//Run for office · Maryland

How to run for local office in Maryland

Maryland county offices run on the gubernatorial cycle (2026, 2030), Baltimore City rides the presidential ballot (2028), and every candidate files campaign finance reports with the state in MDCRIS, not the county.

Facts checked against official sources · September 9, 2026

Maryland runs elections through the State Board of Elections and 24 local boards (23 counties and Baltimore City). Local candidates file for office at their local board but do their campaign finance filing with the State Board through MDCRIS, and the state's $6,000-per-cycle contribution limit applies to a county council race the same as a race for governor. County offices are elected only in gubernatorial years (Md. Const. Art. XVII), Baltimore City elects its mayor and council in presidential years, and boards of education are nonpartisan. Maryland's 157 municipalities run their own elections on their own charter dates, so a 2027 race in Maryland is almost always a town or city election run by the municipal clerk, not the board of elections.

The voter file is cheap and detailed: $125 statewide or $75 per county from the State Board, with voter ID, party, gender, addresses, districts, and optional voting history, but no date of birth or phone. Voting is no-excuse by mail plus eight days of early voting with same-day registration, and the State Board sells per-election early-voting and mail-in lists, though only on applications received before the 21-day registration deadline.

Election authority: Maryland State Board of Elections
Voter file: Available for political and election purposes · $125 per statewide list; $75 per single county, Baltimore City, district, or municipality list; $15 extra for delivery on a flash drive (FTP is free). Each list type is a separate application and fee (State Board application revised June 30, 2026). Payment in full with the application; data delivered within 10 working days.
Campaign finance: MDCRIS (Maryland Campaign Reporting Information System) (Maryland State Board of Elections, Candidacy and Campaign Finance Division)
How voters vote: In person, with no-excuse mail voting
Registration deadline: Registration closes 21 days before the election, at 5 p.m. for paper applications and 11:59 p.m. for online (Election Law 3-302), and reopens the 11th day after; party changes have the same deadline. After that, same-day registration is available at early voting centers and election-day polling places with a document proving your address.
Local offices: County executive, county council and commissioners, sheriff, state's attorney, clerk, register of wills, and Baltimore City offices are partisan with a closed primary. Boards of education are nonpartisan by statute (Election Law 8-802). Municipal elections are nonpartisan or partisan as the charter provides.

Who runs elections in Maryland

Maryland State Board of Elections The State Board sets the rules, keeps the statewide voter registration file and sells it, runs MDCRIS (the campaign finance system every candidate uses), publishes the election calendar and early-voting and mail-in rules, and takes filings from state and federal candidates. Local candidates file candidacy at the local board of elections but interact with the State Board for the voter list and for every campaign finance report.

Each county and Baltimore City has a local board of elections that registers voters, runs early voting centers and election-day precincts, mails and counts mail-in ballots, and accepts certificates of candidacy from candidates for county and local offices (county executive, county council or commissioners, board of education, sheriff, state's attorney, and the rest). The 157 incorporated municipalities are separate: most conduct their own elections under their charters, with the municipal clerk handling candidates and voters, and the State Board simply posts the results.

Getting the Maryland 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 Maryland it comes from Maryland State Board of Elections.

Access: Available for political and election purposes
Cost: $125 per statewide list; $75 per single county, Baltimore City, district, or municipality list; $15 extra for delivery on a flash drive (FTP is free). Each list type is a separate application and fee (State Board application revised June 30, 2026). Payment in full with the application; data delivered within 10 working days.
Format: Tab-separated text files (no text delimiters); the precinct walking list is a PDF sorted by street with even addresses on the left and odd on the right.
Vote history: Included
Phone numbers: Not included
Updated: Snapshot at the time of the order; no subscription. Applications are not accepted between the 21-day voter registration deadline and election day, so order before the deadline or after the election.

Who can get it: Maryland registered voters. An organization or campaign buys through an individual applicant who is a Maryland voter and signs, under penalty of perjury, that the list will not be used for commercial solicitation or any purpose unrelated to the electoral process (Election Law 3-506, COMAR 33.03.02).

Permitted use: Electoral process only: registering voters, qualifying as a candidate, circulating petitions, campaigning, campaign finance, and similar. No commercial solicitation, no transfer or resale, and no use to investigate voters' behavior in a specific election. Misuse is a misdemeanor (30 days to 6 months, up to $250).

County option: Yes: $75 for a county or district list from the State Board. For a municipality, the State Board suggests asking the local board of elections directly, which may be cheaper.

Registered Voter List fields: voter ID, name, party, gender, residential and mailing address, active or inactive status, state and county registration dates, split and precinct, congressional, legislative, councilmanic, ward, municipal, and commissioner districts, and county. No date of birth and no phone number.
Voting history comes two ways: embedded in the voter list (up to 5 elections, one column each, no method or date) or as a separate file keyed by voter ID with election date, type, party, voting method, date of voting, precinct, and early voting location (up to 10 elections).
Per-election lists are sold at the same price: Early Voting List, Mail-In Applicants List, Permanent Mail-In Applicant List, Provisional List, and Cure List (mail voters who did not sign the oath).

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 Maryland

Candidates for county and local offices file a certificate of candidacy in person, by appointment, at their local board of elections; state and federal candidates file at the State Board. Party candidates need no petition; a candidate not affiliated with a party qualifies by petition. Filing fees are modest and set by statute. Board of education candidates run without party designation. Financial disclosure goes to the county or Baltimore City ethics agency for most local offices.

File with: Local board of elections for county and local offices (including board of education and Baltimore City offices); State Board of Elections for state and federal offices. Submit the candidate information sheet 24 hours before your appointment.
Filing fee: $25 for any public office not listed separately, which covers county council, county commissioner, county executive, sheriff, and board of education; Baltimore City mayor, comptroller, council president, and at-large council $150, district council $50; General Assembly $50 (Election Law 5-401). Pay by check, money order, or credit card; hardship waiver available.
Petition: Party candidates: none. Unaffiliated candidates: the lesser of 10,000 signatures or 1% of registered voters eligible to vote for the office, but never fewer than 250, filed by 5 p.m. on the first Monday in August of the general election year (Election Law 5-703). Each petition page needs a circulator affidavit.
Partisan?: County executive, county council and commissioners, sheriff, state's attorney, clerk, register of wills, and Baltimore City offices are partisan with a closed primary. Boards of education are nonpartisan by statute (Election Law 8-802). Municipal elections are nonpartisan or partisan as the charter provides.

Filing window: Gubernatorial years (county offices): 9 p.m. on the last Tuesday in February of the election year (Election Law 5-303). Other regular elections, including Baltimore City and board of education seats on the presidential cycle: 9 p.m. on the 95th day before the primary; the presidential-year primary is the fourth Tuesday in April (Election Law 8-201). Filing may be done by mail as long as the documents and fee arrive by the deadline.

Key Maryland dates
What	When	Note
Municipal elections held in 2027 (run by the city or town)	Varies	No county or state offices are on a Maryland ballot in 2027. Filing dates, fees, and petition rules come from the municipal charter; the municipal clerk is the filing office.
Filing deadline, 2028 Baltimore City offices and presidential-cycle board of education seats	January 21, 2028	9 p.m., 95th day before the April 25, 2028 primary (Election Law 5-303, 8-201). Computed from statute; confirm on the State Board's 2028 calendar.
Primary election, 2028 (presidential year)	April 25, 2028	Fourth Tuesday in April (Election Law 8-201); the Baltimore City municipal primary is the same day.
Petition deadline, unaffiliated candidates, 2028 general	August 7, 2028	5 p.m., first Monday in August (Election Law 5-703).
General election, 2028	November 7, 2028	Baltimore City mayor, comptroller, and council; board of education seats on the presidential cycle.
Filing deadline, 2030 county offices (next gubernatorial cycle)	February 26, 2030	9 p.m., last Tuesday in February (Election Law 5-303); primary June 25, 2030 (fourth Tuesday in June, Election Law 8-201).

Campaign finance rules in Maryland

State-level campaign finance in Maryland is overseen by Maryland State Board of Elections, Candidacy and Campaign Finance Division through MDCRIS (Maryland Campaign Reporting Information System).

Where local candidates file: Every candidate for county and local office in a state-run election (county executive, council, commissioner, board of education, sheriff, state's attorney, Baltimore City offices) files campaign finance reports with the State Board through MDCRIS; there is no county-level campaign finance office. A candidate who will not raise or spend $1,000 or more cumulatively can file an affidavit in lieu of the detailed report. Candidates in municipal elections run by a city or town follow that municipality's charter; ask the municipal clerk which rules apply.

Contribution limits: $6,000 from one contributor to one campaign finance entity per four-year election cycle, and $24,000 from one contributor to all entities combined (Election Law 13-226). The cycle runs from January 1 after a gubernatorial election through December 31 four years later (Election Law 1-101), so the current cycle is 2023-2026 and the next is 2027-2030, covering the 2028 Baltimore City and 2030 county elections. Candidates in the public financing programs in Montgomery, Howard, Prince George's, Anne Arundel, and Baltimore counties and Baltimore City accept smaller contributions, $150 to $500 depending on the jurisdiction, in exchange for matching funds.

Reporting: The State Board publishes a reporting schedule per election cycle in MDCRIS, with separate schedules for gubernatorial-cycle committees and for Baltimore City and presidential-cycle committees; committees under $1,000 file the affidavit instead.

Limits and thresholds change. Treat the figures here as a starting point and confirm the current schedule with Maryland State Board of Elections, Candidacy and Campaign Finance Division before you accept a check. Our campaign finance basics guide covers the bookkeeping every local candidate needs on day one.

How voting works in Maryland

In person, with no-excuse mail voting. Any registered Maryland voter may vote by mail-in ballot without a reason, vote at any early voting center in the county during the eight-day early voting period, or vote at their precinct on election day. Election day polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Early voting: Eight days, from the second Thursday before the election through the Thursday before, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at county early voting centers (Election Law 10-301.1); October 22 through 29, 2026 for the November 3 general. Eligible unregistered residents can register and vote at an early voting center with proof of address.
Mail ballots: No excuse. Request online, by mail, or by fax; for November 3, 2026 the deadline is October 27 for a mailed ballot and October 30 for a print-at-home ballot. Return by mail postmarked on or before election day, or to a drop box or the local board by 8 p.m. on election day. Voters can join the permanent mail-in list and are dropped after not returning ballots in two consecutive general elections.
Registration deadline: Registration closes 21 days before the election, at 5 p.m. for paper applications and 11:59 p.m. for online (Election Law 3-302), and reopens the 11th day after; party changes have the same deadline. After that, same-day registration is available at early voting centers and election-day polling places with a document proving your address.
Same-day registration: Yes

Knowing who has already voted: The State Board sells per-election lists under the voter data application: the Early Voting List (voter ID, name, early voting location, date voted, party, addresses, ballot style, precinct, gender), the Mail-In Applicants List (everyone who requested a mail-in ballot, with request status; returned ballots appear in voting history), and the Cure List. Each is $125 statewide or $75 per county. The catch is timing: the State Board will not accept a voter data application between the 21-day registration deadline and election day, so file your application before the deadline and ask the board how it will deliver in-progress early voting and mail-in data.

Local government in Maryland: what you can run for

Maryland has 23 counties plus Baltimore City, which functions as a county, and no townships. Eleven counties have charter government with a county council (nine of them also elect a county executive); twelve are governed by boards of county commissioners, six of those under code home rule. Every county and Baltimore City elects county officers such as the sheriff and state's attorney and has one board of education (elected, appointed, or a mix depending on the county). The 157 incorporated municipalities have their own charters, councils, and mayors or commissioners, and most run their own elections.

County executive
County council member
County commissioner
Board of education member
Sheriff
State's attorney
Clerk of the circuit court
Register of wills
Mayor of Baltimore
Baltimore City Council member
Baltimore City comptroller
Municipal mayor / commissioner
Municipal council member / alderman

When local elections happen: County offices: every fourth year with the governor, in November of 2026, 2030, and so on (Md. Const. Art. XVII, sec. 2), with the primary on the fourth Tuesday in June of those years. Baltimore City: primary on the fourth Tuesday in April and general in November of presidential years (2028, 2032) (Election Law 8-201). Boards of education: on the gubernatorial ballot, with some seats also in presidential years. Municipalities: charter dates, often in odd years or in spring; the State Board posted results from 28 municipal elections held between January and June 2026 alone.

Running your Maryland campaign on Culper

Culper does not license voter data in Maryland today. You upload the Maryland 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 Maryland 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

Maryland questions we get asked

Where does a Maryland county council or school board candidate file, and what does it cost?

At your local board of elections (the county board, or the Baltimore City board), by appointment, with the certificate of candidacy and a $25 filing fee for county council, county commissioner, county executive, sheriff, or board of education (Election Law 5-401). Baltimore City mayor, comptroller, council president, and at-large council seats are $150 and district council seats $50. Party candidates need no petition; unaffiliated candidates file a petition with at least 250 signatures (1% of eligible voters, capped at 10,000) by the first Monday in August.

When is the Maryland filing deadline for local office?

In a gubernatorial year (county offices) it is 9 p.m. on the last Tuesday in February: February 24, 2026 has passed, and the next is February 26, 2030. Baltimore City and board of education seats on the presidential cycle use the 95th day before the April primary, which for 2028 works out to 9 p.m. on Friday, January 21, 2028 (Election Law 5-303, 8-201). Maryland's 157 municipalities set their own dates, and most 2027 local elections in Maryland are municipal.

Do Maryland local candidates file campaign finance reports with the county?

No. Every candidate in a state-run Maryland election, including county council and school board candidates, files with the State Board of Elections through MDCRIS. The contribution limit is $6,000 per contributor per four-year cycle (2027-2030 is the next cycle) and $24,000 aggregate (Election Law 13-226). If you will raise and spend under $1,000 total, file the affidavit instead of detailed reports. Municipal candidates follow their town charter.

How much is the Maryland voter file and what is in it?

$125 for the statewide list or $75 for a county, district, or municipality, from the State Board of Elections, delivered by FTP within 10 working days. Fields include voter ID, name, party, gender, residential and mailing addresses, status, registration dates, precinct, and every district, plus optional voting history (5 elections embedded or 10 in a separate file). There is no date of birth and no phone number. You must be a Maryland registered voter and sign the electoral-purpose oath, and Maryland will not process an application filed in the 21 days before an election.

How does early voting and same-day registration work in Maryland?

Early voting runs eight days, from the second Thursday before the election through the Thursday before, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at any early voting center in your county (October 22 through 29, 2026). Registration closes 21 days out, but Maryland allows same-day registration at early voting centers and on election day with a document showing your address. Mail-in ballots are no-excuse and count if postmarked by election day or dropped in a drop box by 8 p.m.

Can a Maryland campaign get a list of who has voted early or by mail?

Yes, as per-election products from the State Board: the Early Voting List and the Mail-In Applicants List, each $125 statewide or $75 per county, under the same voter data application. Returned mail ballots show up in voting history rather than on the applicant list. Because the State Board returns applications received after the 21-day registration deadline, apply before the deadline and confirm with the board how it will deliver early-voting data collected after that date.

When does Baltimore City vote for mayor and council?

In presidential years. Baltimore City holds its municipal primary on the fourth Tuesday in April of a presidential year (April 25, 2028) and its general in November (November 7, 2028) (Election Law 8-201), so a Baltimore City Council candidate files by January 21, 2028. Maryland's other 23 counties elect their county officials with the governor in 2026 and 2030.

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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.