Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Washington, D.C.: Difference between revisions

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{{Candidate access VNT}}{{tnr}}This page contains extensive information about '''ballot access requirements''' for candidates running for elected office in [[Washington, D.C.]]. Offices included are:
{{Candidate access VNT}}{{tnr}}This page contains extensive '''information about [[Ballot access|ballot access]] requirements''' for candidates running for elected office in [[Washington, D.C.]]. Offices included are:
* [[Washington, D.C. Mayor]]
* [[Washington, D.C. Mayor]]
* [[District of Columbia U.S. Attorney's Office| Washington, D.C. Attorney General]]
* [[District of Columbia U.S. Attorney's Office| Washington, D.C. Attorney General]]

Revision as of 14:19, 24 January 2014


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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.

This page contains extensive information about ballot access requirements for candidates running for elected office in Washington, D.C.. Offices included are:

In order to get on the ballot in Washington, D.C., 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.

  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. 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 dates

2014

Washington, D.C. will have a primary election on April 1, 2014 and a general election on November 4, 2014. Voters will elect candidates to serve in the following state and federal offices:[1]

The filing deadline for political party candidates in the 2014 elections was January 2, 2014. The filing deadline for minor party and independent candidates is August 6, 2014. Write-in candidates are allowed in both the primary and general elections. If a write-in is running in the primary election, the filing deadline is March 18, 2014, and if a write-in is running in the general election, the filing deadline is October 21, 2014. The suggested deadline to file paperwork to create a new political party in time for the 2014 general election is May 1, 2014.[2] 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 10, 2014 Campaign Finance Receipts and Expenditures (R&E) Report due
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

Political parties

See also: List of political parties in the United States

As of November 2013, Washington, D.C. officially recognizes four political parties.[3]

Party Website link By-laws/Platform link
D.C. Statehood Green Party http://www.dcstatehoodgreen.org/home Party platform
Democratic Party http://www.dcdemocraticparty.org/ Party by-laws
Libertarian Party http://www.dc.lp.org/
Republican Party http://dcgop.com/ Party by-laws

In Washington, D.C., candidates may designate on the ballot whether they are affiliated with an officially recognized political party or with a minor party that is trying to gain official recognition. If a candidate is not affiliated with either, he or she must use an "Independent" distinction on the ballot. Only candidates of officially recognized political parties are allowed access to the primary election. Candidates of new parties trying to gain official recognition can only run in the general election. If they receive 7,500 votes, that new party will be considered officially recognized by the district.[4][5]

Process to establish a political party

Figure 1: This is the Declaration of Candidacy form candidates running for election in Washington, D.C.

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Title 3 of the D.C. Municipal Regulations

The first step in establishing a new political party in Washington, D.C., is to file with the board of elections and register with the Office of Campaign Finance (OCF).[6]

Once a party is registered, it can submit its party name to the board of elections for approval. It is suggested that the application for party name approval be submitted no later than May 1 in an election year in order to ensure the name is approved in time to circulate a candidate's nominating petition for the general election. Nominating petitions will not be granted to candidates whose party's name has not been approved.[6][7]

Candidates of the new political party are nominated as minor party candidates and are only allowed to run in the general election. Minor party candidates are held to the same filing requirements as other candidates.[8]

In order to gain permanent ballot status, a new party's candidate must receive at least 7,500 votes cast in the general election for the office of delegate, mayor, chairman of the council, or member of the council.[9]

Process to become a candidate

DocumentIcon.jpg 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.[6][10]

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.[10]

Petition signature requirements are detailed in the table below.[10]

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[11] 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.[6][10]

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.[6]

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.[6] 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:[12][13]

  • 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.[12] 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.[13]

Voters may not sign any name but their own on nominating petitions.[6]

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.[12]

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.[14][15]

”

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."[16]

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


Campaign Finance

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Chapter 30 of the DC Municipal Regulations

Each candidates is required to file a Statement of Candidacy form with the Office of Campaign Finance within five days of receiving the nominating petition. This statement must detail whether spending is anticipated to be less than $500 and whether a principal campaign committee will be designated. If a principal campaign committee is designated, the candidate must provide the name of the principal campaign committee, the names of any other authorized committees, and the names of the national bank located in the District of Columbia that has been designated as the candidate’s campaign depository.[17]

A candidate with campaign expenditures of less than $500 is only required to file the "Report of Exemption for a Candidate Spending Less than Five Hundred Dollars" to the Director of Campaign Finance of the Board of Elections. This report must be submitted twice. It is first due on the 15th day prior to the election in which the candidate is participating and next on the 30th day after the election.[17]

A candidate with a campaign exceeding $500 must file "Receipts and Expenditures Reports" (R&E reports) unless he or she has designated a principal campaign committee, in which case the committee is required to file for the candidate.[17]

During an election year, R&E reports must be filed with the Office of Campaign Finance on: January 31, March 10, June 10, August 10, October 10, December 10, and the eighth day preceding the date of any election in which the candidate seeks office.[17]

  • These reports cover all financial transactions above $15 through the fifth day preceding the filing deadline. The next report must start with the day following the last date on the former report.[17]
  • Reports must continue to be filed on January 31 and July 31 of any year until all campaign debts or obligations are paid in full. Thus, principal campaign committees must continue to function until all financial obligations are completed. Committees cannot spend or collect money for future elections.

If there is a surplus of campaign funds after the election, the money can be used to retire the debts of the committee that received the funds, returned to donors or contributed to a political party for political purposes.[17]

All reports may be filed electronically at this website.

In addition to reporting requirements, candidates are also subject to the following donation limits:[17]

  • No campaign contributions can be added to a candidate's personal funds or accounts.
  • As candidate cannot accept funds from any one donor exceeding:
    • $2,000 if running for U.S. Senator or Representative
    • $1,500 if running for Chairman of the Council
    • $1,000 if running for Member of the Council At-Large
    • $500 if running for Member of the Council from a ward

Contributions and expenditures made in cash cannot exceed $25.

With the exception of contributions received to retire debt, no contributions shall be accepted after a candidate has been elected, defeated in an election, or has terminated the candidacy.

Election-related agencies

See also: State election agencies

Candidates running for office will require some form of interaction with the following agencies:

District of Columbia Board of Elections:

Why: Oversees candidate filing and election procedures.
441 4th Street, NW, Suite 250 North
Washington, DC 20001
Telephone: (202) 727-2525
Toll Free: 1-866-DC-VOTES
Fax: (202) 347-2648
Email: director@dcboee.org
http://www.dcboee.org/home.asp

Office of Campaign Finance:

Why: Regulates political campaigns and the conduct of government officials.
Frank D. Reeves Municipal Building
2000 14th Street, NW, Suite 433
Washington, DC 20009
Telephone: (202) 671-0547
Fax: (202) 671-0658
Email: ocf@dc.gov
http://www.ocf.dc.gov/

See also

External links

Official district and federal links

Forms

Other information

Additional reading

References

  1. ↑ District of Columbia Board of Elections, "April 1, 2014 Primary Election," accessed November 6, 2013
  2. ↑ Board of Elections Primary Election Calendar of Important Dates and Deadlines, accessed November 5, 2013
  3. ↑ District of Columbia Board of Elections Website, "Primary and General Elections," accessed November 11, 2013
  4. ↑ D.C. Municipal Regulations, "Section 3-1500," Accessed December 20, 2013
  5. ↑ D.C. Municipal Regulations, "Section 3-1501," Accessed December 20, 2013
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 District of Columbia Board of Elections Website, "Candidate Guide to Ballot Access," accessed November 25, 2014 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "dcguide" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "dcguide" defined multiple times with different content
  7. ↑ D.C. Municipal Regulations, "Section 3-1605," accessed November 27, 2013
  8. ↑ District of Columbia Board of Elections Website, "Primary and General Elections," accessed December 20, 2013
  9. ↑ D.C. Municipal Regulations, "Section 3-1500," accessed December 20, 2013
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Council of the District of Columbia, "Code of the District of Columbia: § 1–1001.08. Qualifications of candidates and electors; nomination and election of Delegate, Chairman of the Council, members of Council, Mayor, Attorney General, and members of State Board of Education; petition requirements; arrangement of ballot." accessed May 16, 2025
  11. ↑ Council of the District of Columbia, "Code of the District of Columbia: § 1–309.05. Advisory Neighborhood Commissions — Qualifications of members; nomination by petition." accessed May 16, 2025
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 District of Columbia Board of Elections, "Circulating and Filing Nominating Petitions," accessed May 16, 2025
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Council of the District of Columbia, "Code of the District of Columbia: § 1–1001.02. Definitions." accessed May 16, 2025
  14. ↑ Council of the District of Columbia, "Fiscal Year 2017 Budget Support Act of 2016," August 18, 2016
  15. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  16. ↑ District of Columbia Board of Elections, "Board Announces Availability of June 19, 2018 Primary Election Ballot Petitions," January 18, 2018
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 17.6 DC Municipal Regulations, "Chapter 30, Campaign Finance Operations," accessed November 26, 2013
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