Running for Office in Ottawa County

Filing Form and Deadlines

All candidates, with the exception of candidates running in District 85, must submit an Affidavit of Identity in duplicate to the Michigan Department of State’s Bureau of Elections by Tuesday, April 21, 2026 at 4:00 PM in order to appear on the ballot. Write-in candidates may file with the Bureau of Elections until Friday, July 24, 2026 at 4:00 PM. Write-in candidates must submit a Write-In Candidate Declaration of Intent form in order to be elected.

Candidates running in District 85 must submit an Affidavit of Identity to the Ottawa County Clerk’s office by Tuesday, April 21, 2026 at 4:00 PM in order to appear on the ballot. Write-in candidates for District 85 may file with our office until Friday, July 24, 2026 at 4:00 PM. Write-in candidates must submit a Write-In Candidate Declaration of Intent form in order to be elected.

The Affidavit of Identity must be filled out completely and notarized before your name can appear on the ballot. Our office can notarize this form at no charge. The Affidavit of Identity should be submitted together with the appropriate filing method i.e., petitions, filing fee, or certificate of party nomination and acceptance (if applicable).

Petition or Filing Fee Requirement

All candidates must submit either petition signatures or a filing fee in order to appear on the ballot. The petition signature requirement is based on the population of the district, and all signatures must be from registered voters of the district.

All State Representative candidates for Districts 43, 85, 86, 88 and 89 which contain part of Ottawa County must collect a minimum of 200 signatures to be placed on the ballot. A filing fee of $100 can be paid in lieu of submitting petition signatures. This fee is paid to the Michigan Secretary of State’s Bureau of Elections for candidates in Districts 43, 86, 88 and 89. For candidates in District 85, this fee is paid to the Ottawa County Clerk’s Office.

All petitions must be completed on the proper form. Additional petition forms can be picked up from our office – Ottawa County Clerk / Register of Deeds, 12220 Fillmore St., Room 130, West Olive, MI 49460.

Campaign Finance Reporting Requirements

All candidates for State Representative must file campaign finance forms with the Michigan Department of State’s Bureau of Elections. Please visit mi.gov/elections for information on filing with the State.

Positions Available

Each State House District elects one member to the state legislature. All available positions which contain a part of Ottawa County are listed on the Ottawa County Candidate Listing, which can be found online at miOttawa.org/elections.

Current Candidates

All candidates who have filed for office for 2026 are listed on the Ottawa County Candidate Listing, which can be found online at miOttawa.org/elections.

Filing Form and Deadlines

All candidates must submit an Affidavit of Identity. This form must be submitted to the Spring Lake Township Clerk’s Office by Tuesday, July 21, 2026 at 4:00 PM in order to appear on the ballot. Write-in candidates may file with the Spring Lake Township Clerk’s Office until Friday, October 23, 2026 at 4:00 PM. Write-in candidates must submit a Write-In Candidate Declaration of Intent form in order to be elected.

The Affidavit of Identity must be filled out completely and notarized before your name can appear on the ballot. Our office can notarize this form at no charge. The Affidavit of Identity should be submitted together with the appropriate filing method i.e., petitions, filing fee, or certificate of party nomination and acceptance (if applicable).

Petition Requirement

All candidates must submit petition signatures in order to appear on the ballot. The petition signature requirement is based on the population of the district, and all signatures must be from registered voters of the district.

All candidates in Spring Lake Village must collect a minimum of 3 signatures to be placed on the ballot. All petitions must be completed on the proper form, and petition forms can be picked up from our office – Ottawa County Clerk / Register of Deeds, 12220 Fillmore St., Room 130, West Olive, MI 49460.

Campaign Finance Reporting Requirements

As soon as an individual becomes a “candidate” under Michigan’s Campaign Finance Act, P.A. 388 of 1976, as amended, he or she has 10 calendar days to form a Candidate Committee. After the committee’s formation date, the candidate has an additional 10 calendar days to register the committee to prevent incurring fines from failing to file. A candidate registers their Candidate Committee by filing a Statement of Organization form with the County Clerk’s office.

All new candidate committees must complete the starred * items on the Statement of Organization form.

Candidates who expect to spend or receive less than $1,000 may apply for a reporting waiver. Committees with a reporting waiver are not required to submit regular campaign finance documents to our office. However, this waiver is automatically lost if the committee goes over the $1,000 limit. To apply for the waiver, check “Yes” in box 10 on the Statement of Organization. The Reporting Waiver does not exempt a committee from filing Late Contribution Reports.

Candidates without the reporting waiver must submit regular reports to our office. In years where candidates appear on the ballot, they must submit campaign finance statements to our office before and after each election. When a candidate does not appear on the ballot, candidates must submit both Annual and Quarterly statements.

Failure to file campaign finance statements requirements will result in late filing fees.

Positions Available

Spring Lake Village elects one president every two years. The Village President will be elected during the November 3, 2026 General Election.

Current Candidates

All candidates who have filed for office for 2026 are listed on the Ottawa County Candidate Listing, which can be found online at miOttawa.org/elections.

Filing Form and Deadlines

All candidates must submit an Affidavit of Identity. This form must be submitted to the Spring Lake Township Clerk’s Office by Tuesday, July 21, 2026 at 4:00 PM in order to appear on the ballot. Write-in candidates may file with the Spring Lake Township Clerk’s Office until Friday, October 23, 2026 at 4:00 PM. Write-in candidates must submit a Write-In Candidate Declaration of Intent form in order to be elected.

The Affidavit of Identity must be filled out completely and notarized before your name can appear on the ballot. Our office can notarize this form at no charge. The Affidavit of Identity should be submitted together with the appropriate filing method i.e., petitions, filing fee, or certificate of party nomination and acceptance (if applicable).

Petition Requirement

All candidates must submit petition signatures in order to appear on the ballot. The petition signature requirement is based on the population of the district, and all signatures must be from registered voters of the district.

All candidates in Spring Lake Village must collect a minimum of 3 signatures to be placed on the ballot. All petitions must be completed on the proper form, and petition forms can be picked up from our office – Ottawa County Clerk / Register of Deeds, 12220 Fillmore St., Room 130, West Olive, MI 49460.

Campaign Finance Reporting Requirements

As soon as an individual becomes a “candidate” under Michigan’s Campaign Finance Act, P.A. 388 of 1976, as amended, he or she has 10 calendar days to form a Candidate Committee. After the committee’s formation date, the candidate has an additional 10 calendar days to register the committee to prevent incurring fines from failing to file. A candidate registers their Candidate Committee by filing a Statement of Organization form with the County Clerk’s office.

All new candidate committees must complete the starred * items on the Statement of Organization form.

Candidates who expect to spend or receive less than $1,000 may apply for a reporting waiver. Committees with a reporting waiver are not required to submit regular campaign finance documents to our office. However, this waiver is automatically lost if the committee goes over the $1,000 limit. To apply for the waiver, check “Yes” in box 10 on the Statement of Organization. The Reporting Waiver does not exempt a committee from filing Late Contribution Reports.

Candidates without the reporting waiver must submit regular reports to our office. In years where candidates appear on the ballot, they must submit campaign finance statements to our office before and after each election. When a candidate does not appear on the ballot, candidates must submit both Annual and Quarterly statements.

Failure to file campaign finance statements requirements will result in late filing fees.

Positions Available

Spring Lake Village elects three council members every two years. Three candidates will be elected during the November
3, 2026 General Election.

Current Candidates

All candidates who have filed for office for 2026 are listed on the Ottawa County Candidate Listing, which can be found online at miOttawa.org/elections.

Filing Form and Deadlines

All candidates must submit an Affidavit of Identity. This form must be submitted to our office by Tuesday, July 21, 2026 at 4:00 PM in order to appear on the ballot. (Please note: Candidates for Allendale Public Schools must file with the Allendale Township Clerk.) Write-in candidates may file with our office until Friday, October 23, 2026 at 4:00 PM. Write-in candidates must submit a Write-In Candidate Declaration of Intent form in order to be elected. The Affidavit of Identity must be filled out completely and notarized before your name can appear on the ballot. Our office can notarize this form at no charge. The Affidavit of Identity should be submitted together with completed petitions or the $100 filing fee.

Petition or Filing Fee Requirement

All candidates must submit either petition signatures or a filing fee in order to appear on the ballot. The petition signature requirement is based on the population of the district, and all signatures must be from registered voters of the district.

All school board candidates in Ottawa County must collect a minimum of 40 signatures to be placed on the ballot. A filing fee of $100 can be paid in lieu of submitting petition signatures. This fee is paid to the Ottawa County Clerk’s Office, or the Allendale Township Clerk’s Office if the candidate is running for Allendale Public Schools.

All petitions must be completed on the proper form. Additional petition forms can be picked up from our office – Ottawa County Clerk / Register of Deeds, 12220 Fillmore St., Room 130, West Olive, MI 49460.

Campaign Finance Reporting Requirements

As soon as an individual becomes a “candidate” under Michigan’s Campaign Finance Act, P.A. 388 of 1976, as amended, he or she has 10 calendar days to form a Candidate Committee. After the committee’s formation date, the candidate has an additional 10 calendar days to register the committee to prevent incurring fines from failing to file. A candidate registers their Candidate Committee by filing a Statement of Organization form with the County Clerk’s office.

All new candidate committees must complete the starred * items on the Statement of Organization form.

Candidates who expect to spend or receive less than $1,000 may apply for a reporting waiver. Committees with a reporting waiver are not required to submit regular campaign finance documents to our office. However, this waiver is automatically lost if the committee goes over the $1,000 limit. To apply for the waiver, check “Yes” in box 10 on the Statement of Organization. The Reporting Waiver does not exempt a committee from filing Late Contribution Reports.

Candidates without the reporting waiver must submit regular reports to our office. In years where candidates appear on the ballot, they must submit campaign finance statements to our office before and after each election. When a candidate does not appear on the ballot, candidates must submit both Annual and Quarterly statements.

Failure to file campaign finance statements requirements will result in late filing fees.

Positions Available

Each school district has a different number of positions available, but most school districts in Ottawa County elect two candidates every two years. All available positions are listed on the Ottawa County Candidate Listing, which can be found online at miOttawa.org/elections.

Current Candidates

All candidates who have filed for office for 2026 are listed on the Ottawa County Candidate Listing, which can be found online at miOttawa.org/elections.

Filing Form and Deadlines

Write-in candidates must submit a Write-In Candidate Declaration of Intent form to have the votes cast for them be counted. Write-in candidates for the November General Election may file with the filing official for the office sought until Friday, October 23, 2026 at 4 PM.

Campaign Finance Reporting Requirements

As soon as an individual becomes a “candidate” under Michigan’s Campaign Finance Act, P.A. 388 of 1976, as amended, he or she has 10 calendar days to form a Candidate Committee. After the committee’s formation date, the candidate has an additional 10 calendar days to register the committee. A candidate registers their Candidate Committee by filing a Statement of Organization form with the County Clerk’s office.

All new candidate committees must complete the starred * items on the Statement of Organization form.

A write-in candidate is considered a candidate under Michigan election law when one of the following conditions is met:

• An individual nominated at a primary through write-in votes that has not received or spent any funds in order to be elected becomes a candidate five days after the Board of Canvassers certifies the nomination.
• An individual elected to office at an election through write-in votes that has not received or spent any funds to be elected becomes a candidate on the date the election is certified.
• An individual who receives a contribution, makes an expenditure, or gives consent for another person to receive a contribution or make an expenditure for the purpose of seeking write-in votes at an election is a candidate as soon as he or she receives the contribution or makes the expenditure or gives consent to the other person to receive the contribution or make the expenditure.

Candidates who expect to spend or receive less than $1,000 may apply for a reporting waiver. Committees with a reporting waiver are not required to submit additional campaign finance documents to our office. However, this waiver is automatically lost if the committee goes over the $1,000 limit. To apply for the waiver, check “Yes” in box 10 on the Statement of Organization.

Candidates without the reporting waiver must submit regular reports to our office. In years where candidates appear on the ballot, they must submit campaign finance statements to our office before and after each election. When a candidate does not appear on the ballot, candidates must submit both Annual and Quarterly statements.

Positions Available

Each office has a different number of positions available. All available positions are listed on the Ottawa County Candidate Listing, which can be found online at miOttawa.org/elections.

Term of Office

All candidates will be elected during the November 3, 2026 General Election. Visit miOttawa.org/elections for office specific terms.

Current Candidates

All candidates who have filed for office for 2026 are listed on the Ottawa County Candidate Listing, which can be found online at miOttawa.org/elections.