Michigan, Iowa, Virginia and New Jersey petitions
How Many Signatures Do You Need to Run for Office in Michigan?
For a Michigan city office in 2027, start with your city charter. If the charter sets a signature number for your office, that number controls. If it does not, state law uses a chart based on the population of the district, according to the most recent federal census. Under that chart, a nonpartisan city candidate needs at least 6 valid signatures in a city of fewer than 10,000 people, 40 in a city of 10,000 to 24,999, 100 in a city of 25,000 to 49,999, and more in larger cities. A party candidate in a city with partisan elections needs half as many.
Michigan also sets a maximum for every office. A nonpartisan candidate in a city of 10,000 to 24,999, for example, may file no more than 100 signatures. Your goal is a number comfortably above the minimum and within the maximum. Confirm both numbers with your city clerk before you start. For the rest of petition season, including the 2027 deadlines, the petition sheet and signature challenges, see our guide to Michigan nominating petitions.
The state chart for city offices
These numbers come from MCL 168.544f. The Bureau of Elections' signature chart says they apply to "city offices (unless otherwise set by charter)."
| Population of the district | Nonpartisan (min to max) | Partisan (min to max) | Qualifying (min to max) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 9,999 | 6 to 20 | 3 to 10 | 9 to 30 |
| 10,000 to 24,999 | 40 to 100 | 20 to 50 | 60 to 150 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 100 to 200 | 50 to 100 | 150 to 300 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 200 to 400 | 100 to 200 | 300 to 600 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 400 to 800 | 200 to 400 | 600 to 1,200 |
| 100,000 to 199,999 | 600 to 1,000 | 300 to 500 | 900 to 1,500 |
| 200,000 to 499,999 | 1,000 to 2,000 | 500 to 1,000 | 1,500 to 3,000 |
| 500,000 to 999,999 | 2,000 to 4,000 | 1,000 to 2,000 | 3,000 to 6,000 |
Which column applies. Your charter decides whether city elections are partisan or nonpartisan (MCL 117.3). In a nonpartisan city, every candidate uses the nonpartisan column. In a partisan city, a party candidate uses the partisan column, and a candidate with no party files a qualifying petition.
Which population applies. The chart is based on "the population of the district involved." For mayor or an at-large council seat, that is the whole city. For a ward seat, ask your clerk which population figure applies to your ward.
Charter numbers come first
The Bureau of Elections notes that "certain city and village offices may have different signature requirements for nominating petitions if signature requirements are set in the city or village charter." State law uses the chart only where no law or charter sets a nonpartisan petition requirement (MCL 168.644f).
Two city clerk pages from the 2025 election show how charters can differ:
| City (2025 example) | Office | Signatures |
|---|---|---|
| Holland | Mayor and at-large council | "not less than 60 signatures of qualified electors with at least 10 from each of the six wards" |
| Holland | Ward council | "not less than 20 and not more than 40 qualified electors from the respective ward" |
| Grosse Pointe Farms | Mayor and council | "no less than 50 valid signatures and no more than 70 valid signatures" |
Under Holland's 2025 rule for citywide offices, a petition with 60 signatures would still fall short if any ward had fewer than 10. These are 2025 examples only. Ask your own clerk for the numbers that apply to your office in 2027, and ask whether your charter has any rule about where signatures must come from.
The maximum, and adding signatures before the deadline
Michigan's maximum is firm. The Bureau of Elections says that "in total, the candidate may only submit up to the maximum number of signatures that may be submitted for that office."
If you are short before the deadline, you may make supplemental filings, as long as the total stays within the maximum; none are accepted after the deadline. The Bureau of Elections notes that the clerk "has no obligation to complete the review of any candidate's nominating petition prior to the filing deadline," so do not count on an early review to catch a problem.
Whose signatures count
A signature counts only if the signer could legally sign your petition and the line is complete:
- Registered in the right place on the date of signing. The signer must be registered in your city, and in your ward or district if the seat has one, on the day they sign.
- On a sheet for their city and county. Each sheet names one city or township, and every signer on it must be registered there (MCL 168.544c). If your city crosses a county line, each signer must use a sheet that lists their own county.
- Complete. A signature with no street address or rural route, or no date of signing, is invalid (MCL 168.544c). A post office box is not a valid address. A missing printed name or ZIP code does not invalidate the line.
- Dated before the certificate. A signature dated after the circulator signed the certificate at the bottom of the sheet is invalid.
- One signature per seat. A voter may not sign more petitions for the same office than there are people to be elected (MCL 168.544c). A voter who signs for too many candidates, or signs twice, is marked as a duplicate.
- Their own signature. The clerk compares each signature with the one on the voter's registration record and rejects it only if it differs "in significant and obvious respects." Initials and titles are acceptable, and an address that differs from the registration record still counts if it is inside the city.
Our post on filling out and circulating a Michigan nominating petition covers each line of the sheet and what circulators need to know.
For reference: offices elected in even years
School board and township offices are not on the 2027 ballot, but for planning ahead: school board and library board candidates need 6 to 20 signatures in a district of fewer than 10,000 people and 40 to 100 in a larger one, or may pay a $100 nonrefundable fee instead. Township candidates use the state chart, and the Bureau of Elections lists a $100 fee option for Democratic and Republican township candidates. Confirm the details with your county clerk before your filing season.
Choosing a target between the minimum and the maximum
The law sets the floor and the ceiling, and your target belongs between them. A first-time candidate collecting with new volunteers has more reason to aim high than a candidate whose sheets were all gathered by one careful circulator.
As an example only, a nonpartisan candidate in a city of 10,000 to 24,999 (minimum 40, maximum 100) might aim for 60 to 75 signatures. That leaves room for more than a dozen rejected lines while staying well within the maximum. Our general guide on how many signatures to collect above the minimum explains how to weigh the risk; it uses Illinois examples, so apply your Michigan maximum in place of the ranges it mentions.
Turning your target into doors
To turn a signature target into doors, you need two rates from your own city: the share of doors where someone answers, and the share of those people who sign.
As an illustration only, suppose your target is 70. If someone answers at about one door in three, and about half of them sign, each signature takes about six doors, or roughly 420 doors in all. At 25 doors an hour, that is about 17 circulator hours. Your rates will differ, so measure them over your first few sessions and adjust.
The doors where nobody answered are where many of your extra signatures will come from, so a clear record of which doors were visited, and which need a second try, matters as much as the walk itself. Beacon is built for this part of the job. Draw each circulator's turf on the map inside your city or ward, keep each turf inside one county, and assign it. Add your contacts, and each downloaded walk list puts its stops in walking order by distance. Beacon routes circulators door to door and records which doors were visited and the result: contacted, not home, come back later and the other door codes. Circulators can note "signed" or "not signed" in each door result's Notes field. The signed sheet stays the legal record of every signature, and Beacon keeps the record of the doors, with unlimited canvassers on every plan.
The 2027 deadlines
All three dates are computed from state law. Confirm yours with your city clerk.
| Your city | Filing deadline |
|---|---|
| Nominates at the August 3 primary | 4 p.m., Tuesday, April 20, 2027 (MCL 168.644f) |
| Nominates by petition straight to the November 2 election | 4 p.m., Tuesday, July 20, 2027 (MCL 168.644e) |
| Holds its regular election in May, with petitions directly for that election | 4 p.m., Tuesday, January 19, 2027 (MCL 168.322) |
Frequently asked questions
How many signatures do I need to run for city council in Michigan?
Check your charter first. If it sets no number, a nonpartisan candidate uses the state chart: 6 to 20 in a city under 10,000 people, 40 to 100 in a city of 10,000 to 24,999, and 100 to 200 in a city of 25,000 to 49,999. For a ward seat, ask your clerk which population applies.
How many signatures do I need to run for mayor in Michigan?
The same chart applies, based on the city's whole population, unless your charter sets its own number. Some charters add conditions; Holland's 2025 rule required at least 10 signatures from each of its six wards.
Can I pay a fee instead of collecting signatures for a city office?
The Bureau of Elections says to refer to the city charter for city offices. Ask your city clerk whether your charter allows a fee.
Reach your number with room to spare
Knowing your number is the first step. Much of the work goes into reaching it with signatures you can rely on, from addresses inside your city or ward. Beacon gives your circulators turf on a map, a walk list in walking order by distance and a record of every door, with unlimited canvassers on every plan. Start a 14-day Beacon trial and have your first turf ready for your first weekend of circulating.
