Petitions

Petition Signature Questions, Answered

In Illinois, a voter can sign a petition only for a district where they are registered, at the address they write on the line. A voter may sign more than one candidate's petition in some races but not in others, and signing the same petition twice adds nothing. Once a petition is filed, anyone may inspect it. Candidate petitions are paper: each signer signs by hand, in ink, on the official form, and the circulator (the person who collects the signatures) signs a sworn statement before a notary.

The answers below are based on the Illinois Election Code and the Illinois State Board of Elections (ISBE) 2027 Candidate's Guide (cited as "Guide"), which says it is not legal advice. Other states set their own rules. Confirm anything specific to your race with your election authority or the office where you will file. For the full process, see our guide to Illinois nominating petitions.

Can you sign a petition more than once, or twice?

The same petition twice. Sign each petition only once. The candidate needs your signature one time, and a second line from the same voter gives an objector something to challenge.

Several candidates in a party primary. You may sign for as many candidates of the same established party as you like, including more than one for the same office. You may not sign for candidates of different established parties in the same election (Guide p. 21; 10 ILCS 5/7-10).

Nonpartisan and independent races. The number of seats being elected is the number of petitions a voter can sign for that office (Guide p. 21). If three seats are open on a nonpartisan board, for example, a voter may sign for up to three candidates for that board. For independent candidates, "each voter may subscribe to one nomination for such office to be filled, and no more" (10 ILCS 5/10-3).

A primary petition, then an independent petition. A voter may sign an established party's petition for the primary and then an independent or new-party petition for the following consolidated or general election (Guide pp. 21, 65).

Changing your mind. Before the petition is filed, a voter can ask in writing to have their name removed (Guide pp. 22, 67).

Can you sign a petition for another state?

For an Illinois candidate petition, a signer must be a registered voter in the political subdivision where the candidate is running, registered at the address written next to their signature (Guide pp. 21 to 22). A resident of another state therefore cannot sign one. The same rule applies inside Illinois, so a voter in one town cannot sign for a candidate in the next town.

Circulators are different. A circulator must be a U.S. citizen and at least 18 (or 18 by the upcoming consolidated election), but "can be from outside of the district, county, or state" (Guide p. 21). A person from another state may carry an Illinois petition but may not sign it.

If someone asks you to sign a petition for another state's ballot, that state's rules decide whether your signature counts, so ask that state's election office. Online petitions addressed to an official or a company play no part in putting a candidate or a question on an Illinois ballot, because those petitions are paper sheets signed in person.

Are petition signatures public record?

Yes, once the petition is filed. Filed petitions are open to public inspection and are kept for at least six months (Guide p. 69). Your name, address and signature appear on the sheet, and anyone who inspects the petition can see them.

Any legal voter of the district may object to a filed petition (10 ILCS 5/10-8). As a general practice, objectors and candidates compare petition lines against voter records.

Two more points matter for signers and campaigns:

• A signature is not a vote. Signing helps put a candidate on the ballot. It does not commit you to vote for them.
• A signature is not permission to text. A petition sheet counts as consent to receive texts only if the sheet says so plainly and the date is recorded.

How do you get petition signatures, and where?

Start with who may collect them. A circulator must meet the age and citizenship rules above but does not have to be a registered voter (Guide p. 66). The circulator must personally witness every signature, sign the circulator's statement at the bottom of each sheet, and have it notarized (Guide p. 21; 10 ILCS 5/10-4). Sheets may not be circulated more than 90 days before the last day for filing (10 ILCS 5/7-10, 10-4).

The most reliable place to collect is the doors of your own district, working from a list of registered voters at addresses inside it. Nearly everyone you ask can sign, and each visit is also an early conversation with a voter. Busy public places, such as a store entrance, reach more people per hour, but more of them live outside your district, and those lines do not count. If you collect in a public place, get permission from the property owner or organizer, and ask each person for their address before they sign.

Plan and track the doors in Beacon. Give each circulator a territory (a set of streets) and a walk list (the list of doors to visit) ordered by street. The app works offline, and on every plan a circulator who walks outside their territory sees a warning on their own phone. At each door, the circulator records the result, such as contacted, not home or come back later, and can answer a survey question such as "Signed: yes / no." Beacon does not collect the signature itself: Illinois candidate petitions are signed by hand in ink, and the paper sheet remains the legal record. Our page on canvassing software for political campaigns shows the rest of the campaign, and our door-to-door petition plan turns a signature goal into doors and shifts.

How many signatures do you need to run for mayor, city council or alderman?

It depends on the city, the office and whether the race is partisan. In many Illinois cities, city council members are called alderpersons, and older documents use the word alderman. The ISBE 2027 Candidate's Guide gives these requirements:

For independents, the maximum is 8% or 50 more than the minimum, whichever is greater. In ISBE's example, a district where 1,000 people voted gives an independent a range of 50 to 100 signatures (Guide p. 32).

Ask the office where you will file for your exact minimum, and any maximum, in writing. Then collect a margin, because objections strike invalid signatures after filing. Many campaigns aim for 1.5 to 2 times the minimum as common practice, not as a legal rule. Our post on how many signatures you need to run for office in Illinois covers every local office.

Chicago offices, partisan municipal offices in towns over 5,000, nonpartisan municipal primaries and council-manager cities file October 19 to 26, 2026, for February 23, 2027. Independents, new-party municipal candidates and most nonpartisan villages file November 16 to 23, 2026, for April 6, 2027. Confirm your dates with your clerk.

Where do you find petition signature templates and forms?

Do not use a homemade template for an Illinois candidate petition. Candidate petitions must be signed on the official form for the office. Get the official forms from your election authority or the office where you will file, and ask which form matches your office. For example, school board candidates use the State Board of Elections petition form SBE Form P-7 (at-large seats) or P-7A (seats elected by district), with a Statement of Candidacy on Form P-1A (Guide p. 48).

Once you have the right form, a few rules apply:

• You may copy blank forms before circulating, but every signature on the sheets you file must be original (Guide p. 21).
• Fill in the heading before the sheet goes out: the election, the candidate, the office, the party when there is one, and the candidate's residence. It must be the same on every sheet (Guide p. 19; 10 ILCS 5/10-4).
• Write your name exactly as it will appear on your Statement of Candidacy (Guide pp. 19 to 20).

Petitions for a local public question follow their own format (10 ILCS 5/28-3). For a back-door referendum (a vote, started by residents' petition, on whether a board's action should stand), the clerk must provide a petition form on request (10 ILCS 5/28-2(f)). Our post on filling out an Illinois nominating petition goes through each part of the candidate form.

Can you get paid to collect petition signatures?

This post does not state a rule on paying circulators or a typical rate of pay, because we could not confirm either from the sources we use for Illinois. Before you accept paid petition work, or before a campaign pays anyone to circulate, ask your election authority or an election attorney. For another state, ask that state's election office.

Several rules apply to every circulator, paid or volunteer:

• The age, citizenship and witnessing rules above, and the sworn, notarized statement on each sheet.
• No one may "circulate or certify petitions for candidates of more than one political party, or for an independent candidate or candidates in addition to one political party" (10 ILCS 5/10-4). This matters for anyone who carries petitions for several campaigns.
• Forging a signer's name is forgery (10 ILCS 5/10-4).

For campaigns, money paid to circulators is campaign spending. Candidates and groups that raise or spend more than $5,000 in any 12-month period in support of or in opposition to a candidate or public question generally must form a political committee with ISBE (Guide p. 23; 10 ILCS 5/9-3).

Plan your petition doors

If you are collecting signatures this fall, start a 14-day Beacon trial and give each circulator a walk list ordered by street inside their own territory. The trial includes Starter features and does not require a card.