Local Candidate Filing Information

McDonald County Offices Candidate Filing Information

Candidate filing is the official action that places a candidate’s name on the ballot for an upcoming election. Interested candidates file at the office responsible for the position. The County Clerk’s office is the proper filing place for candidates for county offices, such as the Clerk of the County Commission; however, school district offices, water districts, fire districts, villages, and city clerk offices are responsible for their local entity candidate filing, respectively, so candidates for those positions should contact those offices for specific filing information.

Open County Offices for the August 4, 2026 Primary Election winners advance to November 3, 2026 General Election

The filing period for the August 4, 2026, Primary Election:

  • Opens: 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, February 24, 2026
  • Closes: 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 31, 2026

The filing period for the November 3, 2026 General Election:

  • Opens: 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 7, 2026
  • Closes: 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 28, 2026

Each candidate will sign a Declaration of Candidacy (provided by the County Clerk’s Office) that if elected the candidate will qualify. Qualifications can be found in the Missouri Revisor of Statutes and the Constitution of Missouri. Persons wishing to file as a candidate for the following open offices shall file in the office of the McDonald County Clerk, 502 Main Street Pineville, Missouri 64856:

  • Associate Circuit Judge, Divisions 40
  • Presiding Commissioner
  • Circuit Clerk
  • County Clerk
  • County Collector*
  • County Treasurer*
  • Prosecuting Attorney
  • Recorder of Deeds*
  • County Committeemen and Committeewomen (Republican, Democratic)

How to File

Candidates will fill out a declaration of candidacy at the time of filing. Candidates will need to bring with them:

  1. Proof of Identity – a Voter ID card, Missouri driver’s license, birth certificate, or other form of certified or photo ID;
  2. A copy of the candidate’s Form 5120, which the candidate can file online or by mail with the Department of Revenue before filing as a candidate. This form affirms that the candidate is not currently aware of any delinquency in the filing or payment of any state income taxes, personal property taxes, municipal taxes or real property taxes on the place of residence, as stated on the declaration of candidacy, or is not a past or present corporate officer of any fee office that owes any taxes to the state, other than those taxes which may be in dispute; and
  3. A filing fee receipt showing that the candidate has paid their filing fee to the treasurer of the county central committee of the political party of whose ticket they seek nomination. The filing fee for candidates for county office is $100. There is no filing fee for candidates for county committeemen and committee women. In lieu of a receipt, the County Clerk’s Office can accept a check for the filing fee on behalf of the county party central committee. Checks should be made out to the County Committee of the political party.
  4. Candidates for County Collector, County Treasurer, Public Administrator, and Recorder of Deeds must also bring a copy of a signed affidavit from a surety company authorized to do business in this state indicating that the candidate meets the statutory bond requirement for the office. The bond requirement for County Collector is $750,000 (RsMo 52.010) and the bond requirement for Recorder of Deeds and Public Administrator is $5,000, the bond amount for Treasurer is $500,000 (Minutes 02-19-2014) and must have a bond rider for up to $2 Million Dollars as Custodian of School Funds. Please note:
    • Candidates are not required to purchase the bond to be a candidate, but they do need a surety company to provide the affidavit stating they meet the bonding requirements at the time of the bond application. The bonding company is not required to guarantee that the candidate will be bondable at the time of taking office.
    • Candidates may request an affidavit from their choice of surety company authorized to do business in Missouri. If elected, the county will purchase the bond on behalf of the office holder. County official bonds are currently purchased through Naught-Naught Insurance Agency.
      • Sample Affidavit from Surety Company to be printed on Company Letterhead
        To: McDonald County Clerk
        Re: Public Official Bond for [insert name of candidate]
        We have reviewed the application for a Public Official bond for the above-named candidate for the office of [insert office] in McDonald County, Missouri. We would be willing to provide their public official bond in the amount of [insert bond requirement amount] if elected, subject to there being no significant changes to their personal financial position, moral character, disclosures of financial mismanagement of a material nature for which they share responsibility, or potentially any other unfavorable underwriting criteria the company deems relevant to the applicant’s ability to be bonded, between now and the date the term of office starts.
        We may also find it necessary to review the most recent ‘Audit’ and ‘Auditors Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting and on Compliance and Other Matters’, for deficiencies in internal controls, as part of our decision whether to provide a bond for that position.
        Sincerely,
        [Name of Surety Company Authorized to do Business in Missouri]
        Signature of Underwriter______________________
        Printed Name of Underwriter___________________
        Date Signed____________

Once a candidate has filed, they will receive a copy of their declaration, as well as important information about ethics requirements and campaign finance deadlines.

Documents Needed for Filing

Campaign Finance Reporting or Personal Financial Disclosure: The Missouri Ethics Commission can be reached at 800-392-8660, 573-751-2020, or on their website.

State Candidate Filing
For federal office, statewide office, State Senator, State Representative, or Circuit Judge, candidates must file with the Missouri Secretary of State.

Filing fee (RSMo. 115.306 and 115.357)

$100 – County Offices, Associate Circuit Court Judges, County Prosecuting Attorney, Presiding Commissioner, Collector of Revenue, County Clerk, Treasurer, Recorder of Deeds, and Circuit Clerk

No filing fee for Township Committeemen and Committeewomen

Proof of Identity – Photo ID allowed for voting. (RSMo. 115.355(4))

Proof of the Candidate’s Affidavit of Tax Payments (Form 5120), filed with the Missouri Department of Revenue. (This requirement does not apply to Township Committee positions.)

Candidates are required to file a Candidate’s Affidavit of Tax Payments and Bonding Requirements form (Form 5120) with the Department of Revenue.

Independent Candidates

The deadline for submitting petitions for Independent Candidate nominations for the Nov. 3, 2026 General Election is July 27, 2026 by 5 p.m. (RSMo. 115.329).

An Independent Candidate is a person who:
Is not a candidate of any political party, and
Is running for an office for which political party candidates may run (RSMo. 115.013(13)), and
Submits the required number of petition signatures from registered voters in the district (RSMo. 115.321(4)), and
Has filed a Candidate’s Affidavit of Tax Payments (Form 5120), and
Has filed a Declaration of Intent as an Independent Candidate (RSMo. 115.327).
More information, including Candidate Declaration & Petition Forms, can be found at the Missouri Secretary of State website.

Number of Signatures Required:
County Office: Registered voters in the district which is equal to at least 2% of the total number of voters who voted at the last election for candidates for the office being sought, or is equal to 10,000 voters, whichever is less (RSMo. 115.321(4))

Where to Submit Petitions:
For federal office, statewide office, State Senator, State Representative, or Circuit Judge, submit the petition to Missouri Secretary of State.
A petition for a county office must be submitted to the Election Authority (RSMo. 115.321(1))

Write-In Candidates

The deadline for submitting a Write-in Candidate Declaration of Intent for the Nov. 3, 2026 election is Oct. 23, 2026 by 5 p.m. (RSMo. 115.453(4)).

A “Write-In Candidate” is a person:
Whose name is not printed on the ballot (RSMo. 115.453(4)); and
Who has filed a Declaration of Intent to be a write-in candidate for election to office prior to 5 p.m. on the second Friday immediately preceding Election Day.

Are write-in votes counted for every name that is written in?
No. If a candidate is on the ballot for an office, write-in votes are counted only for the candidates who have properly filed a Declaration of Intent to be a write-in (RSMo. 115.453(4)). If no candidate is on the ballot for an office, a Declaration of Intent is not required and votes are counted for every name properly written in (RSMo. 115.453(4)).

How does a write-in candidate file?
Documents needed for filing are outlined in (RSMo. 115.306).

Declaration of Intent
Proof of Identity – Photo identification allowed for voting. (RSMo. 115.355(4))

Proof of the Candidate’s Affidavit of Tax Payments (Form 5120), filed with the Missouri Department of Revenue. This requirement does not apply to candidates running for federal office (RSMo. 115.306).

Where does a write-in candidate submit a Declaration of Intent?
For federal office, statewide office, State Senator, State Representative, or Circuit Judge:
File with the Missouri Secretary of State

For a county office:
File with the Election Authority (RSMo. 115.453(4))

For a municipal or school district office:
File with the appropriate Entity’s own Authority (RSMo. 115.453(4))

Can a write-in candidate be on a primary election ballot?
No, per RSMo. 115.453(5).

If a candidate runs in a primary election and loses, can the person run in the general election for the same office?
No. If a candidate files for nomination to an office and is not nominated at a Primary Election, that candidate cannot file a Declaration of Intent to be a write-in candidate for the same office at the General Election (RSMo. 115.453(4)).

If you have additional questions, please contact the County Clerk’s Office at mcdonald.county@sos.mo.gov

Home » Local Candidate Filing Information