Changes to candidate filing procedures in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
From Ballotpedia
This page was created in June to document modifications made to candidate filing procedures in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic for the 2020 election cycle. It is preserved here for archival purposes.
On this page, you will find:
- A summary of changes: This section contains a map and table that summarize candidate filing procedure changes.
- General resources for citizens: This section contains summary data on fatalities resulting from COVID-19. Links to official resources related to the outbreak are also provided.
Summary of developments
The map and table below summarize candidate filing modifications resulting from the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
| Candidate filing modifications in response to the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 | ||
|---|---|---|
| State | Voting-age population | Description |
| Alabama | 3,814,879 | Governor Kay Ivey (R) signed HB272 into law, extending the petition deadline for unaffiliated presidential candidates to August 20, 2020. |
| Alaska | 551,562 | N/A |
| Arizona | 5,638,481 | N/A |
| Arkansas | 2,317,649 | N/A |
| California | 30,617,582 | N/A |
| Colorado | 4,499,217 | N/A |
| Connecticut | 2,837,847 | Gov. Ned Lamont (D) issued an executive order reducing petition signature requirement for all candidates by 30 percent. He also extended the filing deadlines for major-party and unaffiliated candidates by two days, to June 11, 2020, and August 7, 2020, respectively. |
| Delaware | 770,192 | N/A |
| Florida | 17,247,808 | Candidates authorized to submit qualifying documents, including signed petitions, electronically. |
| Georgia | 8,113,542 | Petitioning deadline for minor-party and unaffiliated candidates postponed to August 14, 2020. Petition signature requirements for independent and minor-party candidates reduced to 70 percent of their original numbers. |
| Hawaii | 1,116,004 | N/A |
| Idaho | 1,338,864 | N/A |
| Illinois | 9,853,946 | Candidates for state-level office exempted from filing statements of economic interests for the duration of the governor's disaster proclamation period and for 30 days thereafter. Unaffiliated and new-party candidates authorized to collect petition signatures electronically. Unaffiliated and new-party candidate filing deadline extended to July 20, 2020. Petition signature requirements for unaffiliated and new-party candidates reduced to 10 percent of their original numbers. |
| Indiana | 5,164,245 | N/A |
| Iowa | 2,428,229 | N/A |
| Kansas | 2,213,064 | N/A |
| Kentucky | 3,464,802 | N/A |
| Louisiana | 3,561,164 | Candidate qualifying deadline for the November 3, 2020, election extended to July 24, 2020. Deadline for parties to certify the names of their presidential nominees extended from August 18, 2020, to August 25, 2020. |
| Maine | 1,095,370 | Petition deadline for unaffiliated candidates extended to July 1, 2020. |
| Maryland | 4,710,993 | Petition signature requirement for new political parties reduced to 5,000. Petition signature requirement for unaffiliated candidates reduced by 50 percent. |
| Massachusetts | 5,539,703 | Candidate filing deadlines for district and county races extended to May 5, 2020, and June 2, 2020, respectively. Candidate petition signature requirements reduced to 50 percent of their statutory requirements. Candidates authorized to collect petition signatures electronically. |
| Michigan | 7,842,924 | Petition signature requirements for primary candidates reduced to 50 percent of their original numbers. Candidate filing deadline extended from April 21, 2020, to May 8, 2020. Election officials directed to develop procedures allowing for the collection and submission of electronic petition signatures. |
| Minnesota | 4,336,475 | Governor Tim Walz (D) signed HF3429 into law, authorizing general election candidates to submit filing forms and petitions electronically. |
| Mississippi | 2,277,566 | N/A |
| Missouri | 4,766,843 | N/A |
| Montana | 840,190 | N/A |
| Nebraska | 1,458,334 | N/A |
| Nevada | 2,387,517 | N/A |
| New Hampshire | 1,104,458 | Petition signature requirements for Libertarian candidates in the general election reduced by 35 percent. |
| New Jersey | 6,943,612 | Candidates permitted to collect petition signatures electronically and submit petitions online. Petition deadline for unaffiliated candidates for non-presidential office extended to July 7, 2020. |
| New Mexico | 1,620,991 | N/A |
| New York | 15,425,262 | Petition signature requirements for primary candidates reduced and signature-gathering process suspended effective March 17, 2020. Filing deadline for independent nominating petitions extended to July 30, 2020. |
| North Carolina | 8,187,369 | N/A |
| North Dakota | 581,891 | N/A |
| Ohio | 9,111,081 | N/A |
| Oklahoma | 3,004,733 | N/A |
| Oregon | 3,351,175 | N/A |
| Pennsylvania | 10,167,376 | N/A |
| Rhode Island | 854,866 | Petition signature requirements for both primary and general election congressional candidates reduced by half (from 1,000 to 500 for U.S. Senate candidates; from 500 to 250 for U.S. House candidates). |
| South Carolina | 4,037,531 | N/A |
| South Dakota | 667,558 | N/A |
| Tennessee | 5,319,123 | N/A |
| Texas | 21,596,071 | Petition deadline for independent candidates for non-presidential office extended to August 13, 2020. |
| Utah | 2,274,774 | Candidates and/or campaigns authorized to deliver petition sheets to voters electronically. Voters permitted to return signed petition sheets electronically or by mail. |
| Vermont | 509,984 | Candidate petition signature gathering requirements suspended for the August 2020 primary and November 2020 general elections. |
| Virginia | 6,674,671 | Petition signature requirements for unaffiliated and minor-party candidates for federal office in Virginia reduced as follows: 2,500 signatures for presidential candidates; 3,500 signatures for U.S. Senate candidates; and 350 signatures for U.S. House candidates. Filing deadline for unaffiliated and minor-party congressional candidates extended to August 1, 2020. |
| Washington | 5,951,832 | Gov. Jay Inslee (D) issued an executive order waiving the petition requirement for candidates who could not afford to pay the filing fees associated with the offices being sought. Instead, such candidates were required to sign a statement, under penalty of perjury, that they 'lack sufficient assets or income at the time of filing to pay the filing fee.' |
| West Virginia | 1,432,580 | N/A |
| Wisconsin | 4,555,837 | N/A |
| Wyoming | 445,025 | N/A |
General resources
The chart below shows coronavirus statistics from countries across the world. The information is provided by Real Clear Politics.
Click the links below to explore official resources related to the coronavirus outbreak.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
- National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor
- U.S. Department of Education
- World Health Organization
- Trends in Number of COVID-19 Cases and Deaths in the US Reported to CDC, by State/Territory
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccinations, Our World in Data (Number of vaccines administered)
- Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker, New York Times (Progress of vaccine trials)
See also
- Ballotpedia: Political responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
- Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
- State government responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
- Government official, politician, and candidate deaths, diagnoses, and quarantines due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020-2021
- Changes to ballot measure campaigns, procedures, and policies in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020-2022
- Ballotpedia's elections calendar
External links
The external resources listed below are related to the coronavirus pandemic.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor
- U.S. Department of Education
- World Health Organization
Footnotes
