Election Guide Home | Mayor | Councilmember | General Information
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Where would we find the list (official or unofficial) of those individuals that have filed for mayor, city councilman, etc.?
Filing for the 2007 mayor and City Council race will begin on Nov. 14, 2006. Until that time, potential candidates cannot file for office. You may, however, find information regarding candidates forming committees to run for office on the Missouri Ethics Commission under campaign disclosure.
Q. What happens if I turn in my petitions and I don't have enough valid signatures?
If a candidate does not meet the signature requirement, the practice of the election authority is to give the entire petition back to the candidate to be refilled at a later date with more signatures. The candidate will submit all petitions together as one document, in essence refilling.
Q. I have lived in Kansas City most of my life and want to run for City Council. However, I lived in Raytown for two years about three years ago. Do I meet the residency requirement?
You must be a resident of the city for two years immediately prior to the election and of the councilmatic district for six months immediately prior to the date of the municipal regular election. For mayor, you must be a resident of the city five years prior to the election, including the two years immediately prior to election day.
Q. Do I have to file my petitions at the Kansas City Board of Elections?
Kansas City is unique in that it lies within four counties: Jackson, Cass, Clay and Platte. Each election authority is a filing agent for the City of Kansas City, Mo., for mayoral and council elections. Candidates may choose to file nominating petitions in any of the election authority offices: Kansas City Board of Elections, Cass County Clerk, Clay County Board of Elections or Platte County Board of Elections.
Q. What role does the election authority have in the mayor and City Council election?
The election authority acts as the filing agent with the following duties:
Distribute petition nomination forms accept completed petition forms
Verify the signatures of voters who sign the forms
Provide notice to candidates and the city clerk of the number of valid signatures
Provide each candidate with information about campaign finance disclosure requirements and accept the filings The election authority also conducts the election.
Q. What happens if two people running for the same office file their petitions at the exact same time at two different election authorities? Who will be listed first on the ballot?
If both petitions meet the necessary requirements then the city clerk will flip a coin to determine the ballot order between the two with the same filing time. Ballot order is determined by filing time.
