Running for Local Office
Spring 2025
In 2025, all City of Madison Alder positions and the City of Madison Municipal Judge will be on the ballot. For the Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education, seats 3, 4, and 5 will be on the ballot.
As a candidate, you are responsible for familiarizing yourself with election and campaign finance rules. You may get this information from the Wisconsin Statutes or your private attorney. The Wisconsin Elections Commission offers general information about elections. Information from the City Clerk’s Office is not legal advice and does not release you from your responsibility to follow the law.
Important Dates
| December 1, 2024 | First day nomination papers may be circulated. |
|---|---|
| December 27, 2024 | Deadline for incumbents not seeking re-election to file Notice of Non-Candidacy. |
| January 7, 2025 | All papers and forms due in City Clerk’s Office at 5 p.m. |
| January 10, 2025 | Deadline to challenge nomination papers. |
| January 28, 2025 | Absentee ballots mailed to all voters with requests on file. |
| January 29, 2025 | Last day to register to vote online or through the mail prior to the Spring Primary. Voter registration remains available at absentee voting sites through the Friday before Election Day, and at the polls on Election Day. |
| February 18, 2025 | Spring Primary, if needed. |
| March 11, 2025 | Absentee ballots mailed to all voters with requests on file. |
| March 12, 2025 | Last day to register to vote online or through the mail prior to the Spring Election. Voter registration remains available at absentee voting sites through the Friday before Election Day, and at the polls on Election Day. |
| April 1, 2025 | Spring Election. |
Necessary Forms
These forms must be completed and filed by 5:00 pm the first Tuesday in January for the candidate’s name to be placed on the ballot for the Spring Primary and/or the Spring General Election:
- Campaign Registration Statement
- Declaration of Candidacy
- Nomination Papers
- Statement of Interests (required only for City of Madison offices, not for Madison Metropolitan School District offices)
Campaign Registration Statement
File this form with the City Clerk’s Office before announcing your candidacy, or no later than the deadline for filing nomination papers. New candidates must file a campaign registration statement as soon as intent to seek elective office is known and before funds are collected or spent – see State Statute 11.05(2g) and 11.10(1). Continuing candidates must file an amended campaign registration statement indicating the office sought and its primary and election dates. Both the candidate and the campaign treasurer, if a treasurer has been appointed, must sign the campaign registration statement.
Declaration of Candidacy
The declaration of candidacy includes the candidate’s name in the form it is to appear on the official ballot. A candidate may use their full legal name or any combination of first name, middle name, initials, or nickname with last name. No abbreviations or titles are permitted.
Nicknames with an apparent electoral purpose or benefit, such as "Lower Taxes," "None of the Above" or "Lower Spending" are not allowed. A nickname is a substitute for the candidate’s legal name. It is not permissible to add the nickname in quotes or parentheses between the first and last name. For example, John “Jack” Jones is not acceptable, but Jack Jones is acceptable.
Nomination Papers
The first day for circulating nomination papers is December 1, and the deadline for filing nomination papers is 5:00 pm on the first Tuesday in January. This deadline is extended to the first Wednesday in January if the first Tuesday of January is a holiday (§8.10).
Signatures of qualified electors on nomination papers must be obtained between December 1, 2024, and 5:00 pm on January 7, 2025. Pay careful attention to the signatures you obtain on your nomination papers. Electors signing your nomination papers must live within the district in which you are running (you can check the district for an address at the City Assessor's website, or Access Dane). Those signing do not need to be registered to vote, but must be eligible to vote. It is to your advantage to check that the addresses on your nomination papers are from the district you are running to represent. Signatures for addresses outside of that district are invalid and will not be counted.
Signers must give their complete address (house number, street and municipality – no Post Office boxes), and must list the municipality in which they live. Signers must date their signature, including the year. In order for a signature to be valid, state law requires the signer to legibly print their name in a space next to their signature.
Although the person signing the nomination papers must live within the district, the person circulating the nomination papers does not need to live in the district or municipality. Circulators are only required to be U.S. citizens, age 18 or older on the date of circulation, and not otherwise disqualified as an elector by the provisions in State Statute 6.03.
The circulator must certify the nomination papers after obtaining the signatures. Signatures dated after the date listed by the circulator are invalid and will not be counted. Nomination papers must be numbered.
Nomination Paper Signatures Required
| Office | Minimum Valid Signatures Required | Maximum Valid Signatures (to be safe) | Wisconsin State Statute |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Madison Alderperson | 20 | 40 | §8.10(3)(j) |
| City of Madison Municipal Judge | 200 | 400 | §8.10(3)(b) |
| City of Madison Mayor | 200 | 400 | §8.10(3)(j) |
| MMSD Board of Education | 100 | 200 | §8.10(3)(km) |
Clerk's Office Procedures
When you file nomination papers with the Clerk's Office, you will be given a receipt. Your nomination papers will then be checked for validity by someone who is not working at the counter or answering the phone. The Clerk's Office will check nomination papers in the order they are submitted to the office.
After the January 2 deadline, candidates’ names will be drawn by lot for the order of placement on the ballot.
If a potential candidate does not submit an adequate number of valid signatures by 5:00 pm on the day they are due, their name will not appear on the ballot.
Notification of Non-Candidacy
The notification of non-candidacy form notifies the City Clerk’s Office and voters of an incumbent’s intent to not seek re-election to the same office. Incumbent office holders who do not intend to seek re-election to the same office should file this form no later than 5:00 pm on December 27, 2024. If an incumbent not seeking re-election files the notification timely, the nomination paper deadline is unchanged. If the incumbent has a change of mind after filing the notification of non-candidacy, they can run for re-election by filing the appropriate forms by January 7, 2025.
Write-In Candidates
To seek office as a write-in candidate:
- File your campaign registration statement with the City Clerk’s Office as soon as you decide to become a write-in candidate. Write-in votes are counted at the Spring Primary for candidates who file a campaign registration statement by noon on Friday, February 14. Write-in votes are counted at the Spring Election for candidates who file a campaign registration statement by noon on Friday, March 28.
- Educate supporters to write your name on the write-in portion of the ballot, under the proper position.
File your forms with:
City Clerk’s Office
Temporarily located in conference room 153 of the Madison Municipal Building (215 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd)