Lewiston opens nomination process for mayor, council and school-board seats

Lewiston began distributing nomination papers Monday, June 22, for the city’s Nov. 3 municipal election, opening the process for candidates seeking the mayor’s office, three City Council seats and four School Committee seats.

The City Clerk’s Department announced that the ballot will include the citywide mayoral office; City Council seats in Wards 2, 4 and 6; and School Committee seats in Wards 1, 3, 5 and 7.

Signature requirements for ballot access

To qualify for the mayoral ballot, a candidate must submit between 100 and 200 signatures from qualified Lewiston voters. Candidates for the listed council and School Committee offices must submit between 50 and 100 signatures from qualified voters in the ward they seek to represent.

The city’s announcement also sets a separate eligibility requirement for mayoral candidates: They must have been registered and qualified to vote in Lewiston by Feb. 20, 2026.

Distribution of nomination papers is the opening procedural step for potential candidates; it does not establish a final candidate list or show which candidates, if any, have submitted sufficient signatures for ballot access.

Offices and terms

The election is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. The mayor, councilors and School Committee members elected to the listed seats will serve two-year terms beginning Monday, Jan. 4, 2027.

The mayoral contest is citywide, while the open City Council and School Committee seats are ward offices. The signature rules therefore require mayoral candidates to collect signatures from qualified voters across Lewiston, while ward candidates must collect signatures from qualified voters in the relevant ward.

The election will determine representation in the city’s executive and legislative municipal offices as well as on the School Committee for the terms that begin in January. The city’s notice identifies the offices, signature ranges and eligibility rule, but does not name candidates or indicate whether any race will be contested.

What is known next

Prospective candidates can obtain nomination papers through the process announced by the Lewiston City Clerk’s Department. The approved city notice does not provide a final roster of certified candidates, and no later certification notice is included in the available source packet.

Voters will choose among the candidates who ultimately qualify for the Nov. 3 ballot. Until a certified candidate list is issued, the availability of nomination papers remains distinct from final ballot qualification.