How To File For Office

 

Federal and state offices include:

• U.S. President
• U.S. Vice President
• U.S. Senator
• U.S. Representative
• Governor
• Lieutenant Governor
• Secretary of State
• Attorney General
• State Treasurer
• State Auditor
• State Senator 
• State Representative

If one wishes to declare his or her candidacy for a City of St. Louis office, he or she must meet certain qualifications and file a declaration with the Board. 

Please review How to File for Office for the Non-Partisan March 2021 Primary Election  for:

• Mayor
• Comptroller
• Aldermen/Alderwomen

Qualifications

For additional information regarding qualifications to file for an office, please contact the Board of Elections at (314) 622-4336.

Terms

The City Treasurer, Circuit Attorney, Sheriff, Committeemen, and Committeewomen were elected at the primary and general elections in 2016 and will stand for reelection in 2020 and every four years thereafter. 

The Collector of Revenue, License Collector, and Recorder of Deeds will be elected at the primary and general elections in 2018 and will stand for re-election in 2022 and every four years thereafter. 

The Mayor, Comptroller, and all Aldermen/women serving odd-numbered wards will be elected at the primary and general municipal elections in 2021 and every four years thereafter. 

The President of the Board of Aldermen and all Aldermen/women serving even-numbered wards will be elected at the primary and general municipal elections in 2019 and every four years thereafter.  

Finally, there are seven members of the City of St. Louis Board of Education.  They serve staggered terms of four years each.

Filing Fees

$50.00 for City Treasurer, Collector of Revenue, License Collector, Recorder of Deeds, Circuit Attorney, and Sheriff 

$100 for Committeemen and Committeewomen

1% of their salary for the Mayor, Comptroller, President of the Board of Aldermen, and Aldermen/women 

$100.00 for a candidate for the City of St. Louis Board of Education

Filing Dates

In order to run for any given office, candidates must file their Declarations and pay their filing fees within certain time frames. 

The time frame for filing for City Treasurer, Collector of Revenue, License Collector, Recorder of Deeds, Circuit Attorney, Sheriff, Committeemen, or Committeewomen begins at 8:00 AM on the last Tuesday in February immediately preceding the primary election; the time frame ends at 5:00 PM on the last Tuesday in March immediately preceding the primary election. 

Please be advised that candidates may not file their Declarations prior to this time frame. 

Mandatory Ethics Filing Dates for All Candidates

Where to File for Office

Filing for all city offices must be done at the Board headquarters, located at:

St. Louis, Missouri 63101

To run for any city office, a candidate must file a “Declaration of Candidate for Election” with the Board. In addition, at the time of filing, a candidate must pay a filing fee. 

After a candidate files for any given office, he or she is required to adhere to strict record keeping, conflict of interest laws, ethics laws, and campaign finance disclosure laws. These requirements are mandated by the Missouri Ethics Commission. At the time of filing, each candidate will be given pamphlets and information about the laws and reporting requirements that he or she is required to follow. These laws and requirements can also be found on the Missouri Ethics Commission website. Candidates or interested parties can come to the Board during regular business hours to request information about the laws and requirements imposed by the Missouri Ethics Commission.

Review the Municipal Elections page for more candidate information on city offices.