Wisconsin Nomination Papers

You know you need nomination papers. Here's what most people don't hear up front. How many signers you need isn't one number. Each office has its own number. And the form itself changes based on one thing: whether your race has a party tied to it.

Tony RuffiPublished Sep 28, 2026Updated Sep 30, 2026, 11:22 PM CT9 min read

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Think of this as the page to keep handy. It shows how many signers your office needs and which forms go in with your papers. It also shows when you can start, and the one deadline that gets the last word. By the end of this guide, you'll know which form to print. You'll know how many signers to aim for and the dates that matter for your race.

What are nomination papers in Wisconsin?

A nomination paper is the form that gets your name on the ballot, whether you run for school board or Congress. You circulate it, which means you pass it around for people to sign. Each signer must be a qualified elector, which just means someone who can vote in your district. Each can sign once per office.

Get enough valid signatures. Then file your papers by the deadline with your filing officer, the election official who takes them. No papers, no ballot line.

How many signatures does a Wisconsin nomination paper need?

It depends on the office. Local nonpartisan seats start at 20 to 100 signatures under Wis. Stat. § 8.10, but city seats and some school boards run higher based on size. Partisan seats need more: State Assembly 200 to 400, State Senate 400 to 800, U.S. House 1,000 to 2,000, and statewide office 2,000 to 4,000. The state sets each range by law. The table lists the main ones.

We suggest at least 20% more than the minimum. Signatures can get struck, or thrown out. Maybe the date was missing, the address was wrong, or someone signed twice. A city's class is its size group. Our city council guide explains the groups. And once the filing deadline passes, there's no do-over.

Nonpartisan vs. partisan nomination papers: what's actually different

Nonpartisan papers (form EL-169) are for races with no party label, such as school board and most city, village, town and county seats. Partisan papers (form EL-168) are for races with a party, such as Assembly, Senate and Congress, and can list the party you prefer. The forms look alike, so check which one your office needs before you print.

A primary is an early vote that cuts the field down before the main election. Running a nonpartisan race? Our guide to running for school board in Wisconsin walks that side start to finish. Running for a city seat? See our guide to running for city council in Wisconsin for signature ranges by city size.

The forms that go with your nomination papers

Most Wisconsin candidates file three things: a Declaration of Candidacy (EL-162), nomination papers (EL-168 or EL-169), and a Campaign Registration Statement (CF-1L). Candidates for state office and municipal judge add a Statement of Economic Interests. Your papers almost never go in alone, so here is each part in order:

1. Declaration of Candidacy (EL-162). This is a short form you swear is true. It says you meet the rules to run. It goes in with your papers, not after them.
2. Nomination Papers (EL-168 or EL-169). These hold the signatures, on the form that fits your race type above.
3. Campaign Registration Statement (CF-1L). This form signs your campaign up. State candidates file it with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission. Local candidates file it with their local clerk. Every candidate files one, as soon as they become a candidate and before they take in or spend a dollar.
4. Statement of Economic Interests. This form lists your money and business ties. State office candidates need it. It's due by 4:30 p.m. on the third day after papers are due. Municipal judge candidates file one too. They're the ones who run for a city, village or town court. Theirs has its own deadline, tied to the notice of their nomination.

Some local candidates don't expect to raise, spend or owe more than $2,500 for the year. They can claim a limited activity exemption. That's a pass that lets them skip full campaign finance reports. They still have to register. That sounds like plenty of room until you count yard signs. Most contested races, the ones with more than one candidate, go past it fast.

When to circulate and when to file: the Wisconsin nomination paper calendar

Spring races, which have no party label, open circulation December 1 and are due by 5 p.m. on the first Tuesday in January. Fall races, which run with a party, open April 15 and are due June 1. For the 2027 spring election, papers are due 5 p.m. January 5, 2027. Mixing up the two calendars is the easiest way to miss a deadline.

Here's how that lands for the 2027 spring races. You can start passing papers December 1, 2026. Papers are due at 5 p.m. on January 5, 2027. If a primary is needed, it's February 16, 2027. The spring election is April 6, 2027. Check the exact dates on the Wisconsin Elections Commission's calendar each cycle. If the first Tuesday in January is a legal holiday, the spring deadline moves to the next day.

What changed under Wisconsin's 2026 nomination paper rules

A permanent rule, CR 25-064, took effect April 1, 2026. It's an administrative rule. That means a state agency wrote it to carry out a law. It rewrote the test for when your papers or your declaration count as enough. It also set steps for how to challenge each one. In short, the rules are more spelled out than they used to be. That goes for what gets a signature struck and how fast a challenge has to move. If you're close to the minimum, that cuts both ways.

Who can challenge your nomination papers, and how fast it moves

A person or group can file a challenge, not just someone running against you. Under Wis. Admin. Code § EL 2.07, a challenger files with your filing officer by 5 p.m. on the third calendar day after papers were due. You get three calendar days to respond, and the challenger gets one rebuttal within 24 hours of the officer sending them your response. Then the filing officer decides. Here is how each step works. They have to lay out which signatures or pages they say fall short. You get the same tight window to respond: 5 p.m., three calendar days after the challenge lands. You can add sworn fixes if you have them. Then the challenger can file one rebuttal, or last reply, within 24 hours of the officer sending them your response. After that, the filing officer decides. The officer may hold a hearing first. That all happens before the ballot gets certified, or made final. Miss your deadline to respond, and the challenge stands with no answer.

Why we tell every candidate to get more than the minimum

A thin paper is an unforced error. One of our clients ran for Wausau School Board for the first time. He went on to get more votes than three incumbents. Those are people who already held seats on that board. He drew 8,231 votes, the most of any candidate in that race. None of that happens if the papers bounce back in December.

It's not just a local-race problem, either. Take Virginia's 2012 presidential primary. The national campaigns for Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich both came up short there. Virginia's bar was 10,000 signatures. At least 400 valid ones also had to come from each of the state's 11 congressional districts. Those are the areas that each elect one member of the U.S. House. A federal judge ruled against them, and neither campaign made the ballot. Lots of money and a strong team don't buy back a shortfall. Extra signatures help.

Small habits that protect your signatures

How much extra should you get? We suggest at least 20% more than the minimum. That cushion cuts the risk of a shortfall, but it can't promise a spot on the ballot. A few more habits keep first-timers out of trouble:

• Use a circulator who is a Wisconsin voter. The circulator swears they saw each person sign, and dates that oath. A signature dated after it doesn't count. The candidate can circulate too.
• Print your own name and address clearly next to your signature line. Each signer must print a name, date and address. A missing one can get a signature struck.
• Keep a copy of everything you file. Clerks are careful, but paper moves through a lot of hands before Election Day.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. The rules for your race can vary. Before you file, check them with the Wisconsin Elections Commission and your filing officer. Or ask an election lawyer. Wisconsin law and forms can change.

A last check before you turn in your papers

Run through this before you walk into the clerk's office:

• You used the right form: EL-169 for a nonpartisan race, EL-168 for a partisan one.
• You have at least 20% more signers than the law asks for your office.
• Every signer printed a name, wrote an address and added the date, and every circulator signed and dated the oath.
• Your Declaration of Candidacy goes in with the papers.
• You've registered your campaign if money is involved.
• You kept a copy of everything.

The deadline is the date that counts most, so plan to turn your papers in early. Want help getting the filing and the launch right the first time? Our campaign consulting team has worked on Wisconsin races like Wausau School Board. Talk it through with us for free, or browse more Running for Office articles.

Last updated Sep 30, 2026, 11:22 PM CT. Fact-checked September 28, 2026 against Wis. Stat. ch. 8 & ch. 11, Wisconsin Elections Commission and Wisconsin Ethics Commission guidance.