The filing period for candidates in the upcoming November 4, 2025, Municipal Election will open at 9:00 AM on September 5, 2025, and close at 5:00 PM on September 22, 2025.

The following positions will be on the ballot, with associated filing fees:

• Mayor: $50

• City Council: $10

• School Board: $10

• Police Commission: $10

• Other Election Officials (Moderator, Ward Clerk, Supervisor of the Checklist, Selectman): $2

Candidates must file with the Rochester City Clerk’s Office during the designated filing period. For more information, contact the City Clerk at (603) 332-2130.1

1Rochester City Clerk Announces Filing Period for 2025 Municipal Election https://news.rochesternh.gov/rochester-city-clerk-announces-filing-period-for-2025-municipal-election-2/

Announcing a candidacy for local office is both a strategic and symbolic moment - it sets the tone for the campaign, introduces your message to the public, and establishes credibility. Here’s a breakdown of when, where, and how to do it effectively: 

When

First, we will start by acknowledging there is not a "one size fits all" answer to this question. Some will suggest that you will want to wait until after you file so you are "fresh in the minds of the voters", that it "gives the opposition less time to dig up dirt on you". Our opinion? You should announce your candidacy once you are confident in your decision to run. The advantage to announcing earlier is that you can start to get your name out sooner to voters.

Where

Just like "when", there is not a definitive answer to "where" you announce your candidacy. However, there are a few platforms to choose from, which we will discuss here:

Platform: Social Media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc.)

Advantages: Free, Wide-reaching audience, allows you to share videos, images, announcements, engage with potential voters

Disadvantages: There are many voters who are not on social media, some social media groups may be a toxic environment where users could attempt to derail your message through personal attacks, "culture war" questions and other tactics to divert the conversation from your message.

Social media, particularly websites such as Facebook have become increasing helpful for candidates to announce their candidacy and get their message out to a large number of voters. Unlike some of the other platforms we will discuss, social media is essentially free to use. You can create your own campaign page which allows you to have "Followers" who can see updates you post. You can share images, videos and text and interact with voters through your campaign page. Click here for an example of a candidate's Facebook page.

There are groups where you can post your announcement of candidacy. Life in the Lilac City (Rochester, NH) is a group we created where you can make your candidacy announcements. Click here for an example of a candidate's announcement in a Facebook group.

Platform: Traditional Media (TV/Radio/Newspaper Ads)

Advantages: Wide-reaching audience, depending on which media you select, it allows you to share videos, images, announcements

Disadvantages: 

Cost: Most traditional media will charge for you to run ads. Candidates on a limited budget may find their funds better served toward other areas in their campaigns (which we will discuss later).

If Traditional Media is something that interests you, we have found a rate sheet from Foster's to give you an idea of the costs. You can also reach out to them by going here.