How to run for local office in Illinois: the 2027 guide

The short answer

To run for local office in Illinois in 2027, you first work out which of two election tracks your office is on: the February 23, 2027 track or the April 6, 2027 track. Then you collect enough valid signatures from registered voters in your district, in ink on the official petition form, with a notarized circulator statement on every sheet. You file that petition, your Statement of Candidacy and your Statement of Economic Interests receipt with the right office during your filing window (October 19 to 26, 2026, or November 16 to 23, 2026). If no one successfully objects, your name goes on the ballot, and the campaign itself begins in earnest.

This guide covers each step for village, city, Chicago, school, park, library, community college and other local offices, then the campaign itself. Every date and rule here comes from the Illinois State Board of Elections (ISBE) 2027 Candidate's Guide, the ISBE 2027 Election and Campaign Finance Calendar, and the statutes cited inline. ISBE itself says its guide is not legal advice, so confirm anything specific to your office with your election authority or an election attorney.

If you are planning how to reach voters by text once you are on the ballot, our political texting guide covers the rules and setup in full.

Step 1

Find your track.

In 2027, Illinois local offices fall on two schedules. Filing periods moved about three weeks earlier this cycle (P.A. 103-0586 and 103-0600), so if you remember past calendars, set them aside.

A few points worth knowing up front:

• Chicago holds its municipal general election on February 23. A candidate who wins more than 50% wins outright; otherwise the top finishers go to a runoff on April 6.
• No township offices are on the 2027 ballot. The next township elections are in April 2029.
• Your village or city may differ from the typical case. Whether your town holds a February primary depends on its size, whether races are partisan, and its form of government. Your municipal clerk can tell you which track your office follows.

Once you know your track, follow a dated plan: a campaign plan for the February 23 races or a 12-week campaign plan for an April 6 race.

Step 2

Know your signature number.

Every candidate needs a minimum number of valid signatures, and the formula depends on the office. These are the formulas ISBE publishes in its 2027 Candidate's Guide.

ISBE gives a simple example for independents: if 1,000 people voted at the last regular election, you need between 50 and 100 signatures. For park district, library and other special district offices, ask the district secretary (where you file) for your exact number.

The filing office for your race can confirm your actual count. For a deeper walk-through by office, see how many signatures you need to run for office in Illinois.

Collect a margin. Objections strike invalid signatures, so filing with the bare minimum is a real risk. Many campaigns aim for 1.5 to 2 times the minimum. That is common practice, not a legal rule.

Step 3

Circulate the petition correctly.

The rules below come from the 2027 Candidate's Guide and 10 ILCS 5/10-4.

Who can carry a petition

• A circulator must be at least 18, or turn 18 by the upcoming consolidated election, and a U.S. citizen. They can live outside the district, county or even the state.
• A circulator does not have to be a registered voter, but must list their current address on the circulator's statement.
• You can circulate your own petition, and qualified relatives can circulate too.
• The circulator must personally witness every signature on the sheet. Only one person can circulate a given sheet.
• A circulator may not carry petitions for more than one established party, or for an established party and an independent or new-party candidate (10 ILCS 5/10-4). They may carry petitions for more than one candidate for the same office if those candidates belong to the same established party.

Who can sign

• Signers must be registered voters in the district, at the address written next to their signature.
• Each voter signs personally. A spouse or family member cannot sign for someone else in the household.
• In a party primary, a voter may sign only for that party's candidates in that election (10 ILCS 5/7-10). For nonpartisan and independent races, a voter can sign as many petitions for an office as there are seats to fill.

The sheet itself

• Fill in the heading (election, candidate, office, party where it applies, and your residence) before anyone signs, and keep it identical on every sheet.
• Use a pen with dark ink. Pencil is technically allowed, but ISBE advises against it.
• Sheets must be originals, one uniform size, numbered consecutively from 1, and fastened securely in book form. Paper clips and clipboards do not count as secure fastening.
• Every sheet needs a signed circulator's statement, sworn before a notary. A cautious candidate avoids using a petition signer as the notary. ISBE staff will not notarize during filing periods, so line up your notary early.
• No signature can be gathered more than 90 days before the last day of filing.

Never accept electronic signatures. Illinois candidate petitions are signed in ink on the official form.

Beacon has a full guide to circulating a nominating petition in Illinois if you want to train volunteers on these rules.

Step 4

File in the right place, with the right papers.

What goes in the packet

• Statement of Candidacy, notarized, at the front of the packet. Your name must appear exactly the same here and on every petition sheet. A mismatch can keep you from being certified. No titles, degrees or slogans in your ballot name.
• Statement of Economic Interests receipt. You file the SEI itself with the county clerk of the county where your unit of government has its principal office, then file the receipt with the office where you file your petition. The receipt must be in by 5:00 p.m. on the last filing day (for the April track, November 23, 2026). It is the one item you can add after the petition is filed.
• Your petition sheets, bound and numbered.
• Certificate of Deletions if you or a circulator struck any signatures before filing.

Once your petition is filed, it cannot be changed or added to. Check it before you hand it over.

Where to file

• Municipal offices (mayor or village president, alderperson or trustee, clerk, treasurer), including independents and new parties: with the city or village clerk, or with the clerk of the board of election commissioners where one exists.
• School board: with the county clerk or county board of election commissioners of the county where the school district's principal office is located. Not at the school district office.
• Park district: with the park district secretary.
• Public library district: with the library district secretary. Township and municipal library trustees file with the local municipal or township clerk.
• Community college board: with the secretary of the college board.
• Fire protection district: with the secretary of the district board.

Filing by mail or through an agent is allowed. Filings are accepted from 8:00 a.m. on the first day to 5:00 p.m. (or close of business, whichever is later) on the last day. If you are running for two offices that are incompatible, you must withdraw from all but one within five business days after the last filing day; for the April track that date is December 2, 2026.

Before filing week, run through the first-time candidate checklist.

Step 5

Be ready for objections.

Any legal voter in your district can object to your petition (10 ILCS 5/10-8). Objections are due within five business days after the last filing day: November 2, 2026 for the February track, and December 1 or 2, 2026 for the April track (December 1 if the filing office is open on Friday, November 27).

An objection is filed in writing, with an original and two copies, at the office where you filed, stating the objector's interest, the grounds and the relief requested. From there:

1. The filing office sends your papers and the objection to the electoral board chair by noon on the second business day, with a copy to you, and the chair issues a call to everyone within 24 hours.
2. The board meets three to five days after the chair receives the objection, can subpoena witnesses and documents, and decides in writing whether your papers are in proper form, timely and genuine.
3. Either side can seek review in circuit court within 5 days of the decision.

Which board hears it depends on the office. The Municipal Officers Electoral Board hears municipal candidates. The County Officers Electoral Board hears school district and special district offices such as park, library and fire. Community college objections go to the Education Officers Electoral Board.

The best defense is a clean petition with a healthy margin; if someone objects, call an election attorney promptly. Beacon's post on petition objections in Illinois explains the most common reasons signatures get struck.

Step 6

Understand the ballot lottery.

Ballot order is mostly filing order, with two exceptions (10 ILCS 5/10-6.2):

• Everyone in line when the office opens on the first day of filing, plus the first U.S. Postal Service delivery that day, is treated as having filed at the same moment. A lottery decides their order at the top of the ballot.
• Everyone who files between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. on the last day is also treated as simultaneous, and a lottery decides their order at the bottom.

The lottery must be held within nine days after the last filing day, in public, with seven days' notice. For the February track it happens by November 4, 2026; for the April track by December 2, 2026.

School board candidates should ask their county clerk how ballot order is set for their race, since school elections can follow separate School Code rules.

Step 7

Independents, new parties and write-ins.

Running as an independent or new-party candidate

Independent and new-party municipal candidates are on the April track: circulation from August 25, 2026 and filing November 16 to 23, 2026. Independents need not less than 5% nor more than 8% of the number of people who voted at the last regular election (or 50 more than the minimum, whichever is greater). New parties need at least 5%, and a new party's name may be no more than five words and cannot include an established party's name.

A partisan candidate who loses at the primary or caucus cannot then run as an independent or new-party candidate in the same election. School board candidates cannot file as independents at all, because every school office is nonpartisan.

More detail: running as an independent in Illinois.

Running as a write-in

A write-in candidate files a notarized Declaration of Intent to be a Write-In Candidate (SBE Form P-1F) with the proper election authority no later than 61 days before the election. That is December 24, 2026 for the February 23 primary and February 4, 2027 for the April 6 election. To force a primary for an office that would otherwise be uncontested, the declaration is due by December 17, 2026.

Two limits: a partisan candidate defeated at the primary or caucus, and a nonpartisan candidate defeated at a nonpartisan primary, cannot run as a write-in. A write-in candidate who wins then files a Statement of Candidacy and SEI receipt.

More detail: write-in candidacy in Illinois.

Step 8

Know when you need a campaign committee.

Illinois does not require a committee just because you file petitions. The trigger is money. If you, or a group, raise or spend more than $5,000 in any 12-month period for or against a candidate or public question, you generally must create a political committee by filing a Statement of Organization (Form D-1) with ISBE (10 ILCS 5/9-3).

• Your own contributions and loans to your campaign count toward the $5,000, and so do in-kind contributions.
• The D-1 is due within 10 business days of crossing $5,000, or within 2 business days if you cross it in the 30 days before an election.
• You may register earlier, but once registered you must file every required report until you file a Final Report, even if you never reach $5,000.
• Quarterly reports are due the 15th of the month after each quarter, and contributions of $1,000 or more are reported on a Schedule A-1 within 5 business days (2 business days in the last 30 days before an election).
• Late filings bring civil penalties; unpaid penalties can mean ballot forfeiture.

Why this matters for texting. Political texting through carriers requires Campaign Verify, which costs $95 per two-year cycle and needs an EIN and a filing published by your election authority. Candidates with no committee are not eligible. So if you plan to text supporters, the committee decision comes before the texting plan. Timing also matters: Campaign Verify requests made before November 15, 2026 expire January 31, 2027, while requests on or after November 15 last to January 31, 2029. Our post on Campaign Verify for local candidates walks through it.

For planning the money side, see budgeting a village or school board race.

Step 9

Run the campaign.

Once you have filed, the work shifts from paper to people. Local electorates are small enough that one candidate and a few volunteers can reach a real share of the likely voters, often more than once.

Build your list with consent

Your best list starts at the doors you knocked during petition season. A petition signature is not permission to text someone. A sheet counts as consent only if it says so plainly and the date is recorded. So carry a separate supporter sheet with a clear opt-in line, ask after each signature, and enter complete, dated lines every week. Never load petition sheets into a texting tool.

We cover the consent line, the ask and the weekly routine in turning petition season into a supporter list, and the legal line itself in can you text the people who signed your nominating petition?

Knock doors

Door knocking is one of the most direct ways a local candidate can meet voters. Start with a walk list of registered voters in your district, prioritize the people most likely to vote in a local election, and plan routes so each shift covers ground without backtracking. Record what happened at every door so you can return to the undecided.

Beacon, our canvassing app, puts walk lists on a map, suggests routes, works offline, and records each door's result. Its political canvassing guide covers door strategy in depth.

Office-by-office guides: village trustee, mayor or village president, alderperson or city council, park district or library board, and community college board.

Text the people who asked to hear from you

Texting reaches supporters at the moments that matter: when early voting opens, when you have an event, and in the last days. Here is how to set it up.

1. Decide on your committee. Campaign Verify needs an EIN and a published election-authority filing, so sort out Step 8 first.
2. Open your account and register. In CampaignCNX+, create your account and let CampaignCNX+ file your carrier registration (10DLC or toll-free) for you. It also guides you through Campaign Verify, including which contact information receives the PIN: email or text arrives right away, while mail takes 5 to 10 business days.
3. Add only opted-in contacts. Add the complete, dated lines from your supporter sheets and nothing else. Use a custom field for the opt-in date and source, tags for where you met each person, and a group for your supporter list; sends go to groups.
4. Write short messages. Keep each under 160 characters, identify the campaign, and include "Reply STOP to opt out" on the first message. CampaignCNX+ handles STOP replies automatically.
5. Schedule around quiet hours. Use quiet-hours scheduling so messages go out at reasonable times, not at 7 a.m. on a Saturday.
6. Answer replies like a neighbor. Replies land in a two-way inbox. If volunteers help, add them as team members with admin, manager or staffer roles and work the shared inbox together.

To start, 100 free SMS included. Your number is $5 a month, and nothing sends until it is bought. After that, pay as you go is $0.06 per SMS, or Basic is $55 a month with 1,000 SMS. For full worked budgets, see what it costs to text a local race. School board candidates can read CampaignCNX+ for school board campaigns.

School board candidates writing to parents should also read texting parents in a school board race, consent first. Running a referendum committee rather than a candidacy? Texting for a referendum committee covers what changes.

Ready-to-copy messages are in 25 campaign text templates for local races.

Plan for early voting

Early voting makes your election a few weeks long. Early voting opens January 14, 2027 for the February 23 track, and February 25, 2027 for the April 6 track (or March 12 where a February primary ran). Plan a text to opted-in supporters the day early voting opens, a door push in the weeks that follow, and a reminder before early voting ends. Send people to their county clerk's website for sites and hours rather than listing locations yourself, since sites and hours vary.

Our early voting plan for local candidates lays it out week by week.

Election Day

By Election Day, most of your work is done. Remind supporters who have not voted, staff your volunteer shifts, keep your inbox covered, and point people to the county clerk for polling places.

Print the Election Day checklist for local candidates, and when you plan next time, read where local campaigns actually spend money that works.

If your local party organization is helping, these cover its side of the work: how CampaignCNX+ supports precinct committeepersons, texting your precinct, and from whose account, texts and emails a party organization can send its precincts, and recruiting election judges by text.