Missouri candidate guide
Who qualifies, the December 15 to January 5 filing window, the tax affidavit and financial disclosure, when you need a committee, and how to run the campaign once your name is on the ballot.
The short answer
Most people who run for city council, alderman, school board or a special district board in Missouri get on the April 6, 2027 ballot the same way. They confirm that they meet the qualifications for the office, file the state tax affidavit with the Missouri Department of Revenue, and then file a declaration of candidacy in person with the local filing officer between 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 15, 2026 and 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 5, 2027. For most of these offices there is no petition to circulate. Names are listed on the ballot in the order candidates file, which is why some candidates arrive early on the first day.
After filing, a few rules decide whether your name stays on the ballot: a personal financial disclosure due January 19, 2027 for many offices, campaign reports owed from earlier elections, and state tax rules. Every date and rule here comes from the Missouri Revised Statutes (RSMo), the Secretary of State's 2027 election calendar and the official pages cited in the text. Dates marked "computed" are derived from a statutory formula. This is not legal advice, so confirm anything specific to your office with your filing officer, your election authority or an election attorney.
If you plan to reach supporters by text once you are on the ballot, our political texting guide covers the rules and setup in full.
| Date | What happens | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, December 15, 2026, 8:00 a.m. | Candidate filing opens | SOS 2027 calendar; RSMo 115.127.5 |
| Tuesday, January 5, 2027, 5:00 p.m. | Candidate filing closes | SOS 2027 calendar; RSMo 115.127.5 |
| Tuesday, January 19, 2027 | Personal financial disclosure due, where it applies (computed) | RSMo 105.487 |
| Tuesday, January 26, 2027 | Final certification date; candidates without a required disclosure are removed (computed) | SOS 2027 calendar; RSMo 105.492 |
| Tuesday, February 9, 2027 | Last day to withdraw, by court order (computed) | RSMo 115.127.6 |
| Wednesday, March 10, 2027 | Last day to register to vote | SOS 2027 calendar |
| Tuesday, March 23, 2027 | No-excuse in-person absentee voting begins (computed) | RSMo 115.277.1 |
| Friday, March 26, 2027, 5:00 p.m. | Write-in declarations of intent due (computed) | RSMo 115.453 |
| Tuesday, April 6, 2027 | General municipal election | SOS 2027 calendar; RSMo 115.121.3 |
The full list, including campaign finance reports and absentee deadlines, is in our Missouri April 2027 election calendar for candidates.
Step 1
The form of your local government decides who your filing officer is and which qualifications apply. Local candidates file with the political subdivision or special district at the place it designates, not with the Secretary of State. Before filing opens, each subdivision must publish the opening date, the offices to be filled, the place for filing and the closing date, often as a newspaper legal notice (RSMo 115.127.5). Some common cases:
Exceptions. Charter cities and charter counties may use a March 2, 2027 election under their charters, so read your charter or call your clerk. The City of St. Louis holds a primary on March 2 and a general election on April 6, and its candidates file a petition; see running for office in the City of St. Louis in 2027. Kansas City had not published its 2027 calendar when this guide was written, so check with the Kansas City Election Board.
Step 2
Every office has its own qualifications. A few examples from state law:
| Office | Qualifications | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Councilman, third class city | At least 21 before taking office, U.S. citizen, city inhabitant one year, ward resident six months | RSMo 77.060 |
| Mayor, third class city | At least 30, U.S. citizen, city resident two years | RSMo 77.230 |
| Alderman, fourth class city | At least 18, U.S. citizen, city resident one year, ward resident at filing and while serving | RSMo 79.070 |
| Mayor, fourth class city | At least 25, U.S. citizen, city resident one year | RSMo 79.080 |
| School board, seven-director district | U.S. citizen, resident taxpayer of the district, district resident for one year before the election, at least 24 | RSMo 162.291 |
| Fire protection district director | District resident and voter for one year, over 24 | RSMo 321.130 |
| Ambulance district director | U.S. citizen, district resident two years, at least 24 | RSMo 190.050 |
Charter cities set their own qualifications, so check your charter. For city races, see how to run for city council or alderman in Missouri. For school boards, see how to run for school board in Missouri.
Beyond the office itself, three statewide rules apply to almost every candidate:
Our list of mistakes that can disqualify a Missouri local candidate explains how to avoid each one.
Step 3
Two items are required of every non-federal candidate when filing, according to state law and the Secretary of State's 2026 candidate guidance:
File the affidavit early. If a complaint shows the affirmation is false, a candidate has 30 days to pay undisputed taxes; one who does not pay is disqualified and barred from filing again for an entire election cycle (RSMo 115.306.2).
Filing fees. No general statewide filing fee applies to municipal or school board candidates in the statutes reviewed for this guide. Fees exist where a statute or charter sets them, such as $100 for fire protection districts and $100 to $250 in the City of St. Louis. Ask your filing officer whether a fee applies to you.
Start the list early
The supporters who sign up while you collect signatures or knock doors are the list you text in the final weeks. Open the account now so it is ready when your committee is. 100 free SMS included. Your number is $5 a month.
Step 4
The filing window for the April 6, 2027 election runs from 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 15, 2026 to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 5, 2027 (SOS 2027 calendar; RSMo 115.127.5). Those are default times where law or charter does not set others, so check your subdivision's notice.
Plan to file in person, with ID. State law requires in-person filing and proof of identity for primary declarations (RSMo 115.355), and local offices typically follow the same practice. Confirm with your filing officer.
File for one office only. If you file for one office and then, without withdrawing, file for another office at the same election, you are disqualified (RSMo 115.351).
Expect a disclosure notice. If your office requires a personal financial disclosure (Step 5), the filing official must give you written notice of that obligation at filing, and you sign an acknowledgment (RSMo 105.487).
The step-by-step version, with a checklist for filing day, is in how to file a declaration of candidacy in Missouri.
On nonpartisan ballots, "the names of candidates for each office shall be listed in the order in which they are filed" (RSMo 115.237.1). The filing officer must designate where candidates form a line and determine the order of filings (RSMo 115.124.2). Commission form and council-manager cities without primaries also list names in the order statements of candidacy were filed (RSMo 78.090, 78.530).
There is one optional exception. For candidates who file before 5:00 p.m. on the first day, the election authority or political subdivision may set ballot order by a random drawing: each first-day filer draws a number, and first-day filers are listed in ascending order of those numbers (RSMo 115.124.2).
Ask your filing officer before December 15 whether a drawing will be held.
Step 5
Each candidate for elective office of a political subdivision with an annual operating budget over $1 million must file a personal financial disclosure (a financial interest statement) with the MEC. The exception is a subdivision that adopts its own conflict-of-interest ordinance or resolution every two years by September 15 of the preceding year and files it with the MEC (RSMo 105.483, 105.485). Your filing official's written notice will tell you whether you must file.
The statement is due no later than 14 days after filing closes, which is Tuesday, January 19, 2027 (computed), and covers the 12 months before the close of filing (RSMo 105.487). A late statement costs $10 per day (RSMo 105.963). If it is still not filed by close of business on the 21st day after the last day of filing, Tuesday, January 26, 2027 (computed), the MEC notifies the filing official that you are disqualified, and your name is removed from the ballot (RSMo 105.492).
Because it falls two weeks after filing, it is easy to miss. Put it on your calendar the day you file.
Step 6
You become a candidate under Missouri law when you first receive contributions, make expenditures, or announce or file a declaration (RSMo 130.011). Whether you then need a committee depends on your office and your money:
Reports are generally due 8 days before the election (computed: Monday, March 29, 2027) and 30 days after (computed: Thursday, May 6, 2027), with a $100 per day late fee on the 8-day report (RSMo 130.046, 105.963). Confirm report dates against the MEC's published 2027 calendar. Since 2026, every request for contributions must carry a disclaimer naming the committee that benefits (RSMo 130.031.13).
A committee also matters for texting, as Step 9 explains. See campaign committees for Missouri local candidates for forms and reports.
Before the ballot is set
Once filing closes the race moves quickly. An account set up now means your first supporter text goes out on time. 100 free SMS included. Your number is $5 a month.
Step 7
Certification. January 26, 2027 is the final certification date on the Secretary of State's calendar.
Withdrawing. After the election notice is certified, a candidate may withdraw only by court order, no later than 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 9, 2027 (computed), and only if there is no added ballot cost or the candidate pays it (RSMo 115.127.6).
Uncontested races. In a nonpartisan election for a school district or special district, if the filing notice was published in a newspaper, the number of candidates equals the number of seats, and no ballot measure is on that subdivision's ballot, no election is held and the candidates take office as if elected (RSMo 115.124.1). For cities, this applies only to cities, towns and villages of 2,000 or fewer people that have adopted it by a vote of the people; larger cities hold the election even when it is uncontested. See when Missouri cancels an uncontested election.
Write-in candidates. Write-in votes count only for people who file a declaration of intent by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 26, 2027 (computed), and a write-in for a municipal office must meet the same tax and felony rules as any other candidate (RSMo 115.453, 115.306). Check with your filing officer after March 26 to learn who is in your race.
Step 8
Once you have filed, you have about 13 weeks until April 6. For a week-by-week version, follow our campaign plan to April 6 for Missouri local races.
Ask your local election authority how to obtain a list of registered voters in your district, and focus on people with a history of voting in local elections. Three voter deadlines shape your outreach:
Missouri law says no one may solicit a voter to obtain an absentee application, and applications may not be prefilled (RSMo 115.279.2). Keep messages to dates, send voters to their election authority for details, and ask an election attorney if you are unsure about a message.
For most local races, conversations at the door are the main work. A simple plan is to divide your district into areas, knock each once before absentee voting opens, and return to undecided households.
Beacon, our door-to-door canvassing app, handles the mechanics of this. In Beacon, import your voter list as a CSV file and map its columns (name, address and precinct fields map automatically), then draw territories on the map and assign each one to a volunteer. Beacon optimizes the walking route, works offline and syncs when the phone reconnects, and records each door's result: contacted, not home, refused, moved, come back later, left literature and more, with a 1 to 5 rating, notes and survey answers. Every plan includes unlimited canvassers. Beacon's political canvassing guide covers door strategy in depth.
If you already serve on a board or work for a district, keep campaign work off public time and equipment: no officer, employee or agent of a political subdivision, special district or charter school may spend public funds to advocate for or against a candidate (RSMo 115.646).
Step 9
Texting lets you reach supporters at the moments that matter: when absentee voting opens, when you hold an event, and in the last days before April 6. Set it up in this order with CampaignCNX+.
100 free SMS included. Your number is $5 a month, and nothing sends until it is bought. After that, a standard text costs $0.035 to $0.06 depending on your plan, and an MMS (a picture message) uses three credits. Our posts on what it costs to text a local race and Campaign Verify for local candidates go further, and texting voters in a Missouri local race covers Missouri setup step by step.
Running for local office FAQ
Usually not. Most local nonpartisan offices in Missouri use a sworn declaration or statement of candidacy rather than a petition. The main exceptions are the City of St. Louis, where candidates for mayor, president of the Board of Aldermen, comptroller and alderperson file a Certificate of Nomination with signatures equal to at least 2% of the votes cast for mayor, and the Kansas City Public Schools board, where candidates need 250 or 500 signatures depending on the seat (RSMo 162.492).
If it is still not filed by close of business on January 26, 2027 (computed), your name comes off the ballot.
Not until it is filed. RSMo 130.071 says no one may file for any office until all required disclosure reports for prior elections are filed. Contact the MEC well before December 15 to find out what is missing.
Start sending
The weeks before December 15 are the right time to prepare: file your tax affidavit, check your old reports, decide on a committee, and set up the tools you will use after January 5. When you are ready to reach supporters by text, start your CampaignCNX+ trial and your account will walk you through registration and Campaign Verify.
