Want to run for local office in Virginia this year? The deadline to become an official candidate for positions such as mayor or council member is fast approaching.

Anyone who wishes to run as a member of a political party, a Democrat or Republican, for example, must file their paperwork by Thursday, April 4. (If you'd rather run as an independent, the deadline is June 18.)

Becoming an official candidate whose name is on a ballot is a complicated process, and one that candidates for local office regularly fail to complete. Last year, for example, nearly 75% of the 150 local races that we covered in our Voter Guide for Central Virginia didn't have enough candidates on ballots to fill the open seats. In many cases that was because there actually weren't any candidates. But Collectbritain also heard from multiple folks who were running as “write-in candidates” because they hadn't filed the necessary paperwork with the state to appear on the ballot.

If you want to be on a ballot, here's what you need to know:

What can I run for?

This year, there are far fewer local races in central Virginia being decided than in 2023. According to county registrars and state records there are 41 open local seats in the 12-county area our Voter Guide for Central Virginia covers. Most of them are town councils and mayors. They are:

• Scottsville Town Mayor
• Scottsville Town Council (three seats)
• Appomattox Town Mayor
• Appomattox Town Council (three seats)
• Pamplin Town Mayor
• Pamplin Town Council (six seats)
• Stanardsville Board of Supervisors member (one seat)
• Greene County Treasurer
• Louisa Town Council (three members)
• Madison County School Board member (one seat)
• Madison Town Mayor
• Madison Town Council (four seats)
• Gordonsville Town Mayor
• Gordonsville Town Council (two seats)
• Orange Town Council (two seats)
• Farmville Town Council, at large (one seat)
• Farmville Town Council, ward E (one seat)
• Farmville Town Council, ward D (one seat)

(Are we missing any? The records of these openings are not centralized at the state level, so we had to check with many local agencies to build the list. Send us a message at this link if we've missed any!)

Am I eligible?

To qualify to serve for local office in Virginia, you must:

• Be a United States citizen
• Be 18 or older
• Have lived in Virginia for at least a year
• Live in the district in which you are seeking office
• Be registered to vote at your current address
• Have active voting rights. (People can lose their voting rights if they're convicted of certain crimes or have been declared mentally incompetent by a court.)

Determining your eligibility is actually the first form aspiring candidates must complete.

What do I file?

Now comes the paperwork! The Virginia Department of Elections publishes general instructions at this link, and keeps a list of all required forms at this link. Those forms include:

• Certificate of Candidate Qualifications: This form determines whether you are eligible to serve.
• Declaration of Candidacy: This one must either be witnessed by two registered voters, or notarized.
• Petition of Qualified Voters: This one involves getting signatures from voters in your district.
• Statement of Economic Interests: This requires you to list out your income streams and debts.
• Campaign Finance Forms: There are actually multiple forms here. The state has strict and specific rules about reporting campaign contributions and expenditures. Read through this page carefully to make sure you don't accidentally violate any!
• The filing fee: Each locality charges a filing fee. But, you'll need to reach out to your local Treasurer or Director of Finance for the fee amount.

Where do I file?

Where you file paperwork depends on if you want to be a primary candidate for a political party, or an independent candidate. (A primary candidate is one that wishes to run as a member of a party in the General Election. In order to do so, candidates must secure their party's nomination. This is more rare in local elections than state and national ones.)

For primary candidates

• Submit to your local Registrar's office:
  • Certificate of Candidate Qualifications
  • Statement of Economic Interests
  • Statement of Organization (one of the Campaign Finance Forms. This one must also be submitted to the Virginia Department of Elections. See below)
• Submit to the Treasurer or Director of Finance of your locality:
  • Filing fee (be sure to get a receipt!)
• Submit to your local party chairperson (here is a list of all the local party committees for Democrats, and here is one for Republicans):
  • Declaration of Candidacy
  • Petition of Qualified Voters
  • Receipt for filing fee
• Submit to the Virginia Department of Elections:
  • All required Campaign Finance Forms

For independent candidates

• Submit to your local Registrar's office:
  • Certificate of Candidate Qualifications
  • Statement of Economic Interests
  • Statement of Organization (one of the Campaign Finance Forms. This one must also be submitted to the Virginia Department of Elections. See below)
  • Declaration of Candidacy
  • Petition of Qualified Voters
  • Receipt for filing fee (see below)
• Submit to the Treasurer or Director of Finance of your locality:
  • Filing fee (be sure to get a receipt!)
• Submit to the Virginia Department of Elections:
  • All required Campaign Finance Forms

What are the deadlines?

The deadline to file as an official party candidate is April 4, 5 p.m.: Once the party has paperwork from all aspiring candidates, they will decide how to go about choosing a nominee. Parties have the option to hold a primary election on June 18, hold a convention or simply name the nominee if only one candidate files.

The deadline to file as an independent candidate is June 18, p.m.: The majority of candidates for local offices file as independents. In this case, you simply file all your paperwork with your county registrar. Once the paperwork is in — assuming everything checks out — your name will appear on the ballot in the November election!

Help build our 2024 Voter Guide

Take this two-question survey to help us ask candidates for local and state offices questions about what matters to you. We’ll start sending questions to candidates running in primary elections by the end of March, and candidates running in the Nov. 5 general election later in the summer. So please get your ideas in as soon as you can!

New to Collectbritain? Find out more about our nonprofit news organization.

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Here are key dates and deadlines associated with this year's election.

We will update this list periodically as deadlines approach or we receive new information.

Register to vote, check your registration, find your polling places and apply to vote absentee at the Virginia Department of Elections here. Remember, even if you miss registration deadlines, you can register through Election Day and vote using a provisional ballot.

Need to know if you're eligible to vote? Here are resources from the Virginia Department of Elections.