Candidate Resources

How to Run for Office

Are you running for mayor, city council, state representative, or another public office? Getting on the ballot follows the same broad steps everywhere, but the details (deadlines, fees, forms and requirements) are set state by state. This page walks through the steps and connects you to the election office that administers them in your state.

Five Steps to Get on the Ballot

1. 1

   Choose the office

   Local offices such as school board , city council and county commission are where most candidates start, and they are administered locally. State offices such as state representative run through your state election authority. The office you choose determines where you file, what you file, and when.

2. 2

   Confirm you are eligible

   Most offices carry some combination of age, residency and voter registration requirements, and some add qualifications of their own. The same office can have different requirements in different states, so confirm the current rules with your state or local election authority before you plan around them.

3. 3

   File your candidacy

   Filing usually means a declaration of candidacy plus a filing fee, petition signatures, or both, submitted inside a strict window that is often months before the primary. Missing the window is the most common way new candidates end up off the ballot, so confirm your deadlines early - the table below reaches the office that can tell you exactly what your race requires.

4. 4

   Register your campaign finances

   In many states you must register a campaign committee, name a treasurer, or both before accepting contributions, and reporting obligations begin once money moves. The thresholds and forms differ by state, so check the campaign finance rules with the same election authority before you accept your first dollar.

5. 5

   Launch your campaign

   Voters, donors, reporters and endorsing organizations will all look for you online, so give them one reliable place to find you. A campaign website from Campaign Partner is ready at signup, with online donations, volunteer signups and a free domain name included - so the website is the easy part of this list.

State Election Information

Your state election office (usually the Secretary of State or a state board of elections) is the authoritative source for candidate filing deadlines and fees, petition and signature requirements, campaign finance registration and reporting rules, and contribution limits. Select your state below for election details and candidate resources; the phone numbers reach the office that administers elections in each state.