Note:  Please be advised that the signature requirement for an unaffiliated petition candidate seeking a statewide elective office is 10,000; not 1% of the eligible votes for that district. This does not effect any other elective office. All other petition candidate must submit a petition with signatures containing at least 1% of the eligible voters for the district in which the candidate seeks the nomination. In order to be a petition candidate for public office on the November 5, 2024 general election ballot, there are two major filing deadlines. 

Deadline #1: Monday, July 1, 2024 by 5:00pm to file the following required documents.

Declaration of Intent

A Declaration of Intent designating the individual as a candidate seeking nomination by petition to an elective office must be filed in person at the appropriate election office. This action alone does not qualify a candidate for the General Election ballot.

Statement of Organization

At the time of filing the Declaration of Intent, a candidate for State or local office is also required to have established an authorized candidate campaign committee. This must be established prior to conducting any campaign finance activity. File the Statement of Organization electronically now or download the Statement of Organization (Fillable PDF).

Deadline #2: Monday, August 5, 2024 by 5:00p.m.

The deadline to file the Financial Disclosure Statement, Petition, Certificate of Candidacy and filing fee are not required to be in person. The documents and filing fee must be received by the election office by the deadline, and postmarks will not be accepted.

Petition

File the petition containing the required number of signatures (PDF) for the office that you are seeking.

Financial Disclosure Form

A Financial Disclosure Form is required for all State and local candidates. The Financial Disclosure Form is to be filed with the controlling agency; however, it is the policy of the election boards to accept the form when a candidate files for office. The form covers the previous calendar year (not the current year in which the candidate files). It is important to note that a candidate for a state office and various county offices are required to have the financial disclosure form notarized. If the form is not notarized, it will be deemed not filed and the candidate will not appear on the General Election ballot. If filing for a judicial office, the candidate must file an original and one copy, otherwise it also will be deemed not filed. A candidate may file a receipt as proof if the candidate previously filed a financial disclosure form for the calendar year required for the candidacy. For additional information about filing the financial disclosure, please contact the appropriate controlling agency.

Filing Fee

Filing fees depend upon the office sought. The fee must be paid either by check, money order or credit card. It is permissible for a state or local candidate’s campaign finance entity to pay the fee.

Certificate of Candidacy

After filing the required documents and payment of the fees, the Declaration of Intent automatically becomes the Certificate of Candidacy, making the candidate eligible to be placed on the General Election ballot.