Running for office in Iowa
This page covers what's specific to Iowa on top of the general guide to filing for local office.
Filing in Iowa
Iowa charges no monetary filing fee to get on the ballot at any level. Instead, candidates for state legislature and other partisan offices qualify by collecting nomination petition signatures from registered voters in their district and filing a signed, notarized affidavit of candidacy alongside the petition. Both documents must be filed together with the correct filing officer, or the filing is rejected outright. Candidates for the Iowa House, Iowa Senate, and other state and federal offices file with the Iowa Secretary of State. Candidates for county offices and partisan county or township races file with their county auditor, who serves as the county commissioner of elections. It is the candidate's own responsibility, not the filing officer's, to ensure papers arrive before the deadline.
Deadlines and numbers
- 2026 primary election: June 2, 2026. General election: November 3, 2026
- 2026 filing period, state legislature and other state/federal office: February 23 to March 13, 2026, 5:00pm (already closed as of this writing)
- 2026 filing period, partisan county and township office: March 2 to March 20, 2026
- Nonparty/independent petition deadline: 5:00pm, 81 days before the general election (around August 14, 2026 for the November 3, 2026 general)
- Signature minimum, Iowa House: at least 50 eligible electors resident in the district
- Signature minimum, Iowa Senate: at least 100 eligible electors resident in the district
The dossier could not confirm exact 2026 signature requirements or filing windows for city council, school board, or other purely local offices, since these often run on separate city or school election calendars, and could not confirm whether electronic filing exists for nomination papers. Route both to /engage or your county auditor.
Where to go
- Secretary of State, primary and general election hubs: https://sos.iowa.gov/primary-election and https://sos.iowa.gov/general-election
- Candidate's Guide to the Primary Election (PDF): https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/pdf/candidates/primcandguide.pdf
- Candidate's Guide to the General Election (PDF): https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/pdf/candidates/gencandguide.pdf
- Nomination Papers and Citizen Petitions: https://sos.iowa.gov/nomination-papers-citizen-petitions
- For city council, school board, or other local office, confirm the filing calendar with your city clerk or county auditor.