The 2026 election will give Flint residents an opportunity to dramatically reshape local government, with all nine City Council seats up for grabs. So far, two current Council members — Dennis Pfeiffer (8thward) and Jerri Winfrey-Carter (5th ward) have announced they won’t seek re-election, so there are guaranteed to be at least two new faces.
First, here is the basic information about how to run:
Residents interested in running for council must be a registered voter in the city of Flint in the ward they are running in for at least one year prior to the April 21, 2026, filing deadline. Candidates must also collect at least 75 signatures from registered voters in the ward they’re running to represent. The map of Flint’s nine ward boundaries is available online.
Petitions can be picked up at the City of Flint Clerk’s office on the second floor of City Hall, 1101 S. Saginaw Street, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Signed petitions must be dropped off prior to the April 21 filing deadline. Any questions about running for mayor or city council should be directed to the city clerk’s office at (810) 766- 7413.
Once petitions are submitted and validated, candidates for each seat will compete in a primary election on August 4. If there are more than two candidates for each seat, the top two vote getters for each in the primary will move on to the general election on November 3. All of the seats are nonpartisan.
But here’s a more important question: what are voters actually hoping for in candidates? Can the makeup of council change enough to make it a better-functioning government body? Take our anonymous survey below and let us know your thoughts.
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