The short version
Utah gives candidates more than one route onto the primary ballot: you can go through your party's convention, gather signatures, or do both. You start by filing a Declaration of Candidacy with your filing officer and paying a filing fee.
- Offices you can run for
- Federal (U.S. House and Senate); statewide offices (Governor and other state officials); the Utah Senate and House; county and municipal offices; and judicial seats (retention).
- How to get on the ballot
- File a Declaration of Candidacy with your filing officer and pay the filing fee; on the same form most candidates also declare whether they'll gather signatures. Federal candidates file with the Lieutenant Governor's Office; other candidates file with their county clerk. Signature gatherers must be at least 18, and signers can't be paid. The 2026 Candidate Manual lists the fee and signature counts by office.
- Who runs candidate filing
- Utah Lieutenant Governor's Office — Elections
This is a plain-language overview, not legal advice. Filing deadlines and fees change every election cycle and vary by office; the official Utah resources below are the final word. When in doubt, the elections authority is right and we're wrong.
Find your Utah county
Every county runs its own filing office and its own local races. See all 29 Utah counties, each with its election office, fees, deadlines and local facts.
The 2027 ballot in Utah.
These 2027 dates are confirmed against the state's own published calendar or statute. Anything our research could not confirm is left off this page rather than estimated.
-
August 10, 2027
Primary — Municipal.
Municipal primary, held only where more than two candidates file for a seat.
Candidate filing: opens Jun 1, 2027, closes Jun 7, 2027.
Source -
November 2, 2027
Municipal General — Municipal.
Municipal election: mayors and city and town council members, plus most special district boards.
Candidate filing: opens Jun 1, 2027, closes Jun 7, 2027.
Source 1 · Source 2
2027 dates can move, and a municipality can change its own election date by ordinance. Which seats are on a given ballot depends on when each was last filled. Confirm anything you are relying on with the county election office before you act on it.
Official Utah candidate resources
Start here for the exact deadlines, fees, forms, and signature counts for your office and cycle. Note: 2026 filing has closed in most states, so these resources govern the standing rules; check the official calendar for your next filing window.
Once you're on the ballot, Motion51 runs your field game.
Get your district's voter file loaded, cut into walkable turf, and onto an app your volunteers use at the door. Utah is fully available; see how to get your voter file.
Talk to us about your Utah race
Tell us what you're running for and we'll help you go from "qualified" to "knocking doors": voter file loaded, turf cut, volunteers set up.