CANDIDATE RESOURCES
How to become a candidate
The following is just the beginning. Please call our office at 407.585.VOTE and schedule an appointment to speak about the details of running for office in Seminole County.
Who can run for office?
Anyone who is a registered voter in Seminole County.
Candidate Forms Needed To Run and Qualify for Office:
Below are links to the initial filing documents that are needed to become a candidate as well as the qualifying documents needed. Available links below also include the Candidate, Political Committee, and State Qualifying Handbooks.
DS-DE 09 Appointment of Campaign Treasurer and Designation of Campaign Depository
DS-DE 83 Statement of Candidate for Judicial Office: must be filed within 10 days after filing Form DS-DE 9
DS-DE 84 Statement of Candidate: must be filed within 10 days after filing Form DS-DE 9.
*You may announce your candidacy at any time; however, you may NOT open a campaign account, accept contributions, incur expenditures or collect signatures on a candidate petition until the above forms have been filed.*
- Candidate and Campaign Treasurer Handbook (Rev. 09/2024)
- 2024 Candidate Petition Handbook (Rev. 01/2024)
- 2024 Political Committee Handbook (Rev. 03/2023)
- 2024 State Qualifying Handbook (Rev. 01/2024)
Forms to be filed during Qualifying period. Qualifying documents can be submitted no more than 14 days prior to the beginning of the qualifying period.
Form 6 information (Electronic)
Form 1 information (Electronic) For Special District Candidates
1. Candidate Oath (must be notarized). The Oath depends on the office being sought:
- State and Local Partisan Office - With Party Affiliation
- State and Local Partisan Office - No Party Affiliation
- State and Local Partisan Office - Write-In Candidate
- Nonpartisan Office
- School Board
- Judicial
2. Pay the Qualifying Fee, or Submit the Petition Certificate
- Candidates must submit the petitions to the Supervisor of Elections for verification prior to noon of the 28th day preceding the first day of the Qualifying Period.
- Candidates are required to pay a $0.10 per petition signature verification fee.
- Candidates who meet the required number of valid petitions required will be issued a Petition Certificate to submit during the Qualifying Period in lieu of paying the qualifying fee. Candidates who fail to qualify by the petition method will be required to pay the qualifying fee for the office sought in order to obtain ballot position.
Filing Officer
The filing officer is the person before whom a candidate qualifies:
- Division: State, multi-county district, and judicial offices (except county court judge)
- Supervisor of Elections: County court judge, countywide, and special district offices (except multi-county offices)
- Municipal Clerk: Municipal offices
Does it cost any money to be a candidate?
It does not cost anything to decide and file to begin running for office. However, in order to become a qualified candidate with placement on the ballot you'll need to either pay a qualifying fee or collect petitions.
What are the qualifying fees?
The fees are based on a percentage of the salary of the position being sought and whether you are running for an office based on your party affiliation.
Below are the 2026 qualifying fees:
- County Judge: $7,590.20
- County Commissioner: $6,778.98
- School Board: $2,104.04
- Special Districts (Soil and Water Conservation; Dovera CDD):
$25.00
Fees are due during qualifying week.
2026 Qualifying Fees & Information
Where to File?
All qualifying fees and documents for county level offices open for election in Seminole County must be complete and received by the Seminole County Supervisor of Elections office before the end of qualifying period at the following address:
Supervisor of Elections
1500 E Airport Boulevard
Sanford FL 32773
What are the qualifying dates?
2026 Qualifying Dates:
- Federal and Judicial offices: April 20 (noon) – April 24 (noon)
- State, county, and special district offices: June 8 (noon) – June 12 (noon)
Can I still run without paying the qualifying fee?
Yes. For countywide offices you can gather, and have verified by our office, petition forms signed by voters using form DS-DE 104 (Rev. 09/11) Candidate Petition Form:
DS-DE 104 (English)
2026 Petition Requirements (F.S. 99.095):
- Seminole County Petition threshold: 3,510
- Federal and Judicial offices - Submission deadline: March 23, 2026 (noon)
- State, county and special district offices - Submission deadline: May 11, 2026 (noon)
You may also choose to run as a write-in candidate where your name won't appear on the ballot but you will still be a candidate.
How much of my finances will become public record?
As part of qualifying for office you'll have to complete a statement of financial interests. At a minimum, the disclosure includes where you receive your income and what you own. If you are running for a countywide office, the disclosure must include the amounts you receive and the value of your assets and liabilities.
How often do I report my fundraising totals?
Generally, these will need to be reported monthly for all candidates and committees; but as the election gets closer, they need to be reported more often.
What are the campaign sign regulations in Seminole County?
See below:
| County/Municipality | Initial Fees | Building Permit | Removal | Contact | Ordinance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seminole County | None | Campaign signs are allowed after the candidate’s qualification for an election. No signs are permitted in the ROW or on public property. No signs greater than 32 square feet allowed on a commercial property or 16 square feet on a residential property. Permission must be obtained by the property owner prior to placing signs. No building permit is required for signs less than the 32/16 square foot thresholds. Signs greater than 32 square feet require a building permit. | 7 Days after campaign. Once the candidate is no longer a viable candidate. | Building Division 407-665-7050 | Seminole County - Land Development Code/Chapter 2 Special Event, Sec 30.13.3.-Sign standards, Sec. 30.13.7.-Building permit required. |
| Altamonte Springs | None | No signs permitted in the ROW or on public property. No signs greater than 32 square feet on commercial property or 16 square feet on residential property. No building permit is required for signs less than the 32/16 square foot thresholds. | 7 Days after campaign. Once the candidate is no longer a viable candidate. | Building and Fire Safety Department 407-571-8433 | Political Sign Information Acknowledgement Form/Receipt; prrovided by City Clerk. Altamonte Springs Land Development Code, Article III, 3.42.10 - Political Signs |
| Casselberry | None | No political sign is permitted in the public ROW. Temporary political campaign signs no larger than 6 square feet residential property and 32 square feet in commercial districts. All signs must be placed on private property with pre-authorization of property owner. | 7 Days after campaign | City Clerk 407-262-7700 x1133 | City of Casselberry Temporary Political Campaign Sign Placement Criteria: (Section 3-16.4, Article XVI, Signs, Chapter III, Performance Criteria, of the ULDR) |
| Lake Mary | Any sign larger than 6 sq ft requires a $4.00 registration fee and applicaton | No political sign is permitted in the public ROW. Temporary Signs can be no larger than 6 square feet on residential property, 32 square feet commercial property and 64 square feet in commercial/industrial/office zoning districts. | Additional temporary signage during electons shall be allowed for 90 days prior to and 7 calendar days following any Federal, State, Seminole County or City election. | Community Development 407-585-1459 | Lake Mary Land Development Code - Sign Regulations Table 2 Temporary Signs. |
| Longwood | No permit or fees are required during the election period for temporary ground signs and yard signs meeting the standards of LDC 6.6.0. | Signs 6 square feet or less residential areas and 32 square feet maximum for non-residential areas. No signs are permitted on the ROW or public property. | 7 Days after campaign | City Clerk 407-260-3441 | Longwood Development Code Article VI Signs, Ordinance 22-2220, LDC 6.6.0 Temporary Signs |
| Oviedo | $30 | No signs permitted in the public ROW. No permit is needed if the sign is six square feet or less. Please Note: political campaign signs are prohibited on city property. Exception the placement of political campaign signs or advertisements on City-owned property shall be prohibited unless the property serves as a polling place for an election. Any political campaign sign may be removed by a code enforcement agent if not properly placed acording to city ordinance 1757. | 10 Days after campaign | Permits maybe obtained from Planning Division of Development Services Dept. 407-971-5794 407-971-5759 | Ordinance No. 1757 Section 30-3 Political campaign signs |
| Sanford | $250 (larger than 32 sf) | No signs permitted in the public ROW or on public property. No signs greater than 32 square feet on commercial property or 6 square feet per sign, not to exceed a cumulative total of 30 additional square feet assigned a residential/classification. All such campaign signs shall be located on private property. | 7 Days after campaign | Planning & Development Services 407-688-5146 | Schedule K of Land Development Regulations Section 19.0 - Temporary Signs |
| Winter Springs | $45 | No signs permitted in the public ROW. Temporary signs no larger than 6 square feet on residential property and 9 square feet for non-residential property. No temporary sign shall exceed thirty-six (36) square feet in area. | 3 Days after campaign | Building Department 407-327-1800 |
What are the solicitation boundaries at the polls?
See our
candidate FAQs for more info.
What if I want to run for office in my city?
Candidates who wish to run for city-level offices should contact their city clerk, who is the qualifying officer for mayor, city commission, or city council.
More information about each city’s elections can be found at the following links:
Have additional questions?
Please see our FAQs for even more answers...
