Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Washington, D.C.

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Note: This article is not intended to serve as a guide to running for public office. Individuals should contact their state election agencies for further information.

In order to get on the ballot in Washington, D.C., a candidate for state or federal office must meet a variety of filing requirements and deadlines. These regulations, known as ballot access laws, determine whether a candidate or party will appear on an election ballot. A candidate must prepare to meet ballot access requirements well in advance of primaries, caucuses, and the general election.

There are three basic methods by which an individual may become a candidate for office.

1. An individual can seek the nomination of a state-recognized political party.
2. An individual can run as an independent. Independent candidates often must petition in order to have their names printed on the general election ballot.
3. An individual can run as a write-in candidate.

This article outlines the steps that prospective candidates for state-level and congressional office must take in order to run for office in Washington, D.C. For information about filing requirements for presidential candidates, click here.

Year-specific dates

2024

See also: City elections in Washington, D.C. (2024)

Washington, D.C., filing deadlines, 2024
March 6, 2024	June 4, 2024	November 5, 2024
Filing deadline	Primary election	General election

For filing deadlines from previous years, click "[Show more]" below.

Show more

2018

See also: State and federal candidate filing deadlines for 2018 and Municipal elections in Washington, D.C. (2018)

See below for 2018 candidate filing deadlines.

Washington, D.C., filing deadlines, 2018
March 21, 2018	June 19, 2018	November 6, 2018
Filing deadline	Primary election	General election

2016

The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in Washington, D.C., in 2016.

Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016
Deadline	Event type	Event description
March 16, 2016	Ballot access	Deadline for filing nominating petitions, supplements, declarations of candidacy, and other required documents for the primary
June 14, 2016	Election date	Primary election
June 15, 2016	Ballot access	Deadline for write-in candidates to file affirmations of write-in candidacy (primary; required if write-in candidate won)
July 18, 2016	Ballot access	Deadline for independent and minor party candidates to file nominating petitions, supplements, declarations of candidacy, and other required documents for the general election
November 8, 2016	Election date	General election
November 11, 2016	Ballot access	Deadline for write-in candidates to file affirmations of write-in candidacy (general; required if write-in candidate won)
Sources: District of Columbia Board of Elections, "June 14, 2016 Federal and Local Primary Election—Calendar of Important Dates and Deadlines," accessed July 9, 2015 District of Columbia Board of Elections, "November 8, 2016 General Election—Calendar of Important Dates and Deadlines," accessed July 9, 2015

2015

To view historical information for 2015, click [show] to expand the section.
There were no regularly scheduled city-level offices taking place in Washington, D.C. in 2015.

2014

To view historical information for 2014, click [show] to expand the section.

Washington, D.C. held a primary election on April 1, 2014, and conducted a general election on November 4, 2014. Voters elected candidates to serve in the following state and federal offices: Mayor Attorney General Washington, D.C. Council Chairman Washington, D.C. Council At-Large Member Washington, D.C. Council Members from Wards 1, 3, 5, and 6 Non-voting Delegate to the United States House of Representatives Shadow Representative to the United States House of Representatives Shadow Senator to the United States Senate The filing deadline for political party candidates was January 2, 2014. The filing deadline for minor party and independent candidates was August 6, 2014. If a write-in was running in the primary election, the filing deadline was March 18, 2014. If a write-in was running in the general election, the filing deadline was October 21, 2014. The suggested deadline to file paperwork to create a new political party in time for the 2014 general election was May 1, 2014. Registered voters of the district are given a 10-day period to challenge candidate petitions. The challenge period in 2014 was August 9 through August 18. These deadlines, in addition to campaign finance reporting deadlines, are included in the table below. Legend:      Ballot access     Campaign finance     Election date Dates and requirements for candidates in 2014 Deadline Event type Event description January 2, 2014 Ballot access Political party candidate filing deadline January 31, 2014 Campaign finance Receipts and Expenditures (R&E) Report due March 10, 2014 Campaign finance Receipts and Expenditures (R&E) Report due March 17, 2014 Campaign finance First time the Report of Exemption for a Candidate Spending Less than Five Hundred Dollars must be filed for the primary election March 18, 2014 Ballot access Filing deadline for write-in candidates in the primary election March 24, 2014 Campaign finance Receipts and Expenditures (R&E) Report due for candidates running in the primary election April 1, 2014 Election date Primary election date May 1, 2014 Ballot access Suggested deadline to file paperwork to create a new political party May 1, 2014 Campaign finance Second time the Report of Exemption for a Candidate Spending Less than Five Hundred Dollars must be filed for the primary election June 10, 2014 Campaign finance Receipts and Expenditures (R&E) Report due August 6, 2014 Ballot access Filing deadline for Independent and minor party candidates August 9, 2014 Ballot access Petition challenge period start date August 10, 2014 Campaign finance Receipts and Expenditures (R&E) Report due August 18, 2014 Ballot access Petition challenge period ends October 10, 2014 Campaign finance Receipts and Expenditures (R&E) Report due October 20, 2014 Campaign finance First time the Report of Exemption for a Candidate Spending Less than Five Hundred Dollars must be filed for the general election October 21, 2014 Ballot access Filing deadline for write-in candidates in the general election October 27, 2014 Campaign finance Receipts and Expenditures (R&E) Report due for candidates running in the general election November 4, 2014 Election date General Election December 4, 2014 Campaign finance Second time the Report of Exemption for a Candidate Spending Less than Five Hundred Dollars must be filed for the general election December 10, 2014 Campaign finance Receipts and Expenditures (R&E) Report due

Process to become a candidate

See statutes: I. Regulation of Elections

In Washington, D.C., all candidates except write-in candidates must meet the same filing requirements. Because only officially recognized political party candidates are permitted to run in the primary election, filing deadlines do vary. The requirements to file as a candidate are outlined below.

Officially recognized party candidates, minor party candidates, and independent candidates

A candidate must file a signed and notarized declaration of candidacy, an affidavit of qualifications, and a nominating petition with the District of Columbia Board of Elections no later than 90 days before the election in which the candidate is running. For officially recognized political party candidates, that would be 90 days before the primary election, and for minor party and independent candidates, that would be 90 days before the general election. The nominating petition may be circulated as early as 144 days before the election in which the candidate is running.

Once a nominating petition has been filed with the District of Columbia Board of Elections, it will be posted publicly for a period of 10 days. During that time, any registered D.C. voter may challenge the validity of the petition by filing a signed, written statement with the District of Columbia Board of Elections.

Petition signature requirements are detailed in the table below.

Signature requirements for candidates in Washington, D.C.
Office sought	Minimum signatures needed for the primary election	Minimum signatures needed for the general election
Mayor	2,000, or 1% of registered voters in the same party as the candidate, whichever is less	3,000, or 1.5% of registered voters, whichever is less
Attorney General	2,000, or 1% of registered voters in the same party as the candidate, whichever is less	3,000, or 1.5% of registered voters, whichever is less
Chairman of the Washington, D.C. Council	2,000, or 1% of registered voters in the same party as the candidate, whichever is less	3,000, or 1.5% of registered voters, whichever is less
At-Large Member of the D.C. Council	2,000, or 1% of registered voters in the same party as the candidate, whichever is less	3,000, or 1.5% of registered voters, whichever is less
Ward Member of the D.C. Council	250, or 1% of registered voters in the same party and residing the same ward as the candidate, whichever is less	500 signatures of registered voters who reside in the same ward as the candidate
Nonvoting Delegate to the United States House of Representatives	2,000, or 1% of registered voters in the same party as the candidate, whichever is less	3,000, or 1.5% of registered voters, whichever is less
"Shadow" Senator	2,000 ,or 1% of registered voters in the same party as the candidate, whichever is less	3,000, or 1.5% of registered voters, whichever is less
U.S. "Shadow" Representative	2,000, or 1% of registered voters in the same party as the candidate, whichever is less	3,000, or 1.5% of registered voters, whichever is less
Ward Member of the Board of Education		200 signatures of registered voters who reside in the same ward as the candidate
Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner		25 signatures of registered voters who reside in the same single-member district as the candidate

Write-in candidates

Like other candidates, a write-in candidate must file a declaration of candidacy and affidavit of qualifications with the District of Columbia Board of Elections. This form is due at 4:45 p.m. on 14th day preceding the election.

If a write-in candidate wins the election, he or she must complete an affirmation of write-in candidacy form at the office of the District of Columbia Board of Elections no later than three days after the primary or seven days after the general election. At that time, a write-in candidate may declare affiliation with an officially recognized political party if the candidate is a registered member of the party.

Petition requirements

In some cases, candidates may need to obtain signatures via the petition process to gain ballot access. This section outlines the laws and regulations pertaining to petitions and circulators in Washington, D.C.

In Washington, D.C., petitions are used to place candidates on the ballot. On these petitions, candidates must collect a certain number of registered voters' signatures, depending on the office being sought. To collect these signatures, candidates may use circulators, individuals who physically go out among voters on the candidate's behalf to witness the signing of the petition.

Circulation requirements

A circulator must meet the following qualifications:

• The circulator must be at least 18 years old.
• The circulator must be either a resident of D.C. or, if not a resident, have registered with the District of Columbia Board of Elections as a non-resident circulator.

Registering with the board of elections as a non-resident circulator must be done in person. To register, a non-resident circulator must bring proof of residence. A circulator must also complete and file a registration form providing the name of the candidate, the office he or she is seeking, and the name, address, phone number, and email address of the circulator. On this form, a circulator must also affirm that he or she, though not a resident of D.C., would otherwise be eligible to vote in D.C. A circulator must also acknowledge that he or she has received the rules regulating the petition process, promise to adhere to those rules, and consent to the board of elections' subpoena power and to the jurisdiction of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for the enforcement of subpoenas.

Voters may not sign any name but their own on nominating petitions.

When the petitions are completed and ready to be filed with the board of elections, a circulator must swear under oath that he or she circulated the petition and witnessed the signing of each signature. A circulator must also acknowledge responsibility for the contents of the petition and affirm that, according to the best information available, each signature on the petition is genuine.

Electronic petitions

See also: Methods for signing candidate nominating petitions

As part of the Fiscal Year 2017 Budget Support Act of 2016, the Council of the District of Columbia amended the district's election code ordering the Board of Elections to do the following:

“

(B) No later than October 1, 2017, implement a pilot program that provides a limited number, as determined by the Board, of candidates, qualified petition circulators, and proposers with the option to use a mobile application, in addition to the paper circulation process, to gather electronic signatures on a mobile device registered with the Board for the June 2018 Primary Election; C) For the November 2018 General Election, and all subsequent elections, make a mobile application available to all candidates, qualified petition circulators, and proposers to install on a mobile device registered with the Board; and (D) Issue rules to implement the use of a mobile application for all elections, including how to register a mobile device with the Board in order to utilize the mobile application; provided, that the rules shall require signed petitions from the mobile application to be printed out and submitted to the Board.

”

The District of Columbia Board of Elections wrote in 2018, "January 26...marks the debut of the eSign mobile app. Organizations proposing ballot initiatives and potential candidates running for office will have the option of collecting signatures electronically via the app. eSign, which will be available for download on tablets or pre-loaded devices provided by DCBOE, allows petition circulators to confirm that a signer is a registered voter through a private, secure database. The traditional pen and paper process is still available; eSign is not required to collect signatures."

The board stated that D.C. was the second jurisdiction in the nation to use the system.

Election administration agencies

Election agencies

Seal of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission

See also: State election agencies

Individuals seeking additional information about election administration in D.C. can contact the following local and federal agencies.

District of Columbia Board of Elections

1015 Half Street SE, Suite 750

Washington, DC 20003

Phone: 202-727-2525

Toll free: 1-866-DC-VOTES

Fax: 202-347-2648

Email: director@dcboe.org

Website: https://www.dcboe.org

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200

Washington, DC 20001

Phone: 301-563-3919

Toll free: 1-866-747-1471

Email: clearinghouse@eac.gov

Website: https://www.eac.gov

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See also

• Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Washington, D.C.
• Ballot access requirements for political parties in Washington, D.C.

External links

Official district and federal links

• District of Columbia Board of Elections
• Federal Election Commission
• Candidate ballot access guide, from the District of Columbia Board of Elections

Other information

• Ballot Access News – News updates and analysis of ballot access issues
• ThirdPartyPolitics.us – Blog about American third party and independent politics
• National Voter Outreach – Political consulting firm that specializes in organizing petition signature drives

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