City Elections

CANDIDATE LIST

OFFICES OPEN IN 2024
The City Council passed ordinance ORD16385 on November 20, 2023, stating that the following are up for election on April 2, 2024:
  • One Councilmember from each of the five (5) City Wards will be up for election for full 2-year terms. 
To see Councilmembers with terms expiring in 2024, go to the web page containing names and term expiration dates for each Councilmember. There are no term limits for Municipal Judge and City Prosecutor.

FILING PERIOD AND ELECTION DATE
The 2024 Municipal General Election will be Tuesday, April 2, 2024, and the filing period will open and close as follows:

  • OPENING: 8:00 AM, Tuesday, December 5, 2023
  • CLOSING: 5:00 PM, Tuesday, December 26, 2023

Candidates will be placed on the ballot in the same order they arrive regardless of the time the doors are opened, which has traditionally been determined on the “honor system” among the candidates themselves.

ELECTION RESULTS AND POLLING LOCATIONS

LINKS, PUBLICATIONS AND FORMS

  • "How to File" Brochure for 2024
  • Temporary Sign Regulations
  • Candidate Endorsement Form*
  • Missouri Department of Revenue Affidavit Form 5120 must be filed with the Mo. Dept. of Revenue (see video below). You may use the "fillable" form provided online, but it MUST then be printed off and signed before a Notary, and the original filed with Revenue. Hard copies will also be provided by the City Clerk to candidates who file for office with filing instructions. If a candidate has not filed with Revenue by the close of the filing period, the Department of Revenue can remove that filer from the ballot. 


CITY ELECTION LAWS, PROCEDURES, AND GENERAL INFORMATION
Elections for City offices are established by our City Charter and Chapter 12 of the City Code. Officials are elected every year.

The Mayor is elected for four years, with an eight-year consecutive term limit. After such time, a full four-year mayoral term must pass before such person is eligible to serve as Mayor again.
City Councilmembers are elected for staggered two-year terms, and are also subject to term limitation of eight consecutive years. After such time, a full two-year councilmember term must pass before such person is eligible to serve as a councilmember again.
The Municipal Judge and City Prosecutor are both elected to two-year terms, and there are are no term limits for either of those two offices.

City Code requires a candidate to obtain three *endorsements of registered voters in the area he / she wishes to serve before filing can occur. After the required three endorsements have been received and verified by a Notary, City Clerk, or Deputy City Clerk, the candidate must then complete a Declaration of Candidacy form in the City Clerk's office during filing period in order for his / her candidacy to become official.
 
TYPE OF ELECTIONS
City of Jefferson elections are non-partisan, as approved by the voters in April, 2002.

VACANCIES OCCURRING IN OFFICE

  • Councilmember
When a Councilmember resigns or dies while in office, candidates are nominated, and a Councilmember is subsequently elected by the remaining Councilmembers to serve for the rest of that Council year (which runs April to April). The person elected to fill the vacancy would then need to file to run for election in the next April General election. The period of months served before the next April election does not count towards the total eight-year term limit.
 
  • Municipal Judge or Prosecutor
When a vacancy occurs in the offices of Municipal Judge or Prosecutor, the Mayor appoints, with the approval of the Council, a person to fill out the remainder of the election year. The appointee may then file to run for office at the next regular election.

CONDUCT OF ELECTIONS
Elections for the City of Jefferson are conducted by the Cole and Callaway County Clerks, but the ballots containing all City government issues and candidates are prepared and certified to the Counties by the City Clerk in accordance with state election laws. The City reimburses the Counties for its share of the cost to conduct elections.