Information for Candidates - Filing for Office in 2021


2021 Open Offices Withdrawal Form Candidate Election Guide


See who has filed for office


Candidate Filing Week is May 17 - 21.   

Online candidate filing opens Monday, May 17 at 9:00 a.m. 

Online candidate filing closes at 4 p.m. sharp on Friday, May 21. Submit your online filing prior to 4 p.m.

 

In-person filing ends Friday, May 21 at 4:30 p.m. at the Pierce County Election Center, located at 2501 South 35th St. Suite C in Tacoma.

Last day for a candidate to withdraw is 4:30 p.m., May 24, 2021.


Voters’ Pamphlet Information

Must be submitted online. Deadline to submit information is the week after filing week closes - Friday, May 28, at 4:30 p.m.

You will receive an email after your Declaration of Candidacy has been approved with a link to submit your
voters’ pamphlet information.


Have your biography information, statement, and photo ready before you start the pamphlet submittal process.


Once submitted, all biographical information, statements, and photos are final. They can’t be amended by the candidate.


Please prepare the following three items in advance:

1. Biography - Word limit - 100

The biographical information must be 100 words or less allocated between four subsection headings.


Biographical information should be organized in accordance with the four subsection headings listed below. Subsection headings are not included in the word count.


  • Elected Experience. (Judges use Legal/Judicial Experience) 
  • Other Professional Experience. 
  • Education. 
  • Community Service. 

When a candidate doesn’t submit information for a particular subsection heading, “No information submitted” will appear in that subsection area.


2. Statement - Word limit 

State Senator – 200 words - 4 paragraphs
State Representative – 100 words - 2 paragraphs
County offices – 200 words - 4 paragraphs
Judicial offices – 200 words - 4 paragraphs

Local offices – 200 words - 4 paragraphs

Hyphenated or slashed words will be counted as a separate words. (Example - "Around-the-corner" = 3 words)      
      

3. Photo

  • Submit one portrait photo -  jpeg or .tiff (Head and shoulders) For best results use a light-colored background, (not white).
  • Photos should be less than 1 MB, (If larger, photos take will take too long to load for the online guide.)  
  • Clothing or insignia that suggest holding a public office are not allowed (e.g., judicial robes, law enforcement or military uniforms).
  • Color or black and white photo. (Color will be used in the online guide, and converted to black and white for the printed Local Voters’ Pamphlet.)

You may NOT submit a new statement for the General Election. The information submitted will be used for both the Primary Election and General Election.



Additional Resources

Public Disclosure Commission
Candidates are advised to verify that they are in compliance with all state, county, and local laws.

Archived Election Information
Looking for examples of candidate statements? See voters’ pamphlets from previous elections.