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What Does it Take to Be a Mayoral Candidate in Las Vegas?

Posted on April 17, 2024   |   Updated on September 30, 2025
Rob Kachelriess

Rob Kachelriess

A faceless politician being dropped into a ballot box.

Cast your ballot. (Boris Zhitkov/Getty)

Las Vegas elects a new mayor this year and 14 candidates are vying for the job. What does it take to run? As it turns out, the qualifications are rather slim.

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Why the Las Vegas Mayoral Election Matters

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Listen and learn: Why the race matters for the whole valley.

🗳️ Who Can Run for Mayor?

Any qualified elector who lives within Las Vegas city limits can run for mayor. Now, it’s not enough to have “Las Vegas” on a mailing address. A person must live in a primary residence within the City of Las Vegas boundaries for at least 30 days prior to the filing deadline. An official map outlines the city’s weirdly-shaped borders, which encompass Downtown and areas to the west, including parts of Summerlin and the Northwest Valley.

🖐️ Wait, What’s a “Qualified Elector”?

You don’t have to be registered to vote, but must be qualified to vote in the eyes of Clark County. That means you can be 17 years old if you’re 18 by election day. You also have to be a U.S. citizen and not deemed “mentally incompetent” by a court.

🪜 What Steps Are Required to Run?

Do you consider yourself mayoral material? If so, well, it’s too late to run — at least this time around. Candidates for the 2024 race had a slim window of just 12 days (March 4 - 15) to file with the Las Vegas city clerk’s office.

💰 How Much Does it Cost?

The filing fee is $100. How much is spent on the campaign itself is up to the candidate.

🔎 How Do I Learn More About the Candidates?

City Cast Las Vegas is launching Mayoral Mondays, a special series on the 2024 Las Vegas mayoral race. You’ll hear podcast interviews, read questionnaires, and learn about where the candidates stand on the issues, their thoughts about life in Las Vegas, and why the mayor’s office is important — even to those who live outside city limits.

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