How to Run for Office in Virginia
Getting on the Ballot
Elections in Virginia are administered by the Department of Elections (often abbreviated ELECT) under the State Board of Elections, with a general registrar in every county and independent city handling voter registration and candidate filings locally.
How you get on the ballot depends on how you're nominated. Virginia's parties choose their own nomination method for each office - a state-run primary, or a party-run convention, mass meeting, or canvass (major-party statewide nominations are sometimes decided at conventions rather than primaries). Independent candidates qualify by filing a declaration of candidacy with petition signatures from qualified voters. Only candidates running in a state-run primary pay a filing fee.
Candidates for statewide office and the General Assembly file with the Department of Elections; candidates for every other office file with the general registrar of the county or city where they live. The Department publishes detailed Candidate Bulletins for each election - office-specific, step-by-step checklists that are among the best official candidate documents in any state.
Where Local Candidates File
Local candidates - boards of supervisors, city and town councils, school boards, constitutional officers - file with the general registrar of their county or city. Note that Virginia's cities are independent cities, legally separate from any county, so city candidates deal with their city's registrar and electoral board, not a county office.
Most local candidates must also file a Statement of Economic Interests with the registrar as part of ballot access (candidates for governing bodies and school boards in localities of 3,500 or fewer people are exempt).
Worth Knowing
- Virginia votes in odd-numbered years for governor, the General Assembly, and most local offices - so your campaign calendar likely won't match the national election cycle.
- Party labels do not appear on the ballot for local offices. State law permits party designations only for federal, statewide, and General Assembly candidates - worth knowing before you plan literature and signage around a ballot line that won't be there.
- Campaign finance reports are filed electronically with the Department of Elections through its COMET system on a schedule the Department publishes each cycle.
- Petition and filing rules are enforced strictly - deadlines are receipt-based (a postmark does not count for most filings), and withdrawal notices must be notarized.
Official Virginia 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 3, 2026. Process details above are believed current as of that date; deadlines and fees should always be verified with your election office.