//Run for office · Michigan

How to run for local office in Michigan

Every Michigan voter can vote absentee from 40 days out and register through election day, and a local candidate's campaign finance reports go to the county clerk, not to Lansing.

Facts checked against official sources · September 9, 2026

Michigan runs elections through its city and township clerks, so a candidate for city council, township trustee, or school board works with a clerk's office that may have two employees. The county clerk accepts your campaign finance filings, canvasses the results, and (for county and multi-jurisdiction offices) takes your petitions. The Bureau of Elections in the Department of State sets the rules, maintains the Qualified Voter File (QVF), and handles only state-level filings.

The calendar is the first thing to learn. Local governments may hold elections in May, August, or November, school boards vote only in November of even years, and county and township offices ride the even-year partisan cycle. In 2027 the ballots are mostly city and village races in communities whose charters use odd years, plus local proposals. Whatever the date, voters get 40 days of no-excuse absentee voting and can register at the clerk's office right up to election day, so your persuasion window starts more than a month out.

Election authority: Michigan Department of State, Bureau of Elections
Voter file: Public record — anyone can obtain it
Campaign finance: MERTS (state-level filers only); local committees file paper statements with the county clerk (Michigan Bureau of Elections, Campaign Finance Disclosure)
How voters vote: In person, with no-excuse mail voting
Registration deadline: 15 days before the election by mail or online (MCL 168.497(1)); from the 14th day through election day, in person at the city or township clerk's office with proof of residency (MCL 168.497(2)).
Local offices: County and township offices are partisan and go through the August primary. School boards are nonpartisan by statute. City and village offices follow the charter; most Michigan cities elect nonpartisan councils.

Who runs elections in Michigan

Michigan Department of State, Bureau of Elections The Bureau of Elections administers the Michigan Election Law and the Michigan Campaign Finance Act, maintains the statewide Qualified Voter File, publishes the Election Officials Manual that clerks follow, and runs MERTS, the campaign finance e-filing system for state-level committees. For a local candidate its role is mostly indirect: you use its forms, manuals, and contribution-limit charts, but your petitions and finance reports go to the appropriate city, township, or county clerk.

Michigan's 83 county clerks, 281 city clerks, and 1,240 township clerks make it one of the most decentralized systems in the country (Election Officials Manual, Chapter 1). City and township clerks register voters, issue and receive absentee ballots, run early voting sites, and staff the polls. County clerks accept campaign finance reports from all local candidates, canvass results with the board of county canvassers, and coordinate school elections for districts that cross city or township lines.

Getting the Michigan 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 Michigan it comes from Michigan Bureau of Elections (Qualified Voter File), and city, township, and county clerks.

Access: Public record — anyone can obtain it
Cost: Confirm with Michigan Bureau of Elections (Qualified Voter File), and city, township, and county clerks
Format: Confirm with Michigan Bureau of Elections (Qualified Voter File), and city, township, and county clerks
Vote history: Not confirmed
Phone numbers: Not included
Updated: Confirm with Michigan Bureau of Elections (Qualified Voter File), and city, township, and county clerks

Who can get it: Anyone. Voter registration records are public documents open to inspection, and copies are released under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act by the Bureau of Elections (statewide) or by the clerk of a city, township, or county (Election Officials Manual, Chapter 2, Section VIII).

Permitted use: The Election Law attaches no use restriction to released registration data; it withholds fields instead. MCL 168.509gg bars release of driver's license and state ID numbers, month and day of birth, telephone numbers, digitized signatures, the record of declining to register, and the records of preregistrants under 17.5.

County option: Yes. A city or township clerk can fulfill a FOIA request for the registration records of that jurisdiction, and a county clerk for the county, with the same MCL 168.509gg redactions; for a single-city council race the city clerk is the practical route. The Bureau of Elections handles statewide extracts from the QVF.

The Department of State does not publish a fee schedule or request form for QVF voter data on its elections site (checked 2026-09-09). Email Elections@Michigan.gov or use the Department's FOIA form, ask for the QVF voter list for your jurisdiction, and ask whether a voting-history file is included and what it costs.
Year of birth may be released; month and day may not (MCL 168.509gg). Expect no phone numbers in any Michigan voter file.

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 Michigan

Michigan has no single local filing deadline. County and township partisan offices, and cities that nominate under the state Election Law, file an Affidavit of Identity with nominating petitions or a filing fee by 4 p.m. on the 15th Tuesday before the August primary (MCL 168.551). School board candidates file a nonpartisan petition with the school district filing official by 4 p.m. on the 15th Tuesday before the November even-year election (MCL 168.303). Cities and villages set their own procedure and deadline by charter (MCL 168.321), which is why odd-year city elections exist at all. Start with the clerk who runs your election and ask for the filing packet.

File with: City clerk for city offices; township clerk for township offices; county clerk for county offices and for districts contained in one county; the school district filing official (the city or township clerk if the district sits in one jurisdiction, otherwise the county clerk) for school boards (Election Officials Manual, Chapter 3).
Filing fee: Confirm with the filing officer
Petition: Signature counts follow the district population tables in the Election Law and the Bureau's 'Petition Signature Requirements by Population' chart on its ballot access page; school board petitions need 6 to 20 signatures in districts under 10,000 people and 40 to 100 in larger districts (MCL 168.303). Some offices allow a filing fee in place of petitions; Chapter 3 of the Election Officials Manual lists which.
Partisan?: County and township offices are partisan and go through the August primary. School boards are nonpartisan by statute. City and village offices follow the charter; most Michigan cities elect nonpartisan councils.

Filing window: 4 p.m. on the 15th Tuesday before the August primary for offices nominated at the primary (MCL 168.551); 4 p.m. on the 15th Tuesday before the election for school board (MCL 168.303); city and village offices per charter (MCL 168.321). A candidate may withdraw until 4 p.m. on the third day after the filing deadline (Election Officials Manual, Chapter 3).

Key Michigan dates
What	When	Note
Filing deadline, offices nominated at the August 3, 2027 primary (charters on the state schedule)	April 20, 2027	4 p.m. on the 15th Tuesday before the primary (MCL 168.551). Applies only to cities and villages whose charter uses the Election Law schedule for an odd-year election.
City and village filing deadlines for charter-set 2027 elections	Varies	Set by each charter (MCL 168.321); ask the city or village clerk. The 2027 regular election dates are May 4, August 3, and November 2 (MCL 168.641).
Absentee ballots available, November 2, 2027 election	September 23, 2027	Ballots are available beginning 40 days before every election (Bureau of Elections absentee voting page).
Voter registration by mail or online, November 2, 2027 election	October 18, 2027	15th day before the election (MCL 168.497); after that, register in person at the clerk's office with proof of residency through election day.
Pre-election campaign statement, November 2, 2027 election	October 22, 2027	Due 11 days before the election; books close October 17, 16 days before (Bureau of Elections filing dates page).
Absentee ballot application deadline by mail or online	October 29, 2027	5 p.m. the Friday before election day; in person at the clerk's office until 4 p.m. Monday, November 1 (Bureau of Elections absentee voting page).
Post-election campaign statement, November 2, 2027 election	December 2, 2027	Due 30 days after the election; books close November 22, 20 days after.
Filing deadline, August 8, 2028 primary (county and township offices)	April 25, 2028	4 p.m. on the 15th Tuesday before the August primary (MCL 168.551).
School board filing deadline, November 7, 2028 election	July 25, 2028	4 p.m. on the 15th Tuesday before the election (MCL 168.303); school boards vote only in November of even years (Election Officials Manual, Chapter 16).

Campaign finance rules in Michigan

State-level campaign finance in Michigan is overseen by Michigan Bureau of Elections, Campaign Finance Disclosure through MERTS (state-level filers only); local committees file paper statements with the county clerk.

Where local candidates file: Candidates for county, city, township, village, public school board, and community college board offices file their Statement of Organization and every campaign statement with the county clerk. If the district crosses county lines, file with the clerk of the county where the greatest number of eligible voters live (MCL 169.236(4); Candidate Committee Manual). Only state and judicial candidate committees file with the Bureau of Elections. Register the committee before you raise or spend; the Statement of Organization form for local candidates is posted on the Bureau's campaign finance page.

Contribution limits: Local office limits depend on the population of the district you seek, per election cycle, as adjusted January 1, 2023 and unchanged for 2025 (Bureau of Elections memo of December 15, 2024; MCL 169.252 and 169.246): $1,225 from an individual or political committee where the district has 85,000 people or fewer; $2,450 for 85,001 to 250,000; $8,325 for more than 250,000. Independent committees and party committees may give ten times those amounts ($12,250, $24,500, $83,250). The Bureau's Local Level Office chart lists which offices in each county fall in which tier. The next CPI adjustment takes effect January 1, 2027.

Reporting: Pre-election statement due 11 days before the election with books closed 16 days before; post-election statement due 30 days after with books closed 20 days after; annual statement each year; 48-hour late contribution reports for large contributions received after the pre-election closing date (Bureau of Elections filing dates page). School board candidates in districts with fewer than 2,400 pupils and other low-activity committees may qualify for a reporting waiver; ask the county clerk.

The election cycle for contribution limits runs from the day after the last general election for the office through the next one, so a limit covers the primary and general together (MCL 169.205(3), per the Bureau's contribution limits page).

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

How voting works in Michigan

In person, with no-excuse mail voting. Michigan voters choose among election-day voting at the precinct, early in-person voting at an early voting site (guaranteed for statewide and federal elections, optional for local-only elections), and no-excuse absentee voting by mail or at the clerk's office. Photo ID is requested at the polls, but a voter without one signs an affidavit and votes a regular ballot.

Early voting: For statewide and federal elections, early voting sites must be open at least 9 consecutive days, from the second Saturday before the election through the Sunday before, at least 8 hours a day (MCL 168.720a). Communities may choose to offer early voting for local elections; ask the clerk whether your 2027 election will have it.
Mail ballots: Any registered voter may apply online, by mail, or at the clerk's office, and can join a permanent absentee list that mails a ballot for every election. Ballots go out beginning 40 days before the election. Mailed or online applications must reach the clerk by 5 p.m. the Friday before; in-person applications at the clerk's office until 4 p.m. the day before. Voters return the ballot by mail, drop box, or at the clerk's office, and since 2024 can feed it into a tabulator at an early voting site or polling place (Bureau of Elections absentee voting page).
Registration deadline: 15 days before the election by mail or online (MCL 168.497(1)); from the 14th day through election day, in person at the city or township clerk's office with proof of residency (MCL 168.497(2)).
Same-day registration: Yes

Knowing who has already voted: The city or township clerk keeps a list of every absentee application with the date the ballot was mailed and the date it came back, and the list is open to public inspection at all reasonable hours (MCL 168.760). Ask the clerk for the absent voter list, ideally as a QVF export, and refresh it daily during the 40-day window; the QVF records each ballot issued and returned. Early-voting poll books are kept per site. The Bureau of Elections does not post voter-level absentee data.

Local government in Michigan: what you can run for

Michigan has 83 counties, 281 cities, and 1,240 townships (general law and charter), plus villages that sit inside townships. Cities and villages operate under home rule charters that set their offices, wards, and election dates. Townships elect a supervisor, clerk, treasurer, and trustees. Public school districts, intermediate school districts, and community college districts each have elected boards; a district that crosses city or township lines is coordinated by the county clerk (Election Officials Manual, Chapters 1 and 16).

City council or commission
Mayor
Village council or trustee
Township supervisor, clerk, treasurer, trustee
School board member
Intermediate school district board
Community college board of trustees
County commissioner
County clerk, treasurer, sheriff, prosecutor, drain commissioner
District library board

When local elections happen: Local elections may be held on the May, August, or November regular election dates (MCL 168.641). School boards must be elected in November of even years. County and township offices are partisan and run on the even-year August primary and November general. Cities and villages follow their charters; several run odd-year November elections, so 2027 ballots are mostly charter cities, villages, and local proposals.

Running your Michigan campaign on Culper

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

Michigan questions we get asked

How do I get the voter list for a Michigan city council or school board race?

Request it from the Qualified Voter File. Your city or township clerk can export the registration records for your jurisdiction, or the Bureau of Elections can pull a statewide or multi-jurisdiction file; both release it under the Freedom of Information Act with driver's license numbers, month and day of birth, phone numbers, and signatures removed (MCL 168.509gg). The Department of State does not post a price list online, so email Elections@Michigan.gov or the clerk for the current fee and ask whether voting history is included.

When do I file to run for local office in Michigan in 2027?

It depends on your charter. Michigan cities and villages set their own nomination procedure and deadline (MCL 168.321); if yours uses the state schedule for an August 3, 2027 primary, the deadline is 4 p.m. on April 20, 2027, the 15th Tuesday before (MCL 168.551). School boards in Michigan vote only in November of even years, with petitions due 4 p.m. on the 15th Tuesday before, which is July 25, 2028 for the next regular election. County and township offices file for the August 8, 2028 primary by April 25, 2028.

What are the contribution limits for a Michigan local candidate?

Per election cycle, an individual may give $1,225 to a candidate whose district has 85,000 people or fewer, $2,450 for a district of 85,001 to 250,000, and $8,325 above 250,000 (amounts adjusted January 1, 2023 and unchanged for 2025; MCL 169.252 and 169.246). Independent and party committees may give ten times those figures. A Michigan city council seat in a small city is in the lowest tier; a Detroit or large county-wide office is in the top tier. The Bureau of Elections publishes a county-by-county chart.

Where does a Michigan township or city candidate file campaign finance reports?

With the county clerk, not the Bureau of Elections. All county, city, township, village, school board, and community college board committees register and report with the clerk of the county where the district is (or the county with the most eligible voters if it crosses lines) under MCL 169.236 and the Bureau's Candidate Committee Manual. Pre-election statements are due 11 days before the election and post-election statements 30 days after. Only state and judicial candidates use MERTS.

How can a Michigan campaign tell who has already voted absentee?

Ask the city or township clerk for the absent voter list. State law requires the clerk to record every absentee application, the date the ballot was sent, and the date it was received, and to keep that list open to public inspection at all reasonable hours (MCL 168.760). Most clerks can export it from the Qualified Voter File. Because absentee ballots go out 40 days before every Michigan election, pull the list daily and suppress voted households from mail and door programs.

Can Michigan voters register on election day?

Yes. Voters can register by mail or online until the 15th day before the election, and after that in person at their city or township clerk's office, including on election day, with proof of residency (MCL 168.497). Michigan also lets voters cast a ballot at an early voting site for at least 9 days before statewide and federal elections. So a Michigan local campaign should keep registering supporters right up to the day of the election and route them to the clerk's office.

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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.