The 2027 elections calendar: governor races, mayoral elections and the filing deadlines that come first

Election Day 2027 is Tuesday, November 2. That day Kentucky and Mississippi elect governors, New Jersey, Virginia and Mississippi elect their legislatures, and Houston and Indianapolis choose mayors, while Louisiana holds its governor's primary in October with a runoff on November 20. The year starts much earlier than most people expect: Chicago elects a mayor on February 23, Wisconsin fills an open Supreme Court seat on April 6, Texas cities vote on May 1, and several 2027 filing deadlines have already passed or fall before mid-February.

This guide lays out the 2027 calendar race by race, with the official source for each date, and then shows how a campaign should plan backward from its filing deadline. Dates come from state and city election offices where they have published them, and from Ballotpedia and other trackers where they have not. Confirm every date with your own election office before you build a plan on it, because legislatures and city councils do move them.

When is Election Day 2027?

The general election date in most states is November 2, 2027, the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Kentucky's State Board of Elections, for example, lists November 2, 2027 as the next general election. No regularly scheduled congressional or presidential races are on the 2027 ballot. Those return in 2028.

That makes 2027 a state and local year. Governors, legislators, mayors, council members, judges, school boards, prosecutors and ballot measures fill the calendar, and many of them vote on dates other than November 2. Louisiana, Texas, Wisconsin, Illinois and Tennessee all hold major 2027 elections on their own schedules.

Election Day is not one of the federal holidays set by law, so for most workers November 2, 2027 is a normal workday. If you are a voter, check your state's voting leave rules and your early voting options. If you are a campaign, plan your GOTV around the fact that most of your voters will be at work.

2027 elections calendar: key dates at a glance

2027 gubernatorial elections: Kentucky, Mississippi and Louisiana

Three states elect governors in 2027. According to Wikipedia's 2027 gubernatorial overview, Kentucky and Mississippi vote on November 2. Louisiana runs on its own fall calendar. Two of the three are open seats.

Kentucky governor 2027

Gov. Andy Beshear is term-limited, and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman announced in April 2026 that she will run to replace him. In Kentucky the governor and lieutenant governor run together as a ticket. The Kentucky calendar moves fast. The state's official 2027 calendar sets the candidate filing deadline at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, January 8, 2027 (the first Friday after the first Monday in January), and the same calendar shows that signatures could be collected starting Wednesday, November 4, 2026. The primary is May 18, 2027, and the voter registration deadline for it is April 19, 2027 at 4:00 p.m. A candidate who has not started collecting signatures is already behind.

Mississippi governor 2027

Gov. Tate Reeves is term-limited, and the 2027 ballot is crowded. Ballotpedia counts ten state executive offices up for election, from governor and lieutenant governor to the insurance and agriculture commissioners, plus both chambers of the legislature. Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson and Attorney General Lynn Fitch are among the declared candidates for governor, per Mississippi Today. As of this writing Ballotpedia lists the 2027 filing deadline and primary dates as pending. For a sense of timing, the last cycle had a qualifying deadline of February 1, 2023, an August 8 primary and August 29 runoffs. Plan on a deadline in early 2027 and confirm with the Mississippi Secretary of State.

Louisiana governor 2027

Gov. Jeff Landry is eligible for a second term. Louisiana keeps its majority-vote system for governor: all candidates run in the same primary, and anyone above 50 percent wins outright. If no one clears a majority, the top two meet in the general election on November 20, 2027. The primary falls in October, but Ballotpedia has not yet posted the exact date, so get it from the Louisiana Secretary of State. The lieutenant governor's race runs on the same calendar, with its general election also on November 20.

2027 state legislative elections

Ballotpedia reports that eight of the 99 state legislative chambers hold regularly scheduled elections in 2027, covering 578 of the country's 7,386 seats (7.8 percent). They are both chambers in Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey and Virginia.

• New Jersey. All 40 Senate seats and all 80 Assembly seats are up. Senators serve four-year terms and Assembly members two, per Ballotpedia. The general election is November 2, 2027.
• Virginia. The full Senate and House of Delegates are on the November 2 ballot. Candidates running in a party primary pay a filing fee of 2 percent of the office's minimum annual salary.
• Mississippi. Both chambers vote November 2 alongside the statewide offices.
• Louisiana. Both chambers are up, on the state's own fall calendar rather than November 2.

Ballotpedia still lists the 2027 New Jersey primary date as pending, and both states set petition and filing deadlines well ahead of their primaries. The 2027 dates will appear on the New Jersey Division of Elections and Virginia Department of Elections sites. Get the official date in writing before you schedule a single signature shift.

2027 mayoral elections and municipal races

Odd years belong to cities. Ballotpedia tracks races in the 100 largest U.S. cities, and found that the cities in its coverage averaged 33.4 mayoral elections and 59.2 city council elections a year from 2015 to 2024. The 2027 list includes some of the biggest jobs in local government.

Election Day 2027 in Illinois: Chicago's early calendar

Chicago shows how early a 2027 race really starts. The mayoral election is February 23, 2027, with a runoff April 6 if no one wins a majority. Petition filing ran October 19 through 26, 2026, and objections to those petitions could be filed through November 2. WTTW reported that candidates could start gathering signatures in late July 2026, earlier than ever. More than a dozen candidates filed to take on Mayor Brandon Johnson. If you meant to run for alderman in 2027 and have not filed, that race is gone.

Houston and Indianapolis

Houston's 2023 race went to a December runoff, and only about 201,000 votes were cast for the two finalists. In Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Business Journal reported days after the 2026 midterms that campaigns were already shifting into a new gear for a May 2027 primary.

2027 elections in Texas

Texas runs two election days in 2027. The first is the May 1 uniform election date, when many cities and school districts elect officers. The Texas Secretary of State lists 5:00 p.m. Friday, February 12, 2027 as the last day for local candidates to file for the May ballot. That filing deadline is generally the 78th day before the election, the Secretary of State notes.

The second is November 2, when Houston elects its mayor.

A Texas council candidate for May has roughly 13 weeks from today to get on the ballot. That is enough time for a well-run campaign and not enough for one still debating whether to run.

2027 elections in Wisconsin

Wisconsin's spring election on April 6, 2027 carries an open state Supreme Court seat, after Justice Annette Ziegler announced in March 2026 that she would not seek a third 10-year term. A Court of Appeals seat, circuit judgeships and local offices share the ballot, and the spring primary is February 16, 2027. Expect heavy spending. The 2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court race was at the time the most expensive judicial election in U.S. history.

Filing deadlines: how to plan a 2027 campaign backward from the date that matters

The filing deadline is the first election you have to win. Miss it and nothing else in your plan matters. Work in this order.

1. Get the official deadline, signature count and filing fee from the office that certifies your ballot. County clerks, city clerks and boards of elections sometimes publish different calendars from the state. Ask in writing and keep the answer.
2. Register your committee before you raise or spend. Check your state's campaign finance rules before any money moves. Chicago's objection window shows that opponents read every page you file.
3. Collect more signatures than the minimum. Signatures get struck for bad addresses, unregistered signers and duplicates, so build in a cushion. Our guide to ballot measure signature gathering covers how petition drives run.
4. Set a vote goal from past odd-year turnout, not presidential turnout. San Antonio's 2023 mayoral election drew 15.33 percent turnout. Your number comes from your own jurisdiction's last comparable election.
5. Lock in field, mail and media vendors as soon as you file. Crews and production calendars fill up fast in the final weeks.
6. Build the budget around the calendar. A February election has a holiday season inside its final stretch. A November race has a summer slump. Our campaign budget guide shows how to phase spending.

How to win an off-year election with low turnout

Low turnout is an advantage for the campaign that does the work. When turnout sits near the 15 percent San Antonio saw in 2023, the winning universe is small enough to reach person by person. That is why odd-year campaigns live and die on field. Start the paid canvass early. The doors that move a February or May election get knocked in the weeks before early voting, and the program has to be hired, trained and tested before that.

Plan for three layers of contact. Doors and phones identify supporters (see our guide to canvassing cost and effectiveness). Mail and text keep your name in front of the regular voters who show up in odd years (direct mail and texting). A tight get-out-the-vote plan turns those identified supporters into ballots. Video and digital ads carry the candidate's story to everyone in between, and in an off-year with no presidential or congressional ads on the air, a well-made local spot stands out. For full spending ranges, see what it costs to run for office and our step-by-step guide on how to run for mayor or city council.

Frequently asked questions

When is Election Day 2027?

Election Day 2027 is Tuesday, November 2, the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Kentucky and Mississippi elect governors that day, and New Jersey and Virginia elect their legislatures. Louisiana is the exception, with its primary in October and general election on November 20.

Is Election Day 2027 a holiday?

No. Election Day is not on the federal holiday list, so most employers treat November 2, 2027 as a regular workday. Voters should check their state's early voting and voting leave rules ahead of time.

What states have governor elections in 2027?

Kentucky, Louisiana and Mississippi. Kentucky and Mississippi vote November 2, and both are open seats because of term limits. Louisiana's primary is in October, with a runoff November 20 if no candidate wins a majority.

Are there any federal elections in 2027?

No regularly scheduled congressional or presidential elections fall in 2027. Special elections can occur to fill vacancies. The next full federal cycle is 2028.

When is the 2027 Chicago mayoral election?

February 23, 2027. If no candidate wins more than 50 percent, the top two meet in a runoff on April 6, 2027. Petition filing closed October 26, 2026.

What are the 2027 elections in Texas?

Texas has a May 1, 2027 uniform election date for many cities and school districts, with a candidate filing deadline of February 12. Houston votes on November 2, 2027.

What is on the ballot in Wisconsin in 2027?

An open Wisconsin Supreme Court seat headlines the April 6, 2027 spring election, along with a Court of Appeals seat and local offices. The spring primary is February 16, 2027.

When's the next mayoral election in my city?

Check your city clerk or county election office first, since local schedules vary widely. Many large cities, including Chicago, Houston, Indianapolis and Fort Worth, elect mayors in 2027. Ballotpedia keeps a list of 2027 mayoral elections in the 100 largest U.S. cities.

How Leo Operations approaches this

Leo Operations is a national field, media and creative firm headquartered in Nashville. Founder Rodriquez Wright II has worked political campaigns since 2012, including as campaign manager for Howard Gentry's 2015 Nashville mayoral campaign and Omar Passons' 2018 San Diego County Supervisor race, field director for Kansas City bond and streetcar campaigns, and coordinator of canvass programs in Chicago and Las Vegas. Our field programs have knocked more than 650,000 doors. We have served 40+ campaigns, officials and causes, with campaign, ballot and organizing work in 25 states, including Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, Virginia, Texas, Illinois and Pennsylvania.

On a 2027 race we start with the calendar. We confirm the filing deadline and signature requirement, run the petition drive if there is one, then build paid canvassing, voter contact and GOTV around the real turnout number. Our media team produces the ads, video, photography, website and social content from the same plan, so field and message hit voters on the same schedule.

If you are planning a 2027 run, email us your race and election date and we will tell you honestly what it takes.