How to Run for County Office

How to Run for County Office

Step 1: Register your Campaign Committee

A current local Campaign Finance Registration Statement (CF-1) must be filed with the Milwaukee County Election Commission (MCEC) prior to raising or spending any campaign related funds.  The form requires you to:

• Identify the political office for which you are running.

• List the bank information for your campaign finance account. You must open and maintain a separate campaign finance account. You cannot co-mingle personal funds and campaign funds unless you have selected a filing exemption (see instructions for declaring exemption on the CF-1 form). Exemption status does not remove a candidate’s responsibility to track all campaign related contributions and expenditures.

• Provide the name and contact information for your campaign treasurer. You may act as your own campaign treasurer; however, due to the complexity of completing the forms correctly, the Milwaukee County Election Commission encourages you to select someone for this position that has a good familiarity with tracking expenses and revenue.

• Current County Officials who already have a Campaign Finance Registration Statement on file with the filing officer will submit an amended form being sure to list the office sought for the new election cycle, and the applicable election date.

Step 2: Declare Candidacy

All candidates seeking ballot access for election to any county office must properly complete and file a Declaration of Candidacy (EL-162). This form must be on file with the Milwaukee County Election Commission no later than the deadline for filing nomination papers, or the candidate’s name will not appear on the ballot.

This form must be sworn to and signed in the presence of a notary public or other person authorized to administer oaths. The Milwaukee County Election Commission has staff members who are notary publics. A photo ID is required if you need notary services.

Step 3: Circulate Nomination Papers

All candidates seeking ballot access must also circulate nomination papers for signature by eligible electors. Completed nomination papers must be filed with the Milwaukee County Election Commission no later than the filing deadline. Candidates are encouraged to submit nomination papers prior to the filing deadline to allow enough time to remedy potential issues, like a shortage of valid signatures.

Read all instructions related to the distribution of nomination papers to ensure each page of signatures meets the circulating requirements.  All nomination signatures are reviewed by the Milwaukee County Election Commission and may be challenged by interested parties and/or candidates running for office.

As of March 26, Act 126 was signed into law requiring that all nomination paper circulators be residents of the State of Wisconsin for voting purposes.

Only qualified electors of the jurisdiction or district the candidate seeks to represent are eligible to sign the nomination papers.  If an elector’s address is not legible or valid, or the person resides outside of the jurisdictional boundaries of the office sought, the signature will be disqualified. Candidates are encouraged to collect at least 100 signatures more than the minimum requirement. 

Candidates are also encouraged to verify each elector’s address listed on their nomination papers, using the Milwaukee County GIS service or MyVote.wi.gov, prior to submitting the completed form to the Milwaukee County Election Commission. Candidates, it is strongly encouraged that you review your nomination papers for sufficiency prior to submission.

• Nomination Papers – there are two unique forms, and it is important to use the correct version.

  • Nomination Paper for Partisan Office (EL-168) - use April 2026 version; or

  • Nomination Paper for Non-Partisan Office (EL-169)

After the filing officer determines a sufficient number of signatures have been received for ballot access, any additional nomination papers submitted to the Election Commission will be considered “supplemental.”  Elector signatures will only be reviewed and counted if a candidate falls below the minimum threshold to make ballot access (it is possible for this to occur through a challenge process).

Step 4: File a Statement of Economic Interests

Milwaukee County General Ordinance (MCGO), Chapter 9 establishes a Code of Ethics for public officials. It requires candidates for county elected offices to file Statements of Economic Interest (SEI). Failure to comply with this provision may result in disqualification of one’s candidacy.

• New Candidates: File a Statement of Economic Interest no later than 4:30 p.m. the Friday after the deadline to file nomination papers. The SEI will be filed using the MyCounty Customer Portal at https://mycounty.milwaukee.gov/MyServices.  If a paper form is filed, the Election Commission shall provide the Ethics Board with a copy of the filing. Failure to timely file a SEI will prevent the candidate’s name from appearing on the ballot.

• Current County Officials: Candidates for county elected office who are currently appointed or elected county officials are not required to file a Statement of Economic Interest during the ballot access process, as incumbent officials already have SEIs on file with the Milwaukee County Ethics Board.

Step 5: Certification by the Milwaukee County Election Commission

Ballot access documents, including nomination paper signatures will be reviewed as soon as they are received, on a first-come, first-served basis.  Once an executive review of the nomination papers is completed, the number of valid signatures will be posted on the Election Commission’s website. If the number of valid signatures meets the minimum required for the office sought, and all other required ballot access documents have been received (Campaign Finance Registration, Declaration of Candidacy, and Statement of Economics Interests), the candidate’s name will appear on the ballot.  If the candidate does not meet the minimum valid signature requirement, the candidate will be notified. 

If more than two candidates are certified for one office, there will be a primary election for that office. For nonpartisan elections, a random drawing will determine the order candidate names appear on the ballot.

A running list of current candidates will be available on the agency’s web page and will be updated regularly throughout the nomination period. This list will contain each candidate’s name, mailing address, email address, the filing date of each required document, and the number of valid signatures submitted.

Step 6: Submit Regular Campaign Finance Reports

Candidates must account for all contributions and expenditures related to the campaign.  Unless an exemption has been declared (contributions, disbursements, and incurring obligations cannot exceed an aggregated amount of $2,500 in a calendar year), you are required to file Campaign Finance Reports. Exemption status does not remove a candidate’s responsibility to track all campaign related contributions and expenditures.

Candidates and treasurers will receive a courtesy email reminder prior to each filing due date, provided the Milwaukee County Election Commission has a current email address on file. Campaign finance schedules and reporting requirements can be complex, and they require significant attention to detail and an ability to learn and understand reporting instructions. You are encouraged to select a treasurer that is reliable and organized. All reports must be complete, accurate, and meet full public disclosure requirements. The timeliness of reports is also imperative. Late reports may be subject to civil and/or criminal penalties, including financial penalties (https://ethics.wi.gov/Pages/Enforcement/SettlementSchedules.aspx. 

Compliance with filing deadlines is the absolute responsibility of each candidate’s committee.

Location of Forms and Instructions

All forms and instructions can be found on the bottom of this page, or you may obtain a full packet of forms by visiting the Milwaukee County Election Commission at 901 N. 9th Street, Room G10, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53233. For any questions, contact (414) 278-4060.