Community Voices: So you want to run for office?

This Community Voices column is written by Shauna Reilly, a political science professor at Northern Kentucky University.

Whether you are happy with the status quo or want to change the world, now is a good time to consider a run for office.

With no statewide elections this fall, there is an opportunity to think more broadly about different ways to serve the Commonwealth and our local communities. 2026 will be a big election year here in Kentucky with US House and Senate elections – particularly with Mitch McConnell not running for reelection after serving 42 years. There will also be Kentucky House and Senate elections and Judge Executive and local elections here in Northern Kentucky. 

First step: Think about what offices have upcoming elections and if you are interested in serving in those capacities.

City commission is a great way to serve and get your ‘feet wet,’ but there are a myriad of positions at the local level that could be of interest and align with your skills and experience.  There are different official qualification (age and residency) requirements based on the office you seek. That said, it is common for candidates to put out feelers or even announce their intention to run prior to completing paperwork to do so.

 Once you are ready to make it official, the Kentucky’s Secretary of State‘s website for statewide offices (president/vice president, United States senator, United States representative, governor/lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, auditor of public accounts, state treasurer, commissioner of agriculture, state senator, state representatives, supreme court justice, judge of the Court of Appeals, circuit judge, district judge and commonwealth attorney).

Typically, these have a filing fee of $200 to $1,000, depending on the office. Vice presidents and lieutenant governor positions are filed with the president and governor respectively and are not up for election separately. 

It gets a bit more complicated as these statewide offices are mostly partisan elections. If you are interested in running in a partisan election (one where there are party labels on the ballot), there are primary elections to determine the party’s candidate prior to the election. 

Once candidates decide to file the form of declaration with the secretary of state, the form requires signatures from at least two registered votes of the same party as the candidate in the same district where the candidate is running.  The declaration dates for primary candidates needs to be signed between Nov. 5, 2025 and Jan. 9, 2026. Please note that many local races are not partisan elections (at least not officially). 

Each county clerk also has forms for those offices (circuit court clerk, county judge/executive, county clerk, county attorney, sheriff, jailer, coroner, property valuation administrator, surveyor, magistrate/justice of the peace, constable, social and water conservation district supervisor, major, legislative body, and board of education/school board members). Many of these have much smaller filing fees of $20-$50 .

Some offices require additional qualifications beyond age and residency.

The attorney general and other judicial offices require candidates to be licensed to practice law and some lengths of service in those roles. Additionally, there are some professional licensures that are required as part of the filing qualifications for some of these other roles (ex. surveyor candidates must hold a Kentucky license as a professional land surveyor.

Candidates who plan to run in the 2026 cannot file with the county until the first Wednesday after the first Monday in November (or Nov. 5, 2025), but candidates have to register before Jan. 9, 2026.

Now on to the second step: Time to network and build some momentum. 

Rarely do candidates win just by having their name on the ballot – there is work to be done in terms of campaigning and fundraising and even just getting their names out in the community.

For folks wanting to spend money on their campaigns (which is highly likely), they need to file a statement of spending with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance (required for any candidate who plans to raise or spend more than $5,000 during an election).

Certainly, living in the region, many folks have an ingrained network but it is still important to get out there for name recognition on the ballot. 

This is the fun part of running for office and will mimic some of the work of these roles too, such as being active and engaged in the community.

So if you are interested in serving your community, seize the opportunity to run for office in 2026 – I’ll look for you on the ballot!

If you have an idea for a Community Voices column, email Meghan Goth at mgoth@linknky.com.

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