How to run for office in Ohio
 in Ohio |
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| Ballot access for major and minor party candidates |
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| Ballot access for presidential candidates |
| Select a state below to learn more about ballot access requirements for candidates in that state. |
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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.
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In order to get on the ballot in Ohio, a candidate for state or federal office must meet a variety of state-specific filing requirements and deadlines. These regulations, known as ballot access laws, determine whether a candidate or party will appear on an election ballot. These laws are set at the state level. 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 in a state.
- An individual can seek the nomination of a state-recognized political party.
- An individual can run as an independent. Independent candidates often must petition in order to have their names printed on the general election ballot.
- 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 Ohio. For information about filing requirements for presidential candidates, click here. Information about filing requirements for local-level offices is not available in this article (contact state election agencies for information about local candidate filing processes).
Year-specific filing information
2026
- See also: Signature requirements and deadlines for 2026 U.S. Congress elections and Ohio elections, 2026
U.S. House
The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Ohio in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Ohio, click here.
| Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Office | Party | Signatures required | Filing fee | Filing deadline | Source |
| Ohio | U.S. House | Major party | 50 | $85 | 2/4/2026 | Source |
| Ohio | U.S. House | Minor party | 25 | $85 | 2/4/2026 | Source |
| Ohio | U.S. House | Unaffiliated | 1% of the vote cast for governor in the district in the last election | $85 | 5/4/2026 | Source |
Governor
The table below details filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates in Ohio in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Ohio, click here.
| Filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates, 2026 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Office | Party | Signatures required | Filing fee | Filing deadline | Source |
| Ohio | Governor | Major party | 1,000 | $150 | 2/4/2026 | Source |
| Ohio | Governor | Minor party | 500 | $150 | 2/4/2026 | Source |
| Ohio | Governor | Unaffiliated | 5,000 | $150 | 5/4/2026 | Source |
State House
The table below details filing requirements for Ohio House of Representatives candidates in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Ohio, click here.
| Filing requirements for Ohio House of Representatives, 2026 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Chamber name | Party | Signatures required | Filing fee | Filing deadline | Source |
| Ohio | House of Representatives | Major party | 50 | $85 | 2/4/2026 | Source |
| Ohio | House of Representatives | Minor party | 25 | $85 | 2/4/2026 | Source |
| Ohio | House of Representatives | Unaffiliated | 5% or 25 (whichever is less) if the number of votes cast in the district in the last general election for governor was fewer than 5,000, 1% if the number of votes cast in the district in the last general election for governor was 5,000 or more | $85 | 5/4/2026 | Source |
State Senate
The table below details filing requirements for Ohio State Senate candidates in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Ohio, click here.
| Filing requirements for Ohio State Senate, 2026 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Chamber name | Party | Signatures required | Filing fee | Filing deadline | Source |
| Ohio | State Senate | Major party | 50 | $85 | 2/4/2026 | Source |
| Ohio | State Senate | Minor party | 25 | $85 | 2/4/2026 | Source |
| Ohio | State Senate | Unaffiliated | 5% or 25 (whichever is less) if the number of votes cast in the district in the last general election for governor was fewer than 5,000, 1% if the number of votes cast in the district in the last general election for governor was 5,000 or more | $85 | 5/4/2026 | Source |
For filing information from previous years, click "[Show more]" below.
2024
U.S. Senate
The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates in Ohio in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Ohio, click here.
| Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2024 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Office | Party | Signatures required | Filing fee | Filing deadline | Source |
| Ohio | U.S. Senate | Major parties | 1,000 | $150.00 | 12/20/2023 | Source |
| Ohio | U.S. Senate | Minor parties | 500 | $150.00 | 3/18/2024 | Source |
| Ohio | U.S. Senate | Unaffiliated | 5,000 | $150.00 | 3/18/2024 | Source |
U.S. House
The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Ohio in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Ohio, click here.
| Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Office | Party | Signatures required | Filing fee | Filing deadline | Source |
| Ohio | U.S. House | Major party | 50 | $85.00 | 12/20/2023 | Source |
| Ohio | U.S. House | Minor party | 25 | $85.00 | 3/18/2024 | Source |
| Ohio | U.S. House | Unaffiliated | 1% of the vote cast for governor in the district in the last election | $85.00 | 3/18/2024 | Source |
For filing information from previous years, click "[Show more]" below.
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Process to become a candidate
See statutes: Title 35, Chapter 3513, Section 10 of the Ohio Revised Statutes
For all candidates
Filing fees apply to all candidates and are as follows:[1]
| Filing fees | |
|---|---|
| Office | Fee |
| Governor, United States Senator, and statewide offices | $150 |
| United States Representative and state legislators | $85 |
For partisan candidates
See statutes: Title 35, Chapter 3513, Section 05 of the Ohio Revised Code
A partisan candidate must file a declaration of candidacy and petition and pay the required filing fees. Petition signature requirements are detailed in the table below (for more information regarding petition requirements, see below).[2]
| Signature requirements for partisan candidates | |
|---|---|
| Office | Number of signatures required |
| Governor, United States Senator, and other statewide offices | 1,000 qualified electors who are members of the same political party as the candidate |
| United States Representative and state legislators | 50 qualified electors who are members of the same political party as the candidate |
| **The signature requirement for minor party candidates is one-half the number required of major parties.[2] | |
For independent candidates
See statutes: Title 35, Chapter 3513, Section 257 of the Ohio Revised Code
An unaffiliated candidate must submit a declaration of candidacy and nominating petition and pay the required filing fees. Petition signature requirements are detailed in the table below (for more information regarding petition requirements, see below).[3]
| Signature requirements for independent candidates | |
|---|---|
| Office | Number of signatures required |
| Governor, United States Senator, and other statewide offices | 5,000 qualified electors |
| United States Representative and state legislators | Varies by size of district; if 5,000 or more electors voted for the office of governor in the most recent election, 1 percent of electors; if less than 5,000 electors voted for said office, 5 percent of the vote or 25, whichever is less |
For write-in candidates
A write-in candidate must file a declaration of intent in order to have his or her votes counted. Write-in candidates may participate in either primary or general elections and are subject to the same filing fees as all other candidates.[4]
Petition requirements
See statutes: Title 35, Chapter 3501, Section 38 of the Ohio Revised Code
In some cases, candidates may need to obtain signatures via the petition process to gain access to the ballot. This section outlines the laws and regulations pertaining to petitions and circulators in Ohio.
Format requirements
The "statement of candidacy" portion of each petition paper must be completely filled in and signed by the candidate before circulation can begin.[5][6]
All petitions must include a statement signed by the circulator indicating the following:
- the number of signatures contained in the petition
- that the circulator witnessed the signing of each signature
- that all signers were qualified to sign the petition
- that each signature is authentic
Signature requirements
Only qualified electors who are eligible to vote for the candidacy in question may sign a petition. Each signature must be written in ink by the elector (or duly appointed attorney-in-fact). A signer must include his or her residence address, which must match the address that appears on registration records, and the date of signing. With the exception of petitions for candidates elected by voters of the entire state, no petition can contain more than three times the required number of signatures.[5][6]
Circulation requirements
Circulators must be at least 18 years old. Circulators may not sign the same petition papers they are circulating, but may sign petition papers for the same candidacy by a different circulator. Each petition paper must be circulated by one person only and can contain signatures of electors in only one county. Petitions for a candidate for party nomination must be signed and circulated by members of the same political party as the candidate.[5][6]
Election administration agencies
Election agencies
- See also: State election agencies
Individuals seeking additional information about election administration in Ohio can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.
Ohio County Boards of Elections
Ohio Secretary of State, Elections Division
- 180 Civic Center Dr.
- Columbus, Ohio 43215
- Phone: 614-466-2585
- Toll free: 1-877-767-6446
- Website: https://www.sos.state.oh.us
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
Do you need information about elections in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool. |
Term limits
State executives
The state executive term limits in Ohio are as follows:
- The governor must wait four years and/or one full term before becoming eligible to serve again after two consecutive terms.
- The lieutenant governor may serve a total of two terms.
- The secretary of state may serve a total of two terms.
- The attorney general may serve a total of two terms.
- The treasurer may serve a total of two terms.
- The auditor may serve a total of two terms.
State legislators
- See also: State legislatures with term limits
A politician can serve in the Ohio House of Representatives for a total of four terms (eight years). A politician can serve in the Ohio State Senate for a total of two terms (eight years).
Congressional partisanship
Below is the current partisan breakdown of the congressional delegation from Ohio.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Ohio | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Republican | 2 | 10 | 12 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vacancies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 15 | 17 |
State legislative partisanship
Below is the current partisan breakdown of the state legislature of Ohio.
Ohio State Senate
| Party | As of November 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 9 | |
| Republican Party | 24 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 33 | |
Ohio House of Representatives
| Party | As of November 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 34 | |
| Republican Party | 65 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 99 | |
Related legislation
The table below lists bills related to ballot access requirements for candidates that have been introduced during (or carried over to) the current legislative session in Ohio. The following information is included for each bill:
- State
- Bill number
- Official bill name or caption
- Most recent action date
- Legislative status
- Sponsor party
- Topics dealt with by the bill
Bills are organized by most recent action. The table displays up to 100 results. To view more bills, use the arrows in the upper-right corner. Clicking on a bill will open its page on Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker, which includes bill details and a summary.
The Ballot Bulletin
The Ballot Bulletin is a weekly email that delivers the latest updates on election policy. The Ballot Bulletin tracks developments in election policy around the country, including legislative activity, big-picture trends, and recent news. Each email contains in-depth data from our Election Administration Legislation Tracker. You'll also be able to track relevant legislation, with links to and summaries of the bills themselves.
Recent issues
Click below to view recent issues of The Ballot Bulletin.
- The Ballot Bulletin: November 21, 2025
- The Ballot Bulletin: November 14, 2025
- The Ballot Bulletin: November 7, 2025
- The Ballot Bulletin: October 31, 2025
- The Ballot Bulletin: October 24, 2025
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See also
- Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Ohio
- Ballot access requirements for political parties in Ohio
- Ohio elections, 2024
- Campaign finance requirements in Ohio
- Counties in Ohio
- List of United States Representatives from Ohio
- List of United States Senators from Ohio
- Methods for signing candidate nominating petitions
- State executives with term limits
- States with gubernatorial term limits
- State legislatures with term limits
External links
Official state and federal links
- Ohio Secretary of State
- Federal Election Commission
- Ohio Secretary of State, "Candidate Requirement Guide 2024"
- Ohio Secretary of State, "Candidates in Ohio"
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
Footnotes
- ↑ Ohio Revised Code, "Title 35, Chapter 3513, Section 10," accessed March 4, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ohio Revised Code, "Title 35, Chapter 3513, Section 05," accessed March 4, 2025
- ↑ Ohio Revised Code, "Title 35, Chapter 3513, Section 257," accessed March 4, 2025
- ↑ Ohio Revised Code, "Title 35, Chapter 3513, Section 041," accessed March 4, 2025
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Ohio Secretary of State, "2025 Ohio Candidate Guide," accessed March 4, 2025
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Ohio Revised Code, "Title 35, Chapter 3501, Section 38," accessed March 4, 2025
