//Run for office · Georgia

How to run for local office in Georgia

Georgia's Secretary of State sells voter lists by state, county, city and district, and from January 1, 2027 every city and county candidate files campaign reports with the state through PeachFile, not the local clerk.

Facts checked against official sources · September 9, 2026

Georgia local elections run on two calendars. County commissions, county school boards and county officers are elected on the state cycle: qualifying in early March of even years, a May primary and the November general. City councils and mayors are elected in November of odd-numbered years, with qualifying set by each city in late August, so 2027 is the municipal year. Partisan county candidates qualify with their county party, nonpartisan county candidates and independents with the county election superintendent, and municipal candidates with the municipal clerk, although many cities hand the whole election to the county board.

Two things set Georgia apart. The Secretary of State, not the county, is the seller of voter lists, and it also publishes downloadable absentee voter files by election and county that show who has voted by mail and in advance. And campaign finance is moving: Senate Bill 199 (2025) ends local filing with the county election superintendent or city clerk on December 31, 2026; from January 2027 you register in PeachFile and file your Campaign Contribution Disclosure Reports with the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission.

Election authority: Georgia Secretary of State, Elections Division
Voter file: Public record — anyone can obtain it
Campaign finance: PeachFile (efile.ethics.ga.gov); local candidates file locally through December 31, 2026 and in PeachFile from January 1, 2027 (Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission)
How voters vote: In person, with no-excuse mail voting
Registration deadline: 29 days before the election (O.C.G.A. 21-2-224, per NCSL; Fulton County lists October 5, 2026 for the November 3, 2026 election). Register online through the Secretary of State or by mail.
Local offices: County commission and county officers are partisan with a May primary; county boards of education are partisan unless a local act makes them nonpartisan (O.C.G.A. 20-2-56, 21-2-139, per DeKalb's guide). Municipal elections in most cities are nonpartisan: candidates run without party nomination and, as in Kennesaw, the plurality winner takes the seat or a runoff follows under the city charter.

Who runs elections in Georgia

Georgia Secretary of State, Elections Division The Elections Division runs the statewide voter registration system and My Voter Page, sells voter registration lists, qualifies candidates for state and federal office, and publishes the Election Data Hub with turnout and absentee voter files. County and municipal candidates qualify locally, not with the Division. You will deal with the Division for the voter list and for the absentee and advance voting data, and with the Campaign Finance Commission for reports.

Each county has an election superintendent (a board of elections and registration in most counties, the probate judge in some) that registers voters, runs advance voting and election-day precincts, issues absentee ballots, and serves as qualifying officer for nonpartisan county offices and independent candidates (DeKalb County's 2026 qualifying guide walks through the process under O.C.G.A. 21-2-132). Municipal elections are run by the city's own superintendent or, very commonly, by the county board under contract: Kennesaw and Woodstock, for example, have Cobb and Cherokee counties conduct their city elections, and Kennesaw's candidate qualifying was run by the Cobb County board at Kennesaw City Hall.

Getting the Georgia voter file

The voter file is the list of every registered voter, with the fields a campaign needs to target: address, party where the state records it, and vote history. In Georgia it comes from Georgia Secretary of State, Elections Division (voter registration lists).

Access: Public record — anyone can obtain it
Cost: Confirm with Georgia Secretary of State, Elections Division (voter registration lists)
Format: Confirm with Georgia Secretary of State, Elections Division (voter registration lists)
Vote history: Not confirmed
Phone numbers: Not confirmed
Updated: Confirm with Georgia Secretary of State, Elections Division (voter registration lists)

Who can get it: Order from the Secretary of State. County election offices do not sell lists: Fulton County tells requesters to 'visit the Georgia Secretary of State Registration Lists for instructions and cost', and Columbus-Muscogee links its 'Purchase Voter List' button to the Secretary of State's online store. The Secretary's ordering page states any eligibility conditions.

Permitted use: Political and other uses as stated on the Secretary of State's ordering page. Georgia's list is the common source for campaigns, parties and vendors; check the page for current use conditions before you order.

County option: The Secretary of State sells county, municipal, precinct and district lists (state House, state Senate, congressional, county and municipal districts) as separate products through its online store, so a city council candidate can buy just the city or the council district. County offices such as Fulton's refer list requests to the state.

Prices, fields and the update schedule are set by the Secretary of State and change; confirm them on the ordering page or with the Elections Division at 404-656-2871 (the number Fulton County lists for state candidate questions) before you budget.
The Election Data Hub separately offers free downloads of voter registration statistics and absentee voter files by election and county; Fulton County points campaigns there for active and inactive statistical voter data.

Whatever file you get, Culper imports it as a CSV and maps the columns for you. See how to read a voter file for what the fields mean.

Filing to run for local office in Georgia

Georgia candidates qualify in person during a short window, pay a qualifying fee set locally as a share of the office's salary (or file a pauper's affidavit), and sign a notice of candidacy and affidavit of eligibility. County offices qualify in early March of even years; municipal offices qualify in late August of odd years on dates each city sets by resolution. Partisan county candidates qualify with their county party, nonpartisan county candidates and independents with the county election superintendent, and municipal candidates with the municipal clerk or the county board the city has designated.

File with: County partisan offices: the county political party during the March qualifying week. Nonpartisan county offices and independent or political-body candidates: the county election superintendent or board of elections (O.C.G.A. 21-2-132, per DeKalb County's 2026 guide). Municipal offices: the municipal clerk, or the county board of elections when the city has contracted its election out (Kennesaw's 2025 qualifying was conducted by the Cobb County Board of Elections and Registration).
Filing fee: Set locally under O.C.G.A. 21-2-131: the county governing authority sets fees for county offices (DeKalb's 2026 fees were $2,101.28 for county commissioner and $750 for board of education) and the city council sets municipal fees by resolution (Kennesaw set $360 for a 2025 council post). A candidate who cannot pay may file a pauper's affidavit in lieu of the fee (21-2-132(g), 21-2-153).
Petition: Not required for party or nonpartisan candidates. Independent and political-body candidates for county office file a nomination petition during a second qualifying period (June 22 to July 14, 2026 in DeKalb's 2026 cycle) signed by 5 percent of the registered voters eligible to vote for the office (21-2-132(e), 21-2-170).
Partisan?: County commission and county officers are partisan with a May primary; county boards of education are partisan unless a local act makes them nonpartisan (O.C.G.A. 20-2-56, 21-2-139, per DeKalb's guide). Municipal elections in most cities are nonpartisan: candidates run without party nomination and, as in Kennesaw, the plurality winner takes the seat or a runoff follows under the city charter.

Filing window: County offices (even years): a Monday-to-Friday week in early March; in 2026 DeKalb County qualified candidates from 9 a.m. Monday, March 2 to noon Friday, March 6 under O.C.G.A. 21-2-132. Municipal offices (odd years): each city sets its qualifying dates by resolution within the state window; Kennesaw's 2025 qualifying for the November 4, 2025 election ran Monday, August 18 through Wednesday, August 20, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Expect a similar mid-to-late August window in 2027 and confirm it with your city clerk by early summer.

Key Georgia dates
What	When	Note
Municipal qualifying, 2027 city elections	Varies	Set by each city by resolution under O.C.G.A. 21-2-132. Kennesaw's 2025 window was August 18 to 20, 2025 for a November 4, 2025 election; expect mid-to-late August 2027. Ask your city clerk.
Voter registration deadline, November 2, 2027 municipal elections	October 4, 2027	29 days before the election (O.C.G.A. 21-2-224, per NCSL). Fulton County's deadline for the November 3, 2026 election is October 5, 2026.
Advance (early) voting begins, November 2, 2027	October 11, 2027	Fourth Monday before the election (georgia.gov); ends Friday, October 29, 2027, with the second and third Saturdays before election day (October 16 and 23) mandatory.
Absentee ballot application deadline, November 2, 2027	October 22, 2027	Applications are accepted from 78 to 11 days before election day (georgia.gov): August 16 through October 22, 2027.
Municipal general election, odd-year cities	November 2, 2027	Cities such as Fayetteville and Woodstock elect in odd-numbered years; Kennesaw's last election was November 4, 2025.
County office qualifying, 2028 cycle	Varies	Early March 2028; in 2026 DeKalb County qualified candidates from 9 a.m. March 2 to noon March 6 (O.C.G.A. 21-2-132).

Campaign finance rules in Georgia

State-level campaign finance in Georgia is overseen by Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission through PeachFile (efile.ethics.ga.gov); local candidates file locally through December 31, 2026 and in PeachFile from January 1, 2027.

Where local candidates file: Through December 31, 2026, a county or municipal candidate files the Declaration of Intention to Accept Campaign Contributions (DOI) and Campaign Contribution Disclosure Reports (CCDRs) with the local filing officer: the county election superintendent for county offices and the city clerk for municipal offices (DeKalb County: 'Municipal candidates must file all reports with their respective city clerk'; Fulton County: municipal candidates 'qualify and file campaign reports with their Municipal Clerk'). Senate Bill 199 (2025) ends that. Local filers file their last local report on October 20, 2026, may register in PeachFile from July 1, 2026, may enter transactions from November 1, 2026, and file their first report with the Commission on January 31, 2027; past local filings do not migrate, so keep your own copies. Personal Financial Disclosure Statements are already filed electronically with the Commission, due within 15 days after you qualify (O.C.G.A. 21-5-50). A candidate who will not exceed $2,500 in contributions or expenditures may file an affidavit to that effect in place of a DOI (DeKalb 2026 qualifying guide).

Contribution limits: For 'all other offices', which includes county commission, school board, mayor and city council, the Commission's inflation-adjusted limits are $3,300 per contributor for the primary, $3,300 for the general, and $1,800 for each runoff (O.C.G.A. 21-5-41, adjusted March 27, 2023; statewide offices are $8,400 and $4,800). A nonpartisan city election with a runoff therefore allows $3,300 plus $1,800 from one donor. The Commission re-adjusts the limits for inflation under 21-5-41(k), so check its contribution limits page before your 2027 cycle.

Reporting: The Commission's 2026 schedule, which SB 199 applied to all filers, has four periods: January 1 to 31 (due January 31), February 1 to April 30 (due April 30), May 1 to July 31 (due July 31), and August 1 to October 20 (due October 20), each with a five-business-day grace period, plus a June 10 report for primary runoff participants. For 2027 municipal candidates the first report to the state is due January 31, 2027; the Commission will post the 2027 dates.

Register for both a campaign account and a PFDS account in PeachFile using the same email address so the Commission can link them (Local Filer FAQ).

Limits and thresholds change. Treat the figures here as a starting point and confirm the current schedule with Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission before you accept a check. Our campaign finance basics guide covers the bookkeeping every local candidate needs on day one.

How voting works in Georgia

In person, with no-excuse mail voting. Georgia voters may vote absentee by mail without an excuse, vote in person during a three-week advance voting period at any advance voting site in their county, or vote at their assigned precinct on election day. Photo ID is required in person, and an ID number or copy is required on absentee applications and ballots.

Early voting: Advance voting begins the fourth Monday before a primary or election and ends the Friday before election day, Monday through Friday plus the second and third Saturdays before the election (some counties add Sundays), typically 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays (georgia.gov). Runoffs get a shorter period. You may vote at any advance voting location in your county; Fulton County's advance voting for the November 3, 2026 election runs October 13 to 30.
Mail ballots: No excuse required. Apply online through the Secretary of State's absentee portal, or by email, mail, fax or in person, between 78 and 11 days before election day; you need a driver's license or state ID number or a copy of acceptable ID with the application, and the county registrar must receive the voted ballot before the polls close on election day (georgia.gov).
Registration deadline: 29 days before the election (O.C.G.A. 21-2-224, per NCSL; Fulton County lists October 5, 2026 for the November 3, 2026 election). Register online through the Secretary of State or by mail.
Same-day registration: No

Knowing who has already voted: The Secretary of State's Voter Absentee Files portal: choose the election year, election name and county to download the absentee voter file that feeds the Election Data Hub's absentee and advance voting turnout dashboards. County election sites such as Columbus-Muscogee's send campaigns to the Election Data Hub for 'current absentee ballot and advance voting data', and Macon-Bibb posts its own advance voting daily reports. Download the file each morning during advance voting, match it to your list, and remove voters who have already cast a ballot. Confirm with your county board that your city's election is included, since it is the county that reports the data.

Local government in Georgia: what you can run for

Counties are the basic unit of Georgia local government: the 2022 Census of Governments counts 152 county governments (the rest are consolidated with their principal city, as in Columbus-Muscogee and Macon-Bibb), 537 municipal governments, 510 special districts and 180 independent school districts (county systems plus a set of independent city systems). Counties are governed by elected boards of commissioners or, in a few, a sole commissioner; cities by a mayor and council under a charter granted by the General Assembly; school systems by elected boards. There are no townships. Consolidated governments elect on the county (even-year) cycle.

City council member
Mayor
County commissioner
County board of education member
Sheriff
Probate judge
Clerk of superior court
Tax commissioner
Coroner

When local elections happen: County offices and county school boards: qualifying in early March, the general primary in May (May 19, 2026), and the general election on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even years, with a runoff four weeks later where no one wins a majority (Fulton County lists a December 1, 2026 runoff for its November 3, 2026 election). Municipal offices: November of odd-numbered years (November 2, 2027), with qualifying in late August. Consolidated city-counties such as Columbus and Macon-Bibb vote on the even-year county cycle.

Running your Georgia campaign on Culper

Culper does not license voter data in Georgia today. You upload the Georgia voter file described above as a CSV, and every feature runs on it: search and lists, plain-English queries, texting and email, block walking, and volunteer coordination. Online donation processing is in development; ask about timing on the onboarding call. Your file stays in your campaign's workspace and is never shared with another campaign.

Set up your Georgia campaign in an afternoon

Upload the voter file, ask for your first list in plain English, and hand your volunteers the walking app. Signup is open to candidates in every state. Pricing is set after a short call so it matches the size of the race.

Get started Book a demo

Georgia questions we get asked

Where do I buy the Georgia voter file, and can I buy just my city?

From the Georgia Secretary of State, which sells statewide, county, municipal, precinct and district lists as separate products through its ordering page and online store. County election offices such as Fulton's do not sell lists and refer you to the state. Buy the city or council district you are running in rather than the whole state, and confirm the current price and fields on the Secretary of State's page before you order.

Where does a Georgia city council candidate file campaign finance reports in 2027?

With the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission through PeachFile. Senate Bill 199 (2025) brought local filers back to the state: municipal and county candidates filed their last report with the city clerk or county election superintendent on October 20, 2026, and file their first report with the Commission on January 31, 2027. Register in PeachFile (open since July 1, 2026) and enter transactions from November 1, 2026. Your Personal Financial Disclosure Statement is due to the Commission within 15 days of qualifying.

What are the contribution limits for a Georgia county or city race?

$3,300 per contributor for the primary, $3,300 for the general, and $1,800 for each runoff, the Commission's inflation-adjusted figures for all offices other than statewide (O.C.G.A. 21-5-41, adjusted March 27, 2023). A Georgia city council candidate who goes to a runoff can therefore take $5,100 from one donor in that cycle. The Commission adjusts the limits periodically, so check its contribution limits page before your 2027 race.

When is qualifying for Georgia municipal elections in 2027?

Each Georgia city sets its qualifying dates by resolution within the window state law allows under O.C.G.A. 21-2-132, and the dates land in mid-to-late August of the odd year. Kennesaw, for example, qualified candidates August 18 to 20, 2025 for its November 4, 2025 election, with the Cobb County Board of Elections running qualifying at city hall. Ask your city clerk in early summer 2027 for the exact days, hours and fee.

How do I know who has already voted in a Georgia election?

Download the Secretary of State's absentee voter file for your election and county from the Voter Absentee Files portal, which is the same data behind the Election Data Hub's absentee and advance voting dashboards. County sites such as Columbus-Muscogee's point campaigns there for current absentee and advance voting data. Pull it each morning during Georgia's three-week advance voting period and strike voters who have already cast a ballot from your lists.

Are Georgia city elections partisan?

Most Georgia municipal elections are nonpartisan: candidates qualify with the city clerk without party nomination, and the winner is decided by plurality or by a runoff depending on the charter (Kennesaw, for example, elects by plurality). County commissions and county officers are partisan with a May primary, and county school boards are partisan unless a local act makes them nonpartisan (O.C.G.A. 20-2-56, 21-2-139).

What is the qualifying fee for local office in Georgia?

It is set locally under O.C.G.A. 21-2-131. County governing authorities set fees for county offices: DeKalb County's 2026 fees were $2,101.28 for county commissioner, $750 for board of education and $5,912.74 for state court judge. City councils set municipal fees by resolution: Kennesaw charged $360 for a council post in 2025. A Georgia candidate who cannot afford the fee may file a pauper's affidavit at qualifying instead (21-2-132(g), 21-2-153).

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Sources

Facts on this page were checked against the official sources below on September 9, 2026. Rules change between cycles; when a number here and the agency disagree, the agency is right.