Candidates who have completed the qualifying process for the 2026 General Election:
At the 2026 General Election, three City Council positions will appear on the ballot.
The filing period for interested candidates begins on June 3, 2026.
Deadline to complete filing process is Tuesday, August 11, 2026 at 5 PM.
Additional Information:
- All positions are nonpartisan.
- All positions are volunteer/unpaid.
- All terms begin on January 1, 2027.
- Terms are four years in length expiring on December 31, 2030.
- Candidates must reside within the Philomath city limits.
Qualifications and Residency Requirements
To be eligible to serve on the City Council, a person must be a registered voter and must have lived within the Philomath city limits since at least November 3, 2025 (12 months immediately preceding the 2026 General Election).
Those interested in running for City Council should schedule an appointment with City Elections Official Crystal Weber to determine whether they meet the qualifications and residency requirements and to learn more about the expectations of serving on the City Council.
(1) To be eligible for an elective city office, a person at the time of election must be a qualified elector within the meaning of the state constitution and have resided in the city during the twelve months immediately preceding the election. For purposes of this subsection, "city" means all areas included in the corporate limits as of the date of the election.
(2) No appointive officer or employee may serve on the council.
(3) No person may be a candidate for the offices of mayor and council at the same election, nor shall any person serve a continuous period of the council, including service as mayor, of more than more than three four-year terms. For purposes of eligibility, a person appointed to fill a council position pursuant to Section 7.2 of this Charter shall be considered to have served a four-year term only if the person has served in the appointed council position for two years or more. A partial term of less than two years shall not be counted in considering the eligibility of a person.
(4) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the council is the final judge of the qualifications and election of its own members.
(Ord. 844 §§ 3, 4, 2020)
Step 1: Make Appointment With City Elections Officer
Make an appointment with the City Elections Officer (City Recorder) to receive an orientation on the election process and receive an election filing packet. Fillable forms are also available below.
Step 2: File Prospective Petition
Before collecting any signatures, complete and submit the following forms to the City Elections Officer for approval well in advance of the August 11, 2026 filing deadline:
- SEL101 – Candidate Filing - Prospective Petition (Nonpartisan)
- SEL121 – Candidate Signature Sheet (Nonpartisan)
Guidelines for completion of these forms can be found in the City Candidates Manual found below on pages 23–24. Candidates must use the City’s official filing forms.
Step 3: Collect Signatures
The City Elections Officer will review the prospective petition and provide written approval authorizing the candidate to begin the collection of signatures. Signatures gathered prior to written approval will be rejected.
Philomath Municipal Code 2.15.020 requires petitions to contain a minimum of 20 qualified (Philomath registered voters) signatures. It is recommended you gather more than the minimum to ensure you have the required amount necessary.
Oregon law requires that each petition sheet be properly certified by its circulator, who must personally witness each signature. Please review the guidelines for circulation of petitions on pages 28-30 of the Candidate Elections Manual.
The candidate shall sign the first line on the first sheet of the approved signature petition. This will be verified to confirm residency and voter qualification requirements.
Step 4: Submit Signature Sheets
When ample signatures have been collected, the candidate shall submit the petitions to the City Elections Officer by appointment along with a completed SEL338 Petition Submission form. The City Elections Officer is the only official at the City who is authorized to receive signature sheets. The City Elections Officer will review the signature sheets for completeness of circulator certification. Upon finding the signature sheets satisfactory, they will be delivered to the Benton County Elections Division for verification of signatures.
Allow at least 5–7 business days for signature verification. State statute allows up to 14 days for signature verification.
Prior to submitting the signature sheets to the City Elections Officer, the candidate should:
- Ensure each signature sheet certification is signed and dated by the circulator;
- Number each signature sheet sequentially in the space provided.
When the verification process is complete, the City Elections Officer will notify the candidate of the sufficiency of their submission. If it is determined that there are not enough valid signatures and the filing deadline has not passed, the candidate may gather and submit additional signatures.
Deadline to complete filing process is Tuesday, August 11, 2026 at 5 PM.