Running for Public Office

All persons seeking the public office must complete each of the following forms and file them on time with the appropriate filing officer in order for the candidate's name to be placed on the ballot for the appropriate election.  These forms may be obtained from a county, city, township, or village clerk, or the Wisconsin Elections Commission website at https://elections.wi.gov/forms?tid%5B%5D=3

Ballot Access Checklists:
Local
- Partisan offices & County Board of Supervisors file with the County Clerk, Municipal office file with municipal clerk, school board files with the school district. 

  • Partisan Offices (County Clerk, County Treasurer, Sheriff, Clerk of Circuit Court, Register of Deeds)
  • Non-Partisan Offices (County Supervisor, municipal offices, and school district offices)

State - files with the Wisconsin Election Commission.

  • Partisan Offices (Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, State Senator, Representative to the Assembly, and District Attorney)
  • Non-Partisan Offices (Justice of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals Judge, Circuit Court Judge, and State Superintendent of Public Instruction)

Federal - files with the Wisconsin Elections Commission.

  • Federal Offices (United States Senator, Representative in Congress, President of the United States)

 

LOCAL CANDIDATE FORMS - Candidate for local office must complete the three following forms:
1. Campaign Registration Statement (Form CF-1)

Every person seeking public office must complete this form and return it to the appropriate filing officer as soon as intent to seek elective office is known and before funds are collected or spent.  The campaign registration statement should be filed before circulating nomination papers.

2. Declaration of Candidacy (Form EL-162)

A declaration of candidacy must be properly completed and filed with the filing officer no later than the deadline for filing nomination papers.  Instructions for completing this form are located on the reverse side of the form. Please sign this declaration in the presence of a notary public.   Candidates nominated for local office at a caucus must file this form with their municipal clerk within 5 days of receiving notice of nomination.

3. Nomination Papers

The first day to circulate nomination papers is December 1 for the Spring elections, and April 15 for the August primary election. Please contact the filing officer for the number of signatures required for the office you are seeking.

It is your responsibility to make sure that the papers are circulated and signed only by people qualified to vote for you.  Please make sure that all signers include their proper names, complete addresses, and MUNICIPALITY.  The circulators must complete the bottom portion of the form.

Individual signatures may be disqualified if not properly signed, if the address is missing or not located within the area which you represent, or if the date is missing. See the instructions on the reverse side.

The deadline for filing the above forms is the first Tuesday in January preceding the Spring elections, and June 1 preceding the General Election.


Filing Officers

The filing officer for federal, state, judicial, or district attorney offices is the Wisconsin Elections Commission, 212 East Washington Avenue, 3rd Floor, Madison, Wisconsin 53703.  The filing officer for Dunn County offices is the Dunn County Clerk, 3001 US Highway 12 East, Ste 102B, Menomonie, Wisconsin 54751.  The filing officer for municipal offices is the town, village, or city clerk in the municipality in which you are seeking office.


Nomination by Caucus Method
When nomination papers are not used, there shall be a caucus to nominate candidates.  Please contact your town or village clerk for details.  (See Section 8.05 Wisconsin Statutes.)

 

Notification of Non-Candidacy (Form EL-163)

If you are currently an elected official and do not intend to be a candidate for the office which you are currently holding, please file a Notification of Noncandidacy no later than 5:00 p.m. on the second Friday preceding the latest time prescribed for filing nomination papers. If you do not file this form by the deadline, an extension of time for filing these documents must be allowed for all other candidates.