A new ordinance passed recently by the City Commission means candidates running for Mayor or Commissioner positions must have been registered as a city voter for at least 365 days prior to the qualifying date of June 8th, 2026.
Jim Cooke, the City’s Treasurer Clerk, said this is a requirement for many cities of a similar population size to Tallahassee, like Hollywood and Port St. Lucie. According to the Supervisor of Elections Office, three candidates have filed so far for the November 2026 General Election. Watch the video to find out about other changes you need to know for next year’s election cycle.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
If you’re a candidate looking to run for a City position in next year’s election cycle, you now must have lived within the City limits for at least one year. The City recently passed this ordinance stipulating this new rule.
A new ordinance now means that candidates running for Mayor or City Commissioner must have been a registered City voter for 365 days before the qualifying date of June 8th, 2026. This is a regulation that will apply to all future election cycles.
The previous version of the City’s Election Code said candidates had to be residents at the time of qualifying.
“That’s a provision that we’ve in our research found was common across all of our large city peers,” said Jim Cooke, the City’s Treasurer-Clerk.
Some of these cities include Port St Lucie and Hollywood. Cooke said vast majority of cities with a similar population to Tallahassee have the one-year-requirement.
Other changes include increasing the filing fee for City positions, which is now 4% of each salary position instead of 1%, aligning this fee with statute and other elected positions.
According to the Supervisor of Elections Office website, three candidates have filed for the 2026 General Election so far.
Leon County Supervisor of Elections, Mark Earley, said candidates can file now, but qualifying will not begin until June 8th, 2026.
“Filing allows a candidate to open a bank account, start collecting campaign funds, and then you can pay for signs and all that kind of stuff. So filing is the first step, really, or researching the office, making sure you know all the parameters surrounding that office,” said Earley, adding he is expecting high voter turnout for next year’s elections.
“We’re usually for gubernatorial election years in the general, we’re usually high 50s to mid 60s. I would say we’re probably going to be in the mid-60s,” said Earley. “So, I think it’s going to be a pretty good year for a gubernatorial election here in Leon County.”
The Elections Office said they are releasing website redesign in early September, where candidates and voters will be able to find all information about how to vote and how to run for local office.
“Don’t be afraid to run for office,” said Earley. “We need valuable, qualified people. And so, you know, we’re here to help, you know, as much as we can.”
A reminder that the first day of qualifying for the general election is June 8 of 2026, so candidates must have lived within City limits from before June 8 of this year, in order to qualify.
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