How to Run for Office in Alabama
A candidate filing guide from Campaign Partner, websites for candidates since 2011.
Your Campaign Website
When you file, your name becomes public and voters, reporters and donors will search for it. Have your website ready first - Campaign Partner sites are ready at signup, from $29/month, free domain name included.
Getting on the Ballot
Alabama partisan candidates qualify with their political party, not a government office: a Declaration of Candidacy filed with the state party (both major parties now offer online qualifying) plus a party-set qualifying fee, during a roughly three-week window in January of the election year. Independent candidates petition instead - signatures equal to 3% of the last gubernatorial vote in the district, with no fee.
Becoming a candidate triggers a five-day clock twice over. Within five days of qualifying (or of raising/spending over $1,000), you must file an Appointment of Principal Campaign Committee with the Secretary of State - all candidates, including municipal, now file this electronically. And a Statement of Economic Interests goes to the Alabama Ethics Commission on a similar prompt schedule; parties verify both filings as part of qualifying.
Alabama primaries require a majority, with runoffs a routine feature of open-seat races.
Where Local Candidates File
County partisan candidates qualify through their county party; municipal elections are nonpartisan, with candidates qualifying with the city clerk on the municipal cycle. Campaign finance reports under the Fair Campaign Practices Act (FCPA) are filed electronically with the Secretary of State at fcpa.alabamavotes.gov for state, county, and (since 2023) municipal candidates alike.
Running for a local office? See what a school board, city council, mayor or county commissioner campaign website needs.
Worth Knowing
- Your first call is to your party, not the state - qualifying windows, fees, and forms are party-administered, and the parties check your committee and ethics filings before accepting you.
- The $1,000 raise-or-spend threshold makes you a "candidate" under the FCPA even before you qualify - the five-day committee clock can start earlier than you expect.
- Once you hit reporting periods close to the election, Alabama switches to weekly, then daily FCPA reports - plan your bookkeeping accordingly.
Official Alabama Resources
Filing deadlines, fees, and signature requirements change from cycle to cycle. Always confirm current details with the official sources below.
This page was last reviewed on August 4, 2026. Process details above are believed current as of that date; deadlines and fees should always be verified with your election office.