State Rep. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston) will be hosting a six-hour petition drive based at Evanston’s Democratic Party headquarters Saturday, according to an email letter to his supporters sent Monday.

The campaign event comes four days after Biss announced he would be seeking outgoing state Sen. Jeff Schoenberg’s seat. Schoenberg (D-Evanston) told reporters at a news conference last week he would not run for reelection and would instead pursue an expanded full-time role advising J.B. and M.K. Pritzker and their family philanthropy on early childhood development initiatives.

To appear on March’s primary ballot, Biss must gather at least 1,000 signatures to submit to the Illinois State Board of Elections.

The filing period for state Senate contestants is from Nov. 28 to Dec. 5, according to the board’s 2012 candidate’s guide.

In Monday’s email, Biss encouraged supporters to volunteer for two-hour shifts from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at his party’s Evanston office, 821 Chicago Ave. The newly launched campaign will also be hosting a petition drive 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Democratic headquarters of Northfield Township, 1926 Waukegan Road, in Glenview.

Volunteers will be “knocking on doors, standing in front of high-traffic areas and attending community events,” according to Biss’ letter.

Biss’ state Senate campaign officially kicked off Sunday at the Mallinckrodt Center, 1041 Ridge Ave., in Wilmette. In a press release issued the day after, Biss political director Ren Yu said the candidate has raised more than $35,000 since announcing his bid for Schoenberg’s state Senate seat.

– Patrick Svitek