Filing and Petitions
Section 4.06 of the City Charter requires each candidate to be nominated by petition, signed by the number of qualified voters required by state law. State law [Election Code 143.005(d)] requires that petitions must contain the greater of 25 or one-half of one percent of the total votes received in the most recent mayoral general election.  Signatures must be from qualified voters of the City of Richardson and must be signed in ink. The Council/Mayor place number and position being sought must be indicated on each page of the petition form before requesting signatures.

Petitions and applications for a place on the ballot must be filed with the City Secretary during the filing period for the election. The filing period begins on the 108th day before election day and ends at 5 p.m. on the 78th day before election day.  Election day is the first Saturday in May.  Specific dates will be posted to this page for the next City Council Election.

Petitions should include the signature of the resident, the printed name, residence address, county of registration, date signed, date of birth and/or the voter registration certificate number. It is recommended that the candidate obtain more than the required number of signatures in the event that some signatures cannot be verified.  It is the responsibility of the candidate (or the person who is circulating the petition on behalf of the candidate) to verify each signature and voter registration status.

To obtain a current list of registered voters, contact the Dallas County Elections Department at 214-819-6389 or the Collin County Elections Department at 972-424-1460 Ext. 1990.

Petition forms must be notarized. In the event that someone circulates the petition on behalf of the candidate, that person must appear before a notary and sign the affidavit on each petition sheet. If the same person obtains signatures on more than one sheet, the sheets may be stapled together and the top page notarized. All petition pages must be turned in together at the time the application for place on the ballot is filed.

Contributions and Expenditures
Title 15 of the Texas Election Code pertains to campaign contributions and expenditures. Financial reports must be completed by the candidate or the candidate's Campaign Treasurer (signed only by the candidate), and filed with the City Secretary. It is extremely important to adhere to the financial reporting procedures. Campaign reports are public information; and the media, opponents and the general public may review the reports.

Campaign Filing Schedule
(under normal Election cycle)

  • Due 30th day before Election
  • Due 8th day before Election
  • In case of Runoff Election - due 8th day before Runoff Election Date
  • Final Report - May be filed at any time after the Election
    • If a final report is not filed, Semi-Annual Reports will be due each year on:
      • January 15
      • July 15

Questions regarding reporting procedures, contributions or expenditures should be directed to the Texas Ethics Commission at 1-800-325-8506 or 512-463-5800. The duties of the City Secretary are limited to accepting and filing the various applications, affidavits and statements. It is outside of the City Secretary's authority to review the reports for correctness or to advise you on what information must be included.

The City Secretary may be contacted at 972-744-4290 or by email at Aimee.Nemer@cor.gov.