwise. If you want a party's nomination, Democratic or Republican, ask that party's county chair which method it chose.
A primary candidate files a Declaration of Candidacy, a petition of at least 125 signatures and a filing fee receipt with the party chair of the locality where they live, between noon on Monday, March 15 and 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 1, 2027 (based on state law; § 24.2-522). The fee is 2 percent of one year's minimum salary for the office, paid to the county treasurer or director of finance (§§ 24.2-523, 24.2-524). Ask the treasurer for the 2027 amount for your office.
A rule that starts in 2027. If the incumbent sheriff, commonwealth's attorney, treasurer or commissioner of the revenue has not filed for the primary by 5:00 p.m. on April 1, or withdraws by then, anyone else may file until 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 6, 2027 (based on state law; § 24.2-522).
A nomination the party runs itself
A party may instead nominate by a method it runs itself, such as a convention, between Thursday, April 29 and 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 15, 2027 (based on state law; § 24.2-510). The candidate files no declaration or petition, and the party chair certifies the nominee (§ 24.2-511).
An independent candidacy
A candidate who is not a party nominee files a Declaration of Candidacy and a petition of at least 125 signatures with the general registrar of the county or city where they live, by 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 15, 2027 (based on state law; §§ 24.2-505, 24.2-507).
Step 4: Collect 125 good signatures, and more
A constitutional office needs at least 125 signatures of qualified voters of the county (§§ 24.2-506, 24.2-521). ELECT recommends collecting at least one and a half times the number required, which is at least 188.
- The form: ELECT's Petition of Qualified Voters (form ELECT-506/521), printed front and back on one sheet, with the candidate section completed before anyone signs. If the county shares the office with a city, ELECT suggests a separate form for each county or city.
- The signers: registered voters who can vote for the office, each writing a printed name, signature, full residence address and the date, on or after January 1, 2027.
- The circulator: witnesses every signature, may not be a minor or a felon whose voting rights have not been restored, and signs an affidavit on each page in front of a notary.
For a full walkthrough, see the Virginia candidate petition guide on Beacon, our canvassing app's site.
Step 5: File your papers
| What | Primary candidates | Independent candidates |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Candidate Qualification (ELECT-501(4)) | General registrar, by 5:00 p.m. April 1 | General registrar, by 7:00 p.m. June 15 |
| Statement of Economic Interests | Filed electronically, by April 1 | Filed electronically, by June 15 |
| Primary filing fee | Treasurer or director of finance | Not required |
| Declaration, petitions and fee receipt | Party chair, noon March 15 to 5:00 p.m. April 1 | General registrar, by 7:00 p.m. June 15 |
All 2027 dates in the table are based on state law. Every constitutional office candidate files the Statement of Economic Interests, and since July 1, 2026 it is filed electronically with the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council (§ 24.2-502). Party-run nominees file the certificate and the statement by June 15.
ELECT says declarations and petition pages must be received by the deadline, and a postmark does not count. The Declaration of Candidacy is signed before a notary or before two witnesses who are registered voters of the district. Check with the Department of Elections for any other filings that apply to your campaign.
Challenges. A court challenge to a candidate's eligibility must be filed and served at least 65 days before a primary, which is Sunday, April 11, 2027, or at least 90 days before the general election, which is Wednesday, August 4, 2027 (based on state law; § 24.2-546).
Step 6: Plan a countywide campaign
A constitutional office is elected by the whole county, so plan for more volunteers, more events and a steady way to stay in touch with supporters.
- For primary candidates, the primary is on Tuesday, June 15, and early in-person voting begins about 45 days before it.
- For the general election, the last day to register is Friday, October 22, early in-person voting ends at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 30, and polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 2 (based on state law).
As an example only, ten volunteers who each knock on 30 doors a week for ten weeks would reach about 3,000 doors. Set your own numbers from the size of your county.
Step 7: Keep supporters informed by text
Set up texting in CampaignCNX+ before your busy months.
- Settle your committee. Campaign Verify, the check that confirms to the carriers (the mobile phone companies) that a political sender is a real campaign, needs a 527 committee (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. Check with the Department of Elections for the filings that apply to your campaign and confirm that yours can be viewed online before you request. If it cannot, ask Campaign Verify Support. It costs $95, a request made on or after Sunday, November 15, 2026 lasts until January 31, 2029, and Campaign Verify decides eligibility.
- Open your account. CampaignCNX+ files your carrier registration, as 10DLC (the registration for texting from a standard local-style number) or toll-free. For a toll-free number, the carrier review usually takes about three business days.
- Text only people who agreed in writing. Use a dated sign-up sheet that plainly asks for consent to campaign texts. A petition signature or a voter list is not consent.
- Schedule reminders inside quiet hours. Texts send only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the recipient's time zone. For example:
Hi [First name], it's [Name], candidate for [County] Sheriff. Election Day is Tue, Nov 2. Polls are open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Reply STOP to opt out.
100 free SMS included. Your number is $5 a month. Pay-as-you-go texting then costs $0.06 per SMS segment. For a worked budget, see what it costs to text a local race. Every 2027 date is in our Virginia 2027 election calendar, and our political texting page covers campaign texting in general.
Start before January 1
Confirm that your office is on the 2027 ballot, check your registration, ask your party chair about the nomination method or decide to run as an independent, and line up circulators and a notary. When you are ready to reach supporters by text, start a CampaignCNX+ trial.
