Candidate Filing Information

Determine Position and Requirements
Determine which position you are interested in and its filing requirements; then obtain the necessary documents from your local or county clerk, or the State Bureau of Elections.
  • All candidates must complete an Affidavit of Identity
  • Candidates for any office may submit an appropriate petition with the correct number of signatures to appear on the ballot. See How to Obtain a Nominating Signature Petition for specific information. Note that Precinct delegates are not required to submit petitions - only a Precinct Delegate Affidavit of Identity.
Candidates for certain positions may file a $100 filing fee in lieu of petitions. See the Michigan Bureau of Elections website for Information on where to file and the Nominating Signature Petition for information on which positions qualify for this position.

File with Official
File the Candidate Affidavit of Identity along with your petitions or fee with the appropriate filing official by the filing deadline.
  • The following candidates for City/Township Offices file at the appropriate City/Township Clerk:
    • Mayor
    • Supervisor
    • Treasurer
    • Clerk
    • Council
    • Trustees
    • Constables
    • Park Commissioners
    • Township Library Trustees
  • The following candidates for Village Offices file with the appropriate Village Clerk:
    • President
    • Clerk
    • Treasurer
    • Trustee
  • The following candidates file with the County Clerk:
    • County Offices
      • Clerk
      • Treasurer
      • Register of Deeds
      • Sheriff
      • Surveyor
      • Prosecuting Attorney
      • Drain Commissioner
    • County Commissioners
    • School Board members
    • Precinct Delegate
  • Deadlines for each election can be found at the Michigan Bureau of Elections website or by contacting your local or county clerk. NOTE: filing in advance of the deadline can be advantageous as it allows time for the filing official to contact you should you not have the minimum number of valid signatures on your petitions. Additional filings may then be made until the filing deadline.
PRECINCT DELEGATE FILINGS (August 2024 Primary) - Deadline: May 7, 2024 at 4:00 p.m.

CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS: Michigan election law stipulates that a precinct delegate candidate must be “a qualified and registered elector residing within, as well as having his or her actual bona fide residence within, the election precinct for which he or she desires to become a candidate on the filing deadline.” The precinct delegate filing deadline elapses at 4:00 p.m. on the thirteenth Tuesday preceding the primary. With respect to the age qualification, this means that a precinct delegate candidate must be at least 18 years of age by the filing deadline.

  • A precinct delegate candidate may hold or seek any other public office in Michigan. Consequently, a precinct delegate candidate may appear as a candidate for another office on the August primary ballot.
  • While a precinct delegate candidate may not serve as an election inspector in the precinct in which he or she resides, a precinct delegate candidate may serve as an election inspector in any other precinct in the county. (MCL 168.677)

CREATION OF PRECINCT DELEGATE POSITIONS: The county chairperson of each political party qualified to participate in the statewide August primary certifies to the county election commission on or before April 1st of an even year, the number of precinct delegate positions to appear under the party’s column heading in each precinct in the county. Michigan election law provides that the allotment ELECTION OFFICIALS’ MANUAL Michigan Bureau of Elections Chapter 5, Updated February 2019 Chapter 5, Page 2 of 5 of delegates to all precincts in the state “shall be made to insure, as near as is practicable, equal apportionment based upon the total vote cast for the candidate of each political party for either president of the United States or secretary of state at the last general November election when elections for those offices were held, whichever is later. However, each precinct shall have at least 1 delegate.” (MCL 168.623a)

  • The Republican Party and the Democratic Party are qualified to appear on the August primary ballot.
  • If the county chairperson of a political party qualified to participate in the August primary fails to meet the April 1 certification deadline, the county election commission is required to determine the number of precinct delegate positions to appear under the party’s column heading in each precinct in the county.

FILING REQUIREMENTS: A person who wishes to seek a precinct delegate position must file an Affidavit of Identity (in duplicate) with the clerk of his or her county of residence. Petition signatures are not required. To facilitate the precinct delegate candidate filing process, an Affidavit of Identity designed exclusively for use by precinct delegate candidates has been developed by the Department of State’s Bureau of Elections. The form is available through commercial vendors and a copy of the form is provided in Appendix I and at mi.gov/elections. A candidate for precinct delegate may also use the standard Precinct Delegate Affidavit of Identity form if desired.

  • The deadline for filing an Affidavit of Identity for a precinct delegate position is 4:00 p.m. on the thirteenth Tuesday preceding the primary. (MCL 168.624)
  • The deadline for withdrawing a precinct delegate filing is 4:00 p.m. on the third day following the filing deadline. The withdrawal must be in writing and must be filed with the county clerk; Michigan election law does not make any allowances for filing such withdrawals with the city or township clerk. (MCL 168.624a)
  • Precinct delegate candidates are not required to file disclosure forms under Michigan’s Campaign Finance Act. Consequently, precinct delegate candidates are not required to file the “campaign finance compliance statement” required under MCL 168.558(4).
CAMPAIGN FINANCE FILINGS
File campaign finance materials with the County Clerk.
For campaign finance purposes, you officially become a candidate if you:
  • File a Candidate Affidavit of Identity, fee or petition.
  • Spent or receive any funds to further your information or election to office or give someone else permission to do so on your behalf.
  • Are nominated at a party convention or convention.
  • Once you have become a candidate, you have 10 calendar days to form a Candidate Committee. An ADDITIONAL 10 calendar days are allowed to file this information with your campaign finance filing official.
  • See the Candidate Filing Locations chart to determine your campaign finance filing official and if you need to file a Statement of Organization. NOTE: It may NOT be the same filing official with whom you filed your Affidavit of Identity.
  • All candidates must file campaign finance materials and create a Candidate Committee except for the following:
    • Precinct Delegates
    • School board candidates in a school district with a pupil enrollment of less than 2,400 - UNLESS they spend or receive in excess of $1000.


WRITE IN FILINGS
Should you choose to run as a write-in candidate, see Write-In Candidates for more information. The same campaign finance filing requirements apply to write-in candidates as all other candidates.

In order to become a valid write-in candidate, an individual must file a Declaration of Intent with the appropriate filing official by 4:00 p.m. on the second Friday preceding the election.
In order to become a valid write-in Precinct Delegate Candidate, an individual must file a Declaration of Intent with their city or township clerk by 4:00 p.m. on the Friday preceding the election or at their precinct before the close of poll at 8:00 p.m. on election day.