How to Run for Office in Delaware
Getting on the Ballot
Delaware's partisan filing is a two-address errand: a candidate files a notice of candidacy with their party chair - the state chair for statewide office, the county chair for district and county offices - and simultaneously files a copy with the Department of Elections office in their home county, tendering the filing fee as a check payable to the party committee, not the state. The deadline is 12 noon on the second Tuesday in July, ahead of a September primary.
The fees themselves are set by the parties each cycle (capped by statute at 1% of the office's total salary for the term) and published through the Department; withdraw after the deadline and the fee is forfeited to the party. Unaffiliated and minor-party candidates qualify by petition or party nomination on their own timelines, with paperwork due by September 1.
Delaware adds a requirement worth starting early: candidates for statewide office, the General Assembly, and elected county offices must request a criminal history background check from the State Bureau of Identification by the filing deadline, and must document their primary residence to the Department to qualify.
Where Local Candidates File
Everything runs through the Department's three county offices (New Castle, Kent, Sussex) under the State Election Commissioner - Delaware has no county clerks or local election boards; the state department is the local election office, which makes it unusually easy to find the right door. School board elections are nonpartisan, administered by the same department on a spring calendar with their own filing window.
Campaign finance also stays in-house: before raising or spending anything, candidates for state, county, or General Assembly office file a notarized Statement of Organization with the Department and report through its online campaign finance system; a financial disclosure to the Public Integrity Commission follows within 14 days of filing for office.
Worth Knowing
- Your filing fee is a check to your party, at an amount your party sets - look up the current fee schedules before filing week.
- The background check requirement (statewide, General Assembly, county) is easy to overlook - start it early; it's due by the filing deadline.
- The noon July deadline means a spring decision still leaves time to run.
- One agency runs everything: candidacy, local elections, and campaign finance all live in the Department of Elections' county offices.
Official Delaware 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.