Every candidate for local office in Wisconsin must file a campaign registration statement (form CF-1), and the threshold is $0. For the April 6, 2027 spring election, local candidates file it on paper with their local filing officer, the same official who receives their nomination papers, by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, January 5, 2027, if not sooner. You should file it before you raise or spend any money on the campaign. Your name cannot appear on the ballot without it.
A candidate who expects to raise and spend very little can claim an exemption on the registration statement, but the exemption is from filing campaign finance reports, not from registering. An exempt committee still registers and still keeps records of every contribution and expense. The rest of this explainer covers when you become a candidate, where to file, how the $2,500 exemption works, and what changes after December 1, 2027.
This is one part of getting on the ballot. For the full sequence, see our guide to running for local office in Wisconsin.
When you become a candidate
Under Wisconsin campaign finance law, you become a "candidate" when any one of these happens (Wis. Stat. 11.0101(1)):
- You file nomination papers.
- You are nominated by caucus.
- You receive a contribution or make a disbursement (spend money) to seek office.
- You hold the office.
Once you are a candidate, you must register "as soon as practicable" (Wis. Stat. 11.0202(1)(a)). In practice, the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) advises filing the registration statement "prior to collecting or spending any money on the campaign."
The few costs allowed before you register
Until you register, contributions and spending must not happen outside a registered committee, with three exceptions (Wis. Stat. 11.0202(2)):
- The cost of renting a post office box.
- The minimum amount needed to open a bank account.
- The cost of producing nomination papers.
You do not need a campaign bank account (a depository account) until your committee receives its first contribution, makes its first disbursement or takes on its first obligation (Wis. Stat. 11.0202(1)(b)).
Where and when to file
The filing officer
For the April 2027 election, local candidates file on paper with their local filing officer. The Wisconsin Ethics Commission puts it this way: "Candidates for local offices file on paper with their local filing officer." The filing officer depends on the office:
- City, village and town offices: the municipal clerk (in Milwaukee, the city election commission).
- County offices, including county supervisor: the county clerk.
- School board: the school district clerk.
This is the same official who receives your nomination papers and Declaration of Candidacy.
The deadline
The campaign registration statement, nomination papers and Declaration of Candidacy are all due to the filing officer by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, January 5, 2027. A faxed or emailed CF-1 must be followed by the original, postmarked by January 5. In practice, you will usually file the CF-1 earlier than that, because it should come before any fundraising or spending.
In towns and villages that nominate by caucus (held January 2 to 21, 2027), a nominee files the CF-1 and Declaration of Candidacy by 5 p.m. on the fifth day after being notified of the nomination.
If you are already registered
If you already have a registration on file, for example as a sitting officeholder, you do not start over. You amend your existing registration to show the new office and election dates.
Write-in candidates
If at least one candidate is certified to appear on the ballot, write-in votes count only for a write-in candidate who has filed a registration statement by noon on the Friday before the election. Based on state law, that is noon on Friday, April 2, 2027 for the spring election and noon on Friday, February 12, 2027 for the primary. These are computed dates, so confirm them with your clerk.
The $2,500 exemption, explained
What it is
A committee that does not expect its contributions, disbursements and obligations to exceed $2,500 combined in a calendar year can claim an exemption from filing campaign finance reports. You claim it on the registration statement itself (Wis. Stat. 11.0104(1)(a)).
Local candidates can claim it at any time, on the initial registration or on an amended one. It lasts until the committee goes over $2,500, becomes a state committee, or dissolves.
What it does not do
- It does not exempt you from registering. You still file the CF-1.
- It does not exempt you from keeping records. You must keep records of all contributions and expenses while exempt (Wis. Stat. 11.0104(2)).
How the $2,500 is counted
The threshold counts contributions, disbursements and obligations together. The Ethics Commission gives this example: a committee that raised $1,600 and spent $1,000 has a total of $2,600 and is not eligible. Your own money and any loans you make to your campaign also count.
Example (illustrative, not a rule): a village trustee candidate expects to spend $300 on yard signs, $250 on door literature and $100 on texting, paid entirely from personal funds. Those amounts total $650, so the campaign could claim the exemption. If a supporter later offers to pay for a $2,000 mailing, the total would pass $2,500.
If you go over $2,500
If your committee exceeds $2,500, you have two options under the Ethics Commission's guidance:
- Amend your registration within 10 days and file campaign finance reports for that year, or
- Return or donate an unanticipated contribution within 15 days.
Reports for committees that are not exempt
A non-exempt spring candidate files:
- A preprimary report, 14 to 8 days before the primary, if there is a primary in the race.
- A preelection report, 14 to 8 days before the election.
- Continuing reports on January 15 and July 15.
Ask your filing officer for the exact report dates and forms for your race.
What changes on December 1, 2027
State law will change where local candidates file. Effective December 1, 2027, 2023 Wisconsin Act 126 (as affected by 2025 Wisconsin Act 7) moves campaign finance filing for local candidates to the Wisconsin Ethics Commission, and school board candidates will also give a copy to the school district clerk.
This change does not apply to the April 2027 election. Through November 30, 2027, local candidates file with their local filing officer.
Why your registration matters if you plan to text voters
Political texting from a local-style phone number requires Campaign Verify, a nonprofit check that confirms to the carriers (the mobile phone companies) that a sender is a real campaign. To be verified, a committee must be a 527 organization (the federal tax status of a political committee), have an EIN (the committee's federal tax ID number from the IRS), and have a filing published online by an election authority.
Because Wisconsin local registrations are filed on paper with the clerk until December 1, 2027, your registration may not be posted online. Before you request Campaign Verify, ask your clerk whether your registration is viewable online. If it is not, contact Campaign Verify Support and ask how they handle your situation before you pay. Eligibility is up to Campaign Verify, not us or your clerk.
Keeping your supporter records in order with CampaignCNX+
The records habit the exemption requires is also a good habit for your supporter list. In CampaignCNX+, you can tag each contact by where you met them, such as "doors" or "town hall forum," and record in a custom field when and how each person gave you written permission to receive texts. For contacts added through the API or who text START, CampaignCNX+ records the consent date and source. Replies come into a two-way inbox, opt-outs are handled automatically, and texts are scheduled only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. Every new account includes 100 free SMS, and your number is $5 a month.
Texting costs count toward your $2,500 total, so price it in. Our post on what it costs to text a local race walks through the math, and our political texting guide covers the setup.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to register if I am not raising any money?
Yes. The threshold is $0, and your name cannot appear on the ballot without a registration statement for that election. Filing nomination papers or being nominated by caucus makes you a candidate even if no money changes hands.
If I claim the exemption, do I still need to keep receipts?
Yes. The exemption is from filing reports. You must still keep records of all contributions and expenses.
Does money I spend from my own pocket count toward $2,500?
Yes. Your own money and loans to your campaign count, along with contributions, disbursements and obligations.
Do I file with the Ethics Commission?
Not for the April 2027 election. Local candidates file on paper with their local filing officer through November 30, 2027. The move to the Ethics Commission takes effect December 1, 2027.
Get your texting ready while you register
Once your registration and EIN are in place, open your account and we will guide you through the rest of the setup.