Election calendar basics: how to read your local dates

A campaign has a lot of moving parts, but the election calendar isn't one of them. The filing deadline, the primary, the general election and the finance report due dates are set ahead of time, usually by state law or by your election office. They don't bend because you were busy at work or the printer ran late.

That is actually good news. Once you know your dates, you can work backward from each one and stop guessing. This guide walks through where the calendar comes from, how to read it, and how to turn it into a simple plan.

Where to find your calendar

Your dates usually come from two or three places, and you need all of them.

Your county election office. Often called the board of elections, voter registration office or county clerk. For most local races, this is where you file and where the local calendar lives.
Your state election commission or secretary of state. The state sets the big dates, such as primary and general election days, and often publishes a statewide calendar and candidate guide each cycle.
Your state ethics or campaign finance agency. In many states, finance reports go to a separate agency with its own deadlines. That agency may not appear anywhere on the election office's calendar.

If you're running for a city office, also check with the city clerk. Some cities run their own elections on their own schedule.

The key dates and what they mean

Calendars use their own shorthand. Here's what the common entries mean for you as a candidate.

Date on the calendar	What it means for you
Filing period opens and closes	The window when you can officially become a candidate. Miss the close and you're off the ballot for that election.
Petition deadline	If your office requires signatures, they may be due at filing or on a separate date.
Withdrawal deadline	The last day to remove your name from the ballot.
Voter registration deadline	The last day new voters can register for that election. Useful for any registration push.
Absentee and early voting	Voting starts before Election Day. Your message needs to reach voters before this window opens, not after.
Primary and runoff	For partisan races, the party nomination. A runoff may follow if no one wins outright under your state's rules.
General election	The final vote for the office.
Certification and protest deadline	When results become official, and the last day to formally challenge them.
Finance report due dates	When you must disclose money raised and spent. Often on a separate calendar.

A real example: South Carolina in 2026

To see how these pieces fit together, here's how one state laid out its 2026 cycle. This is an example only. Your state, and even your county, may be very different.

According to the South Carolina Election Commission, candidate filing for the 2026 cycle opened at noon on March 16 and closed at noon on March 30. The statewide primaries were held June 9, with runoffs, where needed, on June 23. The general election was November 3, 2026.

The money calendar came from a different agency. The South Carolina State Ethics Commission lists quarterly campaign disclosure reports due April 10, July 10, October 10 and January 10 for candidates who keep a balance in their campaign account. It also requires a pre-election report no later than 15 days before each election.

Notice what this means in practice. A South Carolina candidate in a contested primary had filing, quarterly reports, a pre-election report, the primary itself and possibly a runoff, all inside about four months. Without a written calendar, it would be easy to miss one.

Partisan and nonpartisan races can run on different clocks

Don't assume your race follows the same calendar as the races at the top of the ballot. Nonpartisan offices, such as many school board seats, may file at a different time, use petitions instead of a party filing, or skip the primary entirely. Some cities and school districts hold elections in the spring or in odd-numbered years.

If you're unsure whether your race is partisan, read partisan vs. nonpartisan races and then confirm with the election office which calendar applies to your specific seat.

Turn the dates into a plan

A list of dates is not yet a plan. The plan is what you do in the weeks before each date. A simple way to build it:

Write down every fixed date from all of your sources, including finance reports.
Mark the start of early and absentee voting. Treat it as your real deadline for reaching voters, since some people will vote that first day.
Work backward from each date. If mail pieces need two weeks to print and deliver, put the order date on the calendar too.
Add a reminder a week before every finance report. Reports take longer than you think the first time.
Put the whole calendar where your team can see it, and review it every week.

Our free election calendar builder does much of this for you. Enter your filing window, election dates and first report date, and it lays out the steps that come before each one. You can download it into Google, Apple or Outlook Calendar.

Common calendar mistakes

Using last cycle's calendar. Dates shift every cycle, and sometimes the rules do too.
Tracking election dates but forgetting the finance calendar.
Planning to file on the last day. A missing document or a long line can cost you your spot.
Saving all your voter contact for Election Day week, after many people have already voted early or by mail.
Forgetting that the calendar keeps going after the election, with final reports and closing steps.

That last one surprises a lot of first-time candidates. For what comes next, see compliance deadlines to track and closing out after Election Day.

Your next steps

This week, call or visit your county election office and ask for the candidate guide for your office. Then find your state's campaign finance agency and download its report schedule. Put both into one calendar before you spend a dollar or print a single sign.

Once your dates are in hand, the rest of the campaign gets easier to plan. If you haven't filed yet, start with how to file for local office.

Common questions

Where do I find the election calendar for my race?

Start with your county election office and your state election commission or secretary of state. Most publish an election calendar each cycle, and many post a candidate guide that lists filing periods and key dates.

Is the campaign finance calendar the same as the election calendar?

Usually not. Finance reports are often set by a separate agency, such as a state ethics commission, and have their own due dates. Get both calendars and put them side by side.

What if my race is nonpartisan?

Nonpartisan races may skip the party primary, file at a different time, or appear only on the general election ballot. Check the candidate guide for your specific office rather than assuming it follows the partisan calendar.

Can a filing deadline be extended if I'm a few minutes late?

Don't count on it. Filing deadlines are often set by law to a specific day and time. Plan to file early in the window, not on the last afternoon.

Sources

Rules change. Always confirm with your own state and local election offices.