2027 Special Mayoral Election

How to Run for Mayor in Five Steps

Anyone who meets the qualifications can run for Mayor. Each step links to full details below, and our office is glad to help along the way.

1. Confirm you qualify. You must be a registered Evanston voter who has lived in the city for at least one year, with no disqualifying debts to the City or convictions. See Qualifications to Run for Mayor.
2. Get your forms. You need the nominating petition (Form P-5), and the Statement of Candidacy (Form P-1A), plus a Statement of Economic Interests filed with the Cook County Clerk. All forms are free and linked on this page. See the Filing Checklist.
3. Collect signatures, starting Tuesday, July 28, 2026. You need at least 946 (and no more than 1,513) signatures from registered Evanston voters. Any Evanston voter can sign, and you can circulate your own petitions. See Signature Requirements and Who Can Sign and Circulate.
4. Assemble your packet. Fasten your pages together in book form, number the petition sheets starting with “1,” and put the Statement of Candidacy on top. See the Formatting Requirements.
5. File between Monday, October 19, and Monday, October 26, 2026. Bring or mail your packet to the Office of the City Clerk, Suite 240, Morton City Hall, 909 Davis Street, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Filing at 8:30 AM on the first day makes you eligible for first ballot position. See the Pre-Filing Notice, Filing Order, and Lottery.

Questions at any step? Email elections@cityofevanston.org or call (847) 448-8189. We are here to help, and we believe in ballot access for all.

About the Special Election

Under Illinois law (65 ILCS 5/3.1-10-50(f), as amended in 2024), a special election is held to fill a mayoral vacancy when two conditions are both met:

1. At least 28 months remain in the unexpired mayoral term; and
2. The vacancy occurs before the period to file petitions for the next general municipal election opens.

Both conditions are met. A vacancy in the office of Mayor will occur effective October 18, 2026, at 11:59 PM, pursuant to a notarized resignation submitted to the City Clerk on July 21, 2026, before the candidate filing period opens on October 19, 2026, and with more than 28 months remaining in the term. The special mayoral race will appear on the ballot for the April 6, 2027, Consolidated Election, with a Consolidated Primary on February 23, 2027, only if more than two candidates file. The successful candidate serves the remainder of the current term, through May 2029.

Candidates file under the same Illinois Election Code rules used for regular city offices, on a vacancy-driven schedule calculated under 10 ILCS 5/10-6(4) for nonpartisan municipal offices.

Key Dates at a Glance

Pre-Filing Notice

NOTICE is hereby given that the Office of the City Clerk, Local Election Official, will be open from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday, beginning October 19, 2026, through October 26, 2026, for the purpose of accepting candidate petitions or certificates for the 2027 Special Mayoral Election. If a primary election is necessary, it will be held on February 23, 2027, and the general election will be held on April 6, 2027, for the following office:

• Mayor (unexpired term through May 2029)

Filing Address

Petitions may be filed in person or by mail:

For questions, please email elections@cityofevanston.org or call (847) 448-8189. We are here to help, and we believe in ballot access.

Qualifications to Run for Mayor

Qualified Elector (65 ILCS 5/3.1-10-5(a))

Must be a qualified elector of the City of Evanston and registered to vote at an Evanston address.

One-Year Residency (65 ILCS 5/3.1-10-5(a), (d))

Must have resided in the City of Evanston for at least one year preceding the April 6, 2027 election. Active-duty military service preserves residency.

Not in Arrears or Convicted (65 ILCS 5/3.1-10-5(b))

Cannot owe a tax or other debt to the City. Cannot have been convicted of an infamous crime, bribery, perjury, or other felony.

Public Act 103-562 (730 ILCS 5/5-5-5)

A person convicted of a felony, bribery, perjury, or other infamous crime committed on or after November 17, 2023, while serving as a public official in Illinois is ineligible to hold any local public office unless the conviction is reversed or rights are otherwise restored.

Filing for Office: Nomination Papers Checklist

Include a Certificate of Deletions with petitions, numbered consecutively starting with the number “1” (if applicable).

Filing by mail: nomination papers sent by U.S. Postal Service mail and received after midnight of the first day of filing, in the first mail delivery of that day, are deemed filed as of the office’s opening hour. Petitions sent through other delivery services are not considered “mail” for lottery purposes, and petitions received before the first day or after the last day of filing cannot be accepted and will be returned (10 ILCS 5/7-12(6), 5/10-6.2).

Nominating Petitions, Nonpartisan (SBE Form P-5, for primary, as applicable)

Notarized signature pages with at least 946 valid City of Evanston registered-voter signatures (no more than 1,513). See Signature Requirements below.

Statement of Candidacy, Nonpartisan (SBE Form P-1A)

Sworn, notarized statement of the candidate’s name, address, and the office sought; the name and information must match the petition exactly. Attach at the beginning of the packet.

Loyalty Oath, Optional, All Candidates (SBE Form P-1C)

Affirms the candidate is not affiliated with any organization seeking to overthrow the U.S. or Illinois government.

Statement of Economic Interests, Receipt Required (5 ILCS 420/4A-106)

Filed with the Cook County Clerk; the receipt is then filed with the City Clerk’s Office along with your nomination papers. The receipt may be filed separately from the petitions, but no later than the close of business on the last day of filing; filing the receipt later does not change the date and time your petition was filed.

Skokie location: 5600 Old Orchard Rd #149, Skokie, IL 60077
Downtown Chicago location: 69 W. Washington St., Suite 500, Chicago, IL 60602

Fair Campaign Practices Act Pledge, Voluntary

Optional pledge filed directly with the Illinois State Board of Elections.

NOTE: This checklist is not binding and should not be construed as sufficient argument in response to any objection or legal argument. If you have further questions, you may contact the division of Election Operations at the State Board of Elections or your legal counsel.

Objections to Nominating Papers

Nomination papers are deemed valid unless objections are filed in writing, with an original and two copies, within five business days after the last day for filing nomination papers; for this filing period, no later than Monday, November 2, 2026. Objections are filed with the same office where the candidate filed and must include, at minimum, the name(s) and address(es) of the objector(s). Objections are heard by the proper electoral board designated in the Election Code, and electoral board decisions are subject to judicial review (10 ILCS 5/10-8 through 5/10-10.1).

Signature Requirements

The rule: not less than 5% nor more than 8% (or 50 more than the minimum, whichever is greater) of the persons who voted at the last regular election in the political subdivision (10 ILCS 5/10-3, 5/10-3.1). For Mayor, the political subdivision is the City of Evanston as a whole.

The minimum is the number of valid signatures required to qualify for the ballot; the maximum is the cap set by statute.

Who Can Sign and Who Can Circulate

Petition Signers (10 ILCS 5/3-1.2, 5/7-10, 5/10-2, 5/10-3, 5/10-4)

Every signer must:

• Sign their own signature; no one may sign for a spouse, family member, or anyone else in the household.
• Be a registered voter in the City of Evanston. For Mayor, every Evanston voter is eligible; signers do not need to live in the same neighborhood, ward, or precinct as one another.
• Provide a residence address: street address, city, county, and state.

Petition Circulators (10 ILCS 5/7-10, 5/10-4)

A petition circulator must:

• Be 18 years of age, or turn 18 by the date of the April 6, 2027, election.
• Be a U.S. citizen. The circulator does not need to live in Evanston.
• Personally witness every signature and sign the circulator’s statement on each petition page. No one else may be considered the circulator of that page.

TIP: Blank nomination petitions may be reproduced before circulation, but signatures of signers, the circulator, and the notary public must be original.

Filing Order and Lottery

Ballot placement is determined by the order in which petitions are filed. If two or more petitions for Mayor are filed simultaneously at the opening of the filing period (October 19, 2026, 8:30 AM) or in the last hour of filing (October 26, 2026, 4:00 to 5:00 PM), ballot placement will be determined by lottery. The City Clerk will conduct the lottery using a method approved by the State Board of Elections.

Filing Opening Hour

• All people with petitions in line at the time of opening, 8:30 AM on October 19, 2026, are deemed filed during the opening hour and are eligible for first ballot placement.
• All petitions filed by mail that are received after midnight on the first day of filing and in the first mail delivery are deemed filed within the opening hour and are eligible for first ballot placement.
• If two or more petitions are received simultaneously, a lottery shall be held to determine ballot order.

Filing Closing Hour

• Regardless of the office’s regular closing hours, the Clerk’s Office must stay open until 5:00 PM on the last day of filing, October 26, 2026 (10 ILCS 5/1-4(a)).
• Two or more petitions filed within the last hour (4:00 to 5:00 PM) for the same office are deemed filed simultaneously and are eligible for final ballot placement.
• If two or more petitions are received simultaneously, a lottery shall be held to determine ballot order.

Lottery Rules

Lotteries must be conducted:

• Within 9 days of the last day to file petitions;
• With 7 days’ written notice of the time and place of the lottery;
• In a manner open to the public.

A lottery is necessary only if more than one candidate for a given position filed simultaneously. If a lottery is required, the date, time, and location will be posted on this page and noticed to affected candidates.

Approved lottery procedures for simultaneous filings can be found in the State Board of Elections Rules and Regulations, 26 Ill. Admin. Code 100.10, et seq.

Approved Lottery Method

• The names of all candidates who filed simultaneously for the same office are listed alphabetically by last name and numbered consecutively, with the number 1 assigned to the candidate listed first alphabetically.
• All ties are broken by a single drawing.
• A number representing each candidate’s alphabetical position is placed in a container.
• Numbers are shaken and mixed in the container, then drawn one at a time.
• The candidate in the position on the alphabetical list corresponding to the first number drawn is certified first, the second candidate certified second, and so on.

Will There Be a Primary?

In Evanston, candidates always file on the primary track, regardless of whether a primary is actually held. Evanston operates under the council-manager form of government (Illinois Municipal Code Article 5), and the City Council adopted the nonpartisan primary system for the election of municipal officers. Candidate filing dates are therefore tied to the Consolidated Primary under 10 ILCS 5/10-6(4), even when no primary is ultimately held.

Under Evanston’s November 3, 1992 referendum (Resolution 69-R-92), a mayoral primary is held only if more than two candidates file:

• 1 or 2 candidates file: no primary; the race goes straight to the April 6, 2027 general election, and no further petitions are required.
• 3 or more candidates file: a primary is held on February 23, 2027, and the top two candidates advance to April 6, 2027.

Write-In Candidates

Write-in candidates follow a different filing path, and a different election authority.

Where to file

Write-in declarations (Declaration of Intent to be a Write-In Candidate, SBE Form P-1F) are filed with the election authority; for Evanston offices, that is the Cook County Clerk, not the Evanston City Clerk and not the State Board of Elections. Forms are supplied by the election authority and must be notarized.

Deadlines

For the April 6, 2027 Consolidated Election: the Declaration of Intent must be filed no later than Thursday, February 4, 2027 (61 days before the election).
For the February 23, 2027 Consolidated Primary (if held): the Declaration of Intent must be filed with the proper election authority no later than Thursday, December 24, 2026. A write-in declaration does not trigger a primary; under Evanston’s November 3, 1992 referendum, whether a mayoral primary is held is determined solely by the number of candidates who file nomination papers.

Key Rules (10 ILCS 5/17-16.1, 5/18-9.1, 5/7-59(b), 5/7-60, 5/10-10)

• Only declared write-ins are counted. Write-in votes for any person who has not filed a notarized Declaration of Intent will not be tabulated. Write-in lines print on the ballot only when at least one declaration is on file.
• Late-filing exception: if an objection to nominating papers is sustained after the 61st day before the election, that candidate may file a Declaration of Intent up to 7 days before the election (10 ILCS 5/10-10).
• Primary losers cannot run as write-ins. A candidate defeated for nomination at a nonpartisan primary is ineligible to file a Declaration of Intent for that same general/consolidated election cycle.
• If a write-in wins: within 10 days of canvass, file the Statement of Candidacy, SOEI receipt, and (optional) Loyalty Oath with the certifying authority (10 ILCS 5/7-60).

Campaign Disclosures and Small Donor Democracy

Campaign Disclosures (Illinois State Board of Elections)

• Disclosure threshold: candidates, groups, or individuals who raise or spend more than $5,000 in any 12-month period in support of or opposition to a candidate or public question generally must register a political committee and file disclosure reports with the State Board of Elections (10 ILCS 5/9-3).
• Individual donor limit: $7,800 per donor, per candidate, per election cycle. This cap is adjusted for inflation by ISBE; verify the current limit before publishing campaign materials.
• Where to file: disclosure reports are filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections, not the City Clerk. The Campaign Disclosures Guide is available at elections.il.gov.

Strongly recommended: consult an elections attorney before filing or making large transactions. Disclosure rules and dollar limits change, and the City Clerk’s Office cannot give legal advice.

Small Donor Democracy Matching System, Mayoral Race Only (City Code § 1-13-5)

Mayoral candidates may opt in to the Matching Funds Program. Participation is voluntary. Eligibility, qualifying-contribution thresholds, matching ratios, and spending limits are set by ordinance and may be revised by Council before the 2027 cycle; confirm the current text on Municode and with the Clerk’s Office before relying on this summary.

Participating candidates must also meet debate requirements (§ 1-13-5-14):

• Take part in at least two debates or public forums;
• Each forum or debate must be held at least two days before the election and last at least 50 minutes;
• Run by a nonpartisan, non-endorsing organization under reasonable rules adopted by that organization;
• Rules must be finalized in consultation with the Evanston City Clerk, with a copy submitted to the Clerk’s Office.

Questions?

Start here, and consult an elections attorney for legal advice.

Evanston City Clerk, Local Election Official

State, County, and IML Resources

• Illinois State Board of Elections: elections.il.gov, for SBE forms and campaign disclosure filings
  • 2027 Candidate’s Guide
  • 2027 Abbreviated Election Calendar
  • Running for Office, the ISBE candidate resource page
• Cook County Clerk’s Office: cookcountyclerkil.gov, for Statements of Economic Interests, write-in declarations, and voter rolls
• Illinois Municipal League: iml.org, for special election guidance