Elections and Voting

Filing Form and Deadlines

All candidates, with the exception of candidates running in Districts 42 and 45, must submit an Affidavit of Identity to the Michigan Department of State’s Bureau of Elections by Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at 4:00 PM in order to appear on the August 6, 2024, Primary Election ballot.

Write-in candidates for Districts 42 and 45 may file with the Bureau of Elections until Friday, July 26, 2024 at 4:00 PM. Write-in candidates must submit a Write-In Candidate Declaration of Intent form in order to be elected.

Candidates running in Districts 40 and 41 must submit an Affidavit of Identityto the Kalamazoo County Clerk’s Office by Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at 4:00 PM in order to appear on the August 6, 2024, Primary Election ballot.

Write-in candidates for Districts 40 and 41 may file with our office until Friday, July 26, 2024 at 4:00 PM. Write-in candidates must submit a Write-In Candidate Declaration of Intent form in order to be elected.

The Affidavit of Identity must be filled out completely and notarized before your name can appear on the ballot. Our office can notarize this form at no charge. The Affidavit of Identity should be submitted together with the appropriate filing method i.e., petitions, filing fee, or certificate of party nomination and acceptance (if applicable).

Petition or Filing Fee Requirement

All candidates must submit either petition signatures or a $100 filing fee to appear on the ballot. This fee is paid to the Michigan Secretary of State’s Bureau of Elections for candidates in Districts 42 and 45. For candidates filing in Districts 40 and 41, this fee is paid to the Kalamazoo County Clerk’s Office.

Candidates for State Representative in Districts 40, 41, 42, and 45 which contain part of Kalamazoo County must collect a minimum of 200 signatures to be placed on the ballot. The petition signature requirement is based on the population, and all signatures must be from registered voters of the district.

All petitions must be completed on the proper form. Candidates for State Representative must use the Countywide Partisan Nominating Petition form if running as major party candidate. Petition forms can be picked up from our office - Kalamazoo County Clerk / Register of Deeds, 201 W. Kalamazoo Ave, Room 107, Kalamazoo, MI 49007.

Campaign Finance Reporting Requirements

All state-level candidates must file campaign finance forms with the Michigan Department of State’s Bureau of Elections.

Positions Available

Each State House District elects one member to the state legislature. All available positions that contain a part of Kalamazoo County are listed on the Kalamazoo County 2024 Elected Offices page.

Current Candidates

All candidates who have filed for office for 2024 are listed on the Kalamazoo County Candidate Listing.

Filing Form and Deadlines

All candidates must submit an Affidavit of Identity This form must be submitted to the Kalamazoo County Clerk’s Office by Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at 4:00 PM in order to appear on the August 6, 2024, Primary Election ballot.

Write-in candidates may file with our office until Friday, July 26, 2024 at 4:00 PM. Write-in candidates must submit a Write-In Candidate Declaration of Intent form in order to be elected.

The Affidavit of Identity must be filled out completely and notarized before your name can appear on the ballot. Our office can notarize this form at no charge. The Affidavit of Identity should be submitted together with the appropriate filing method i.e., petitions, filing fee, or certificate of party nomination and acceptance (if applicable).

Petition or Filing Fee Requirement

All candidates must submit either petition signatures or a $100 filing fee to appear on the ballot. This fee is paid to the Kalamazoo County Clerk's Office.

All Countywide Office candidates in Kalamazoo County must collect a minimum of 500 signatures/maximum of 1000 signatures to appear on the ballot. The petition signature requirement is based on the population, and all signatures must be from registered voters of the district.

All petitions must be completed on the proper form. Candidates for Countywide partisan office must use the Countywide Partisan Nominating Petition form if running as major party candidate. Petition forms can be picked up from our office - Kalamazoo County Clerk / Register of Deeds, 201 W. Kalamazoo Ave, Room 107, Kalamazoo, MI 49007.

Campaign Finance Reporting Requirements

All candidates must open a campaign finance committee. The Statement of Organization form creates a campaign finance committee. This form must be submitted to our office within 20 days of becoming a candidate. We recommend that all candidates complete the Statement of Organization form and submit it with their Affidavit of Identity when they file for office.

All new candidate committees must complete the starred * items on the Statement of Organizationform.

Candidates who expect to spend or receive less than $1,000 may apply for a reporting waiver. Committees with a reporting waiver are not required to submit additional campaign finance documents to our office. However, this waiver is automatically lost if the committee goes over the $1,000 limit. To apply for the waiver, check “Yes” in box 10 on the Statement of Organization.

Candidates without the reporting waiver must submit regular reports to our office. In years where candidates appear on the ballot, they must submit campaign finance statements to our office before and after each election. When a candidate does not appear on the ballot, candidates must submit both Annual and Quarterly statements.

**We now offer a new option to submit campaign finance reports electronically using E-Filer. Contact our office to request login credentials and additional instructions.**

Positions Available

Kalamazoo County elects one Prosecuting Attorney, one Sheriff, one Clerk / Register of Deeds, one Treasurer, one Drain Commissioner, and one Surveyor. Each office is elected every four years. All available positions in Kalamazoo County are listed on the Kalamazoo County Candidates Listing.

Current Candidates

All candidates who have filed for office for 2024 are listed on the Kalamazoo County Candidate Listing.

Filing Form and Deadlines

All candidates must submit an Affidavit of Identity This form must be submitted to the Kalamazoo County Clerk’s Office by Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at 4:00 PM in order to appear on the August 6, 2024, Primary Election ballot.

Write-in candidates may file with our office until Friday, July 26, 2024 at 4:00 PM. Write-in candidates must submit a Write-In Candidate Declaration of Intent form in order to be elected.

The Affidavit of Identity must be filled out completely and notarized before your name can appear on the ballot. Our office can notarize this form at no charge. The Affidavit of Identity should be submitted together with the appropriate filing method i.e., petitions, filing fee, or certificate of party nomination and acceptance (if applicable).

Petition or Filing Fee Requirement

All candidates must submit either petition signatures or a $100 filing fee to appear on the ballot. This fee is paid to the Kalamazoo County Clerk's Office.

All County Commission candidates in Kalamazoo County must collect a minimum of 50 signatures/maximum of 100 signatures to appear on the ballot. The petition signature requirement is based on the population of the district, and all signatures must be from registered voters of the district.

All petitions must be completed on the proper form. Candidates for County Commission must use the City/Township Partisan Nominating Petition form if running as major party candidate. Petition forms can be picked up from our office - Kalamazoo County Clerk / Register of Deeds, 201 W. Kalamazoo Ave, Room 107, Kalamazoo, MI 49007.

Campaign Finance Reporting Requirements

All candidates must open a campaign finance committee. The Statement of Organization form creates a campaign finance committee. This form must be submitted to our office within 20 days of becoming a candidate. We recommend that all candidates complete the Statement of Organization form and submit it with their Affidavit of Identity when they file for office.

All new candidate committees must complete the starred * items on the Statement of Organizationform.

Candidates who expect to spend or receive less than $1,000 may apply for a reporting waiver. Committees with a reporting waiver are not required to submit additional campaign finance documents to our office. However, this waiver is automatically lost if the committee goes over the $1,000 limit. To apply for the waiver, check “Yes” in box 10 on the Statement of Organization.

Candidates without the reporting waiver must submit regular reports to our office. In years where candidates appear on the ballot, they must submit campaign finance statements to our office before and after each election. When a candidate does not appear on the ballot, candidates must submit both Annual and Quarterly statements.

**We now offer a new option to submit campaign finance reports electronically using E-Filer. Contact our office to request login credentials and additional instructions.**

Positions Available

The Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners has 9 members, with each member representing one commission district. Each district elects one member every four years. All available positions are listed on the Kalamazoo County Candidate Listing.

Current Candidates

All candidates who have filed for office for 2024 are listed on the Kalamazoo County Candidate Listing.

Filing Form and Deadlines

All candidates must submit an Affidavit of Identity . This form must be submitted to the school’s filing official by Tuesday, July 23, 2024, at 4:00 PM to appear on the November 5, 2024, General Election ballot.
Write-in candidates may file with the school’s filing official until Friday, October 25, 2024, at 4:00 PM. Write-in candidates must submit a Write-In Candidate Declaration of Intent form in order to be elected.
The Affidavit of Identity must be filled out completely and notarized before your name can appear on the ballot. The Affidavit of Identity should be submitted together with the appropriate filing method i.e., petitions, filing fee, or certificate of party nomination and acceptance (if applicable).

Petition or Filing Fee Requirement

All candidates must submit either petition signatures or a $100 filing fee to appear on the ballot. This fee is paid to the Kalamazoo County Clerk's Office.

All Community College Trustee candidates (KVCC) must collect a minimum of 40 signatures/maximum of 100 signatures to appear on the ballot. The petition signature requirement is based on the population of the district, and all signatures must be from registered voters of the district.

All petitions must be completed on the proper form. Candidates for KVCC Trustee must use the School Nominating Petition form. Petition forms can be picked up from our office – Kalamazoo County Clerk / Register of Deeds, 201 W. Kalamazoo Ave, Room 107, Kalamazoo, MI 49007.

Campaign Finance Reporting Requirements

All candidates must open a campaign finance committee. The Statement of Organization form creates a campaign finance committee. This form must be submitted to the Kalamazoo County Clerk’s Office within 20 days of becoming a candidate.

All new candidate committees must complete the starred * items on the Statement of Organization form.

Candidates who expect to spend or receive less than $1,000 may apply for a reporting waiver. Committees with a reporting waiver are not required to submit additional campaign finance documents to our office. However, this waiver is automatically lost if the committee goes over the $1,000 limit. To apply for the waiver, check “Yes” in box 10 on the Statement of Organization.

Candidates without the reporting waiver must submit regular reports to our office. In years where candidates appear on the ballot, they must submit campaign finance statements to our office before and after each election. When a candidate does not appear on the ballot, candidates must submit both Annual and Quarterly statements.

**We now offer a new option to submit campaign finance reports electronically using E-Filer. Contact our office to request login credentials and additional instructions.**

Positions Available

All available positions are listed on the Kalamazoo County Candidate Listing.

Current Candidates

All candidates who have filed for office for 2024 are listed on the Kalamazoo County Candidate Listing.

Filing Form and Deadlines

All candidates must submit an Affidavit of Identity This form must be submitted to the City or Township Clerk's Office by Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at 4:00 PM in order to appear on the ballot. Write-in candidates may file with the City or Township Clerk's Office until Friday, July 26, 2024 at 4:00 PM. Write-in candidates must submit a Write-In Candidate Declaration of Intent form in order to be elected.

The Affidavit of Identity must be filled out completely and notarized before your name can appear on the ballot. Our office can notarize this form at no charge. The Affidavit of Identity should be submitted together with the appropriate filing method i.e., petitions, filing fee, or certificate of party nomination and acceptance (if applicable).

Petition or Filing Fee Requirement

All candidates must submit either petition signatures or a $100 filing fee to appear on the ballot. This fee is paid to the City or Township Clerk.

The petition signature requirement is based on the population of the district, and all signatures must be from registered voters of the district. Please check with your City or Township Clerk to verify the number of signatures required.

All petitions must be completed on the proper form. Candidates for City or Township office must use the City/Township Partisan Nominating Petition form if running as major party candidate seeking partisan office. Petition forms can be picked up from our office - Kalamazoo County Clerk / Register of Deeds, 201 W. Kalamazoo Ave, Room 107, Kalamazoo, MI 49007.

Campaign Finance Reporting Requirements

All candidates must open a campaign finance committee. The Statement of Organization form creates a campaign finance committee. This form must be submitted to the Kalamazoo County Clerk’s Office within 20 days of becoming a candidate.

All new candidate committees must complete the starred * items on the Statement of Organization form.

Candidates who expect to spend or receive less than $1,000 may apply for a reporting waiver. Committees with a reporting waiver are not required to submit additional campaign finance documents to our office. However, this waiver is automatically lost if the committee goes over the $1,000 limit. To apply for the waiver, check “Yes” in box 10 on the Statement of Organization.

Candidates without the reporting waiver must submit regular reports to our office. In years where candidates appear on the ballot, they must submit campaign finance statements to our office before and after each election. When a candidate does not appear on the ballot, candidates must submit both Annual and Quarterly statements.

**We now offer a new option to submit campaign finance reports electronically using E-Filer. Contact our office to request login credentials and additional instructions.**

Positions Available

All available positions are listed on the Kalamazoo County Candidate Listing.

Current Candidates

All candidates who have filed for office for 2024 are listed on the Kalamazoo County Candidate Listing.

Filing Form and Deadlines

All candidates must submit an Affidavit of Identity . This form must be submitted to the school’s filing official by Tuesday, July 23, 2024, at 4:00 PM to appear on the ballot. Write-in candidates may file with the school’s filing official until Friday, October 25, 2024, at 4:00 PM. Write-in candidates must submit a Write-In Candidate Declaration of Intent form in order to be elected.

The Affidavit of Identity must be filled out completely and notarized before your name can appear on the ballot. The Affidavit of Identity should be submitted together with the appropriate filing method i.e., petitions, filing fee, or certificate of party nomination and acceptance (if applicable).

Petition or Filing Fee Requirement

All candidates must submit either petition signatures or a $100 filing fee to appear on the ballot. This fee is paid to the school’s filing official (see table below).

The petition signature requirement is based on the population of the district, and all signatures must be from registered voters of the district.

To find contact information for your local clerk in Kalamazoo County, click here.

Note: An elector may only sign multiple petitions equal to the number of board members who will be elected in the school district. Thus, if two positions are up for election to the board of education, an elector in the school district could sign two petitions.

All petitions must be completed on the proper form. Candidates for school board must use the School Nominating Petition form. Petition forms can be picked up from our office – Kalamazoo County Clerk / Register of Deeds, 201 W. Kalamazoo Ave, Room 107, Kalamazoo, MI 49007.

Campaign Finance Reporting Requirements

A candidate who seeks a school board position in a school district with a pupil enrollment count of 2,401 or more is subject to the filing requirements of the Michigan Campaign Finance Act. Please be sure to file an Original Statement of Organization to establish a Campaign Finance Committee within 20 calendar days of becoming a candidate to the Kalamazoo County Clerk’s office. 

A candidate who seeks a school board position in a school district with a pupil enrollment count of 2,400 or less is not subject to the filing requirements of the Act as long as he or she does not spend or receive more than $1,000.00 for the election.

Positions Available

Each school district has a different number of positions available, but most school districts in Kalamazoo County elect two candidates every two years. All available positions are listed on the Kalamazoo County Candidate Listing.

Current Candidates

All candidates who have filed for office for 2024 are listed on the Kalamazoo County Candidate Listing.

Filing Form and Deadlines

All candidates for precinct delegate must file a notarized Precinct Delegate Affidavit of Identity. Petition signatures are not required.  This form must be submitted to the Kalamazoo County Clerk’s Office by Tuesday, May 7, 2024, at 4:00 PM to appear on the August 6, 2024, Primary Election ballot.

Write-in candidates may file with our office until Friday, August 2, 2024 at 4:00 PM. Write-in candidates must submit a Write-In Candidate Declaration of Intent form in order to be elected.

Petition or Filing Fee Requirement

Precinct Delegate candidates do not need to submit petitions or a filing fee to appear on the ballot.

Campaign Finance Reporting Requirements

Precinct Delegate candidates are not required to report campaign finance activity.

Positions Available

Each precinct has a pre-determined number of Precinct Delegate positions available, and those designations are made by the county political parties. Political parties have until April 1, 2024, to submit the number of positions to the County Clerk's Office. Those numbers will be updated on our candidate listing as they are submitted to our office.

Current Candidates

All candidates who have filed for office for 2024 are listed on the Kalamazoo County Candidate Listing.

Additional Information

Precinct Delegates have one primary responsibility – they are voting members of the party at the county party’s political convention. The convention takes place within the two weeks following the August Primary. However, there are other responsibilities that vary by party or county. Precinct Delegates can:

• Assist parties with voter registration
• Be a liaison between a party and a precinct
• Recruit new party members
• Volunteer for other roles within the party