To run for office, you confirm you meet the legal qualifications for the seat, get your name on the ballot through a party primary, an independent petition, or a write-in filing, and then register your campaign and report its finances on the schedule set by the Federal Election Commission or your state’s election authority. Federal candidates trigger FEC registration once they raise or spend more than $5,000. State and local candidates file with the Secretary of State, county clerk, or local election board. The specific forms, fees, and deadlines change with the office, but the sequence is the same everywhere.
Confirm You’re Eligible
Every office comes with baseline qualifications set either by the U.S. Constitution or by your state’s constitution and election code. For federal office, the Constitution sets minimum ages: twenty-five for the House, thirty for the Senate, thirty-five for the presidency. House members must have been a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, senators for nine, and the president must be a natural-born citizen who has lived in the United States for at least fourteen years.1Congress.gov. ArtI.S2.C2.1 Overview of House Qualifications Clause2Congress.gov. ArtII.S1.C5.1 Qualifications for the Presidency
State and local offices set their own age, residency, and citizenship standards. Almost universally you need to be a registered voter in the jurisdiction you want to represent, and some states require you to have been registered for a set period before the filing deadline. If your voter registration has lapsed or you recently moved, fix it early.
Disqualifications
Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment bars anyone from federal or state office who previously swore an oath to support the Constitution as a government official and then engaged in insurrection or rebellion. Congress can lift that bar only by a two-thirds vote of both chambers.3Congress.gov. Fourteenth Amendment Section 3 State laws add their own disqualifications. A felony conviction disqualifies candidates in many states, though the rules differ on which offenses count and whether rights can be restored. Some states bar people currently holding certain offices from running for another seat simultaneously.
Federal Employees and the Hatch Act
If you work for the federal government, the Hatch Act almost certainly restricts you. The law prohibits most federal employees, including executive branch employees, postal workers, and competitive service staff, from running as candidates in partisan elections. Only the president and vice president are exempt.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 7323 – Political Activity Authorized; Prohibitions Nonpartisan elections, like many school board and municipal races, generally fall outside the Act. If you are a federal civilian employee thinking about a run, contact the U.S. Office of Special Counsel before you take any public step toward candidacy.
Get on the Ballot
There are three paths onto a ballot: winning a party primary, collecting petition signatures as an independent, or filing as a write-in. Each has its own paperwork, deadlines, and thresholds.
Party Primaries and Nominating Petitions
Most candidates run through a political party. Nearly all states require nominating petitions signed by registered voters in your district. Signers must provide their full names and residential addresses so election officials can verify they’re registered and eligible to sign. Each petition page typically requires a circulator’s affidavit, in which the person who gathered the signatures swears they personally witnessed each signing.
Election officials are strict about formatting and verification. Falling short on valid signatures, even by a handful, can knock you off the ballot. Build a cushion above the minimum, because some signatures will be invalidated for mismatched addresses, illegible handwriting, or voters registered in the wrong district.
Running as an Independent
Without a party affiliation, you’ll collect signatures directly, usually more than a party candidate needs. Across states the threshold for independents generally ranges from about 1% to 5% of registered voters in the district, and signature-gathering windows run anywhere from a few months to more than a year. That’s the trade-off for bypassing the primary.
Write-In Candidacy
In most states you can run as a write-in, but your votes are counted only if you file a declaration of intent with the election authority before a set deadline. Those deadlines range from about two months before the election to as late as election day itself. Write-in campaigns are a long shot, but they remain a legitimate option after standard filing deadlines have passed.
Filing Fees
Many states charge a filing fee. For state legislative races, fees range from nothing in some states to a few hundred dollars or a percentage of the office’s annual salary in others.5National Conference of State Legislatures. Filing Fees to Run for the State Legislature Higher offices cost more. If you can’t afford the fee, most states let you file a petition in lieu of payment by collecting additional voter signatures.
Register Your Candidacy
For the U.S. House, Senate, or presidency, you become a candidate in the FEC’s eyes once you raise or spend more than $5,000. Within fifteen days of crossing that threshold, file FEC Form 2, the Statement of Candidacy, which records your name, the office you seek, your party affiliation, and the principal campaign committee you’re designating.6Federal Election Commission. Registering a Candidate
Within ten days after you designate it, the principal campaign committee registers with the FEC by filing Form 1, the Statement of Organization. That form names your treasurer, who becomes personally responsible for the timely, accurate filing of every financial report. The FEC recommends also designating an assistant treasurer, because the committee legally cannot accept contributions or make expenditures during any period when the treasurer position is vacant.7Federal Election Commission. Instructions for Statement of Organization – FEC Form 1 Committees expecting to raise or spend more than $50,000 in a calendar year must file electronically.
For state and local offices, you file with your Secretary of State, county clerk, or local election board rather than the FEC. The forms differ but ask for similar information: legal name, address, office sought, party affiliation. Deadlines are set by state law and are absolute. When you submit your paperwork and fee, or a petition in lieu of the fee, the election office issues a timestamped receipt and then reviews your signatures and forms before certifying your name for the ballot.
File Personal Financial Disclosure
Federal candidates carry a separate disclosure obligation on top of campaign finance reports. Under the Ethics in Government Act, candidates for the House, Senate, and presidency must file personal financial disclosure reports listing assets, income, liabilities, and outside positions so voters can see potential conflicts of interest.8U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics. Financial Disclosure
The filing deadline is the later of thirty days after becoming a candidate or May 15 of that calendar year, but the report must be filed at least thirty days before the election. House candidates file with the House Committee on Ethics, Senate candidates with the Senate Select Committee on Ethics, and presidential candidates with the FEC.9Federal Election Commission. Other Agency Requirements Knowingly falsifying these reports or failing to file can bring a civil penalty of up to $50,000 and potential criminal prosecution.8U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics. Financial Disclosure
Many state offices have their own personal financial disclosure rules, usually administered by a state ethics commission. Check those early. First-time candidates focused on campaign finance paperwork routinely forget about personal disclosure until they’re already late.
Follow the Money Rules
Once you’re registered, every dollar the campaign takes in and spends has to be tracked and reported. The Federal Election Campaign Act requires periodic disclosure of every contribution received and every expenditure made. State campaigns face equivalent requirements under state campaign finance law.
Contribution Limits and Prohibited Sources
For federal elections in the 2025–2026 cycle, an individual may contribute up to $3,500 per election to a candidate committee. Primary and general elections count separately, so one person can give up to $7,000 across both.10Federal Election Commission. Contribution Limits for 2025-2026 Limits are adjusted for inflation each cycle.
Some sources are prohibited outright. Foreign nationals cannot make any contribution or donation to a federal, state, or local election.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 52 USC 30121 – Contributions and Donations by Foreign Nationals Corporations and labor unions face their own federal restrictions, and state rules vary. Candidates are also barred from soliciting or knowingly accepting contributions from any banned source.
Recordkeeping and Reporting
Keep detailed records of every contribution and expenditure. For any contributor whose donations add up to more than $200 in a calendar year, you must report their full name, mailing address, occupation, and employer.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 52 USC 30104 – Reporting Requirements All campaign funds must sit in a bank account separate from your personal finances. The treasurer logs every expenditure, from advertising and travel to staff pay and office supplies. Federal campaigns file reports on the FEC’s schedule; late filings trigger civil penalties under the Administrative Fines Program.13Federal Election Commission. Administrative Fines
Your committee also needs its own Employer Identification Number from the IRS, even with no employees. The EIN is required to open a bank account, file tax forms, and complete certain FEC filings. Apply online, by phone at 800-829-4933, or on paper Form SS-4.14Internal Revenue Service. Employer Identification Number – Political Organizations
Advertising Disclaimers
Every public communication paid for by the campaign must identify who paid for it. For ads your campaign pays for directly, the disclaimer reads “Paid for by [Committee Name].” If someone else pays for an ad you authorized, the disclaimer must name both the payer and your campaign. Ads not authorized by any candidate must say so and include the paying organization’s name and contact information.15Federal Election Commission. Advertising and Disclaimers The rule reaches broadcast, print, outdoor advertising, mass mailings of more than 500 pieces, phone banks of more than 500 calls, and paid online promotions. The disclaimer must be “clear and conspicuous.” Missing one on a mailer or digital ad is among the most common compliance mistakes new campaigns make.
Close the Committee When You’re Done
Win or lose, your legal obligations don’t end on election night. The committee stays a registered entity with ongoing reporting requirements until you formally shut it down. A committee can file a termination report with the FEC only after it has no remaining debts, has stopped receiving contributions, and has stopped making expenditures.16Federal Election Commission. Terminating a Committee
Leftover campaign funds can be refunded to donors, given to charity, or used for other lawful purposes. They cannot go into your pocket. If the committee still has debts it can’t pay off, you may request administrative termination from the FEC, but you’ll need to document your efforts to settle those debts and keep filing regular reports until the Commission approves the request.16Federal Election Commission. Terminating a Committee Committees involved in an active FEC enforcement action, audit, or litigation cannot terminate at all until those matters are resolved. Plenty of losing candidates end up filing quarterly reports for years because they never properly closed their committee. Handle termination as soon as you can.