The short version
In Wisconsin you get on the ballot mainly through nomination papers — collect voter signatures and file the papers with the right filing officer. The number of signatures depends on the office, and there's generally no filing fee.
- Offices you can run for
- Federal (U.S. House and Senate); statewide offices (Governor and other state officials); the State Senate and Assembly; county, municipal, and school-district offices; and (nonpartisan) judicial seats.
- How to get on the ballot
- Obtain nomination papers and collect the required signatures for your office. Federal, statewide, and multi-jurisdictional judicial candidates file with the Wisconsin Elections Commission; local candidates file with their county, municipal, or school-district clerk. Use the Commission's Ballot Access checklist for your office to confirm the exact signature count and deadline.
- Who runs candidate filing
- Wisconsin Elections Commission
This is a plain-language overview, not legal advice. Filing deadlines and fees change every election cycle and vary by office — the official Wisconsin resources below are the final word. When in doubt, the elections authority is right and we're wrong.
Official Wisconsin candidate resources
Start here for the exact deadlines, fees, forms, and signature counts for your office and cycle.
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. Wisconsin is fully available — see how to get your voter file.
Talk to us about your Wisconsin 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.