The process of running for office in the City of Glendale is guided by Wisconsin Election and Campaign Laws, chapters 5-12 and the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC).  An important role of the City Clerk's Office is to provide information to any person interested in running for public office in the City of Glendale. Any person interested in running for office has the burden and responsibility of understanding and complying with candidate filing and campaign finance reporting requirements.  

2024 Spring Election Ballot Access Checklist

Complete Candidate Packet

How to Run for Public Office

The burden is on the candidate to familiarize themselves with the laws surrounding running for public office. Candidates should review the Wisconsin Ethics Commission Campaign Finance: Overview information before asking the Clerk's Office for assistance. Additional information on candidate registration filing requirements can be found in Chapter 8 of the Wisconsin State Statutes. Comprehensive information regarding campaign finance reporting can be found in Chapter 11 of the Wisconsin State Statutes. State law requires the completion of several forms when running for office. Each of these forms can be found at our Candidate Packet Forms section or a packet of these forms may be picked up at City Hall, 5909 North Milwaukee River Parkway.

Step 1: File Campaign Registration Statement (Form CF-1)

Candidates are prohibited from campaign fundraising or incurring campaign expenses until this form has been filed with the City Clerk's Office.  This form is due no later than 5:00 pm on Tuesday, January 2, 2024. The form requires you to:

• Identify the office you will be pursuing.
• List the bank information for your campaign finance account.
• Provide the name and contact information of your campaign treasurer.  You may act as your own campaign treasurer.  However, due to the complexity of completing the forms correctly, you are encouraged to select someone for this position that has a good familiarity with Excel spreadsheets and tracking expenses and revenue.

Step 2: File Declaration of Candidacy (EL-162)

• You are required to submit the completed Declaration of Candidacy to the City Clerk's Office no later than 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 2, 2024.

Step 3: Circulate Your Nomination Papers

Read all instructions relating to the distribution of nomination papers to ensure that each page of your signatures meets circulating requirements. All nomination signatures are reviewed by the City Clerk's Office and may be challenged by other candidates running for office.

• You may begin collecting signatures for your nomination papers no earlier than Wednesday, December 1, 2023. Completed nomination papers must be submitted to the City Clerk's Office no later than 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 2, 2024. Signatures collected after this date will not be counted.
• If a signer's address is not legible or valid, or the person resides outside of the area represented by the officeholder, the signature will be disqualified. While it is not required, you are encouraged to collect more signatures than the minimum requirement. You are also encouraged to verify the addressed included on your nomination papers on MyVote.WI.gov before submitting them. Once nomination papers are submitted, no changes can be made.

Step 4: Certification by the City Clerk's Office

All nomination paper signatures will be reviewed after the deadline for submission. If your nomination papers are complete (there are a sufficient number of valid signatures) and all other filing requirements have been met, your nomination papers will be certified as sufficient by the City Clerk's Office and your name will appear on the ballot. If there are not enough valid signatures on your nomination papers or you did not complete all filing requirements, your name will not appear on the ballot.

If more than two candidates are certified for one office, there will be a primary election for that office. The order of candidate names on the ballot is determined through a random drawing selection process. Notice of the drawing is provided to all candidates and the public is invited to witness the process. 

You may not remove your name from the ballot once your nomination papers have been certified.

• During the nomination review period (January 3 – January 5, 2024), nomination papers may also be challenged by the public, including other candidates running for the same office.
• In some instances, the Clerk's Office may ask you to provide a corrective affidavit if errors have been made on a nomination page, or if signatures are challenged by a member of the public. You will have a three-day period, starting from the date the challenge was issued, to submit a sworn affidavit.
• Please make sure that you check your phone messages and email during this time and that you respond quickly to requests for information. Failure to respond to messages may result in a finding of insufficient signatures.

Step 5: Submit Campaign Finance Reports

• Unless you have declared exemption (you do not expect to raise or spend an aggregate of over $2,500 on your campaign), all candidate committees MUST file campaign finance reports. You are responsible for filing in accordance with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission Campaign Report Filing Schedule. Campaign finance schedules and reporting requirements can be complex and require significant attention to detail and an ability to learn and understand reporting instructions.  You are encouraged to select a campaign treasurer that is reliable and organized.  All reports must be complete, accurate and meet full public disclosure requirements.

**This website was developed to assist those who are considering running for public office. This cursory review does not replace the candidate's responsibility to review Chapters 5-12 of the Wisconsin State Statutes governing the election process. It is highly recommended that the candidate and their treasurer review these laws. Violation of these laws is enforced by the District Attorney's office. Questions on compliance with the laws should be addressed to the Wisconsin Election Commission at 608-266-8005.**