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Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Illinois

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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 state and federal candidates running for elected office in the state of Illinois. Offices included are:

In order to get on the ballot in Illinois, 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 Illinois. 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

2015

See also: Illinois elections, 2015

There are no regularly scheduled state executive, state legislative or congressional elections in Illinois in 2015. The state is conducting municipal and school board elections.

2014


Political parties

See also: List of political parties in the United States

As of February 2015, Illinois officially recognized two political parties. These are listed in the table below.[3]

Party Website link By-laws/platform link
Democratic http://www.ildems.com/ National party platform
Republican http://www.weareillinois.org/ Party by-laws

In some states, a candidate may choose to have a label other than that of an officially recognized party appear alongside his or her name on the ballot. Such labels are called political party designations. A political party designation would be used when a candidate qualifies as an independent but prefers to use a different label. Illinois does allow candidates to identify in this way. A total of 22 states allow candidates to use political party designations in non-presidential elections.

The 11 states listed below (including Washington, D.C.) do not provide a process for political organizations to gain qualified status in advance of an election. Instead, in these states, an aspirant party must first field candidates using party designations. If the candidate or candidates win the requisite votes, the organization may then be recognized as an official political party. In these states, a political party can be formed only if the candidate in the general election obtains a specific number of votes. The number of votes required and type of race vary from state to state. Details can be found on the state-specific requirements pages.[4]

Process to establish a political party

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 10 of the Illinois Statutes

According to the Illinois State Board of Elections, "A new political party is created when nomination papers are filed for a new political group within a specific district or a political subdivision. If the new party receives more than 5% of the total votes cast at the consolidated election, it becomes an established political party as to any district or political subdivision thereof."[1]

Any group intending to create a new political party must file a new party petition. Signature requirements for the petition are as follows:[5]

New political party petition requirements
Political subdivision Statutory signature requirement
Statewide Either 1% of voters who voted at the last statewide general election, or 25,000 voters, whichever is less
Congressional district 5% of voters who voted at the last general election in that district, or the number of signatures required to gain state recognition, whichever is less[6]
Illinois State Senate district 5% of voters who voted at the last general election in that district, or the number of signatures required to gain state recognition, whichever is less[7]
Illinois House of Representatives district 5% of voters who voted at the last general election in that district, or the number of signatures required to gain state recognition, whichever is less[8]


According to the Illinois State Board of Elections, "A political group wishing to form a new political party within a municipality must file petitions with a full slate of candidates for such political subdivision. The following court case has held that the full-slate requirement for new political parties is unconstitutional: Libertarian Party of Illinois v. ISBE, et al., ... Upon such filing, a new political party is created. That new political party remains a new political party for the election for which it filed a full slate of candidates. If the new political party receives more than 5% of the votes cast at that election, it becomes an established political party. If it does not, it ceases to exist."[1]

Once the petition and nomination papers have been filed, the new political party may place its candidates on the general election ballot, but the party will not be officially recognized as an established political party unless its candidates receive at least 5% of the total number of votes cast for the offices for which the party ran candidates. If the new political party ran a candidate for gubernatorial office and that candidate received at least 5% of the votes cast for that office, the new political party will be recognized as an established political party statewide.[5]

Only established political parties may nominate candidates by primary.[9]

Process to become a candidate

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 7 of the Illinois Statutes

In Illinois, a candidate may run with an established political party, with a new party, as an independent candidate, or as a write-in candidate. Candidate qualification processes are detailed below.[1]

Political party candidates and independent candidates

Established political party candidates, new party candidates, and independent candidates must file nomination papers with the Illinois State Board of Elections in order to qualify for placement on the ballot. These nomination papers must be filed during the designated filing period. The filing period for established party candidates begins 127 days before the primary election and ends 120 days before the primary election. New party and independent candidates have a separate filing period. Their filing period begins 141 days before the general election and ends 134 days before the general election.[10][1]

Nomination papers include the following:[1]

  1. The statement of candidacy must indicate the candidate's address, the office being sought, and the candidate's political party designation (if applicable). This form also includes a statement affirming that the candidate is qualified for the office being sought. This form must be signed by the candidate and notarized.[11]
  2. The original statement of economic interests must be filed with the Illinois Secretary of State, which will then issue the receipt of the statement of economic interests for the candidate to file with the Illinois State Board of Elections. This form is not required from candidates seeking federal office. It is suggested that this form be filed at the same time as all other nomination papers, but it may be filed after the other papers as long as it is filed within the candidate filing period.[1]
  3. The loyalty oath form is optional. If a candidate chooses to sign it, he or she must affirm that he or she is not affiliated directly or indirectly with any organization that seeks to overthrow the government of the United States or the state of Illinois.[1]
  4. A petition containing the signatures of qualified electors. A candidate can begin circulating petitions 90 days before the last day of the filing period. Signature requirements for petitions vary according to the candidate's political party affiliation and the office being sought. Signature requirements are detailed in the table below.[1][12][1]
Petition signature requirements
Office Established party candidates New party candidates Independent candidates[13]
Statewide office (e.g., governor and lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, comptroller, treasurer) 5,000 (no more than 10,000) primary voters belonging to the candidate's party 1% of the number of voters who voted in the most recent general election or 25,000, whichever is less 1% of the number of voters who voted in the most recent general election or 25,000, whichever is less
United States Representative 0.5% of primary voters in the district belonging to the candidate's party 5% of the total number of district voters who voted in the last general election 5% of the total number of district voters who voted in the last general election
State senator 1,000 (no more than 3,000) district voters belonging to the candidate's party 5% of the total number of district voters who voted in the last general election 5% of the total number of district voters who voted in the last general election
State representative 500 (no more than 1,500) district voters belonging to the candidate's party 5% of the total number of district voters who voted in the last general election 5% of the total number of district voters who voted in the last general election

Any objections to nomination papers must be filed no later than five business days after the filing deadline.[1]

Write-in candidates

Write-in votes will not be counted unless the candidate files a declaration of intent no later than 61 days before the election in which he or she is running. This form must indicate the office being sought by the candidate.[1][14]

Petition requirements

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 7 of the Illinois Statutes

In some cases, political parties and/or 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 Illinois.

Format requirements

In Illinois, established party candidates, new party candidates, and independent candidates must all file petitions to access the ballot, though signature requirements for those petitions vary depending on the office being sought and the candidate's political party affiliation. Petitions cannot be circulated until the 90th day before the last day of the candidate's filing period. The circulator's statement on the petition must indicate that the petition was not circulated until after that date.[15][16]

Petition signature sheets must be of uniform size, numbered consecutively and bound together in book form with one edge secured. The header of each page of the petition should contain the same information.[15][16]

Signature requirements

A petition signer must be a registered voter eligible to vote for the candidate whose petition he or she signs. A signer may sign the petitions of one established political party for the primary election and one new political party or independent petition for the subsequent general election. When signing, an individual must include his or her residence address.[15]

Circulation requirements

Petition circulators must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years old. An individual may not circulate petitions for more than one political party, established or new, or for more than one independent candidate.[15] On April 21, 2021, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled, in Elam v. Municipal Officers Electoral Board for Village of Riverdale, that a circulator cannot circulate petitions for both a primary candidate and an unaffiliated general election candidate during the same year.[17]

The circulator must personally witness the signing of all signatures and sign the circulator's statement on the petition attesting to that. The circulator's statement must also include the circulator's address, age, and citizenship information. The statement must be sworn to and signed before an officer authorized to administer oaths in Illinois.[15][16]

Campaign finance

Figure 1: This is a reporting form for campaign contributions and expenditures for candidates running for state office in Illinois.

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 9 of the Illinois Statutes

The campaign finance reporting process for candidates seeking state office in Illinois is outlined below. Candidates seeking federal office must file with the Federal Election Commission. Reporting details for federal candidates are not included in this section.

Candidate political committees

A candidate who plans to spend over $5,000 for his or her campaign, even if using only personal funds, must form a candidate political committee and file campaign finance reports. A candidate may have only one candidate political committee per office he or she holds or seeks.[18][19]

Within 10 business days of forming a candidate political committee, the committee must file a Statement of Organization with the Illinois State Board of Elections, unless the committee is formed within 30 days of an election, in which case the Statement of Organization must be filed within two business days of the committee’s formation. If any information on the original Statement of Organization changes, an amendment must be filed notifying the Illinois State Board of Elections of the change within 10 days of implementing the change. The Statement of Organization must be signed, dated and verified by the candidate and must include:[20]

  • the name, address and type of political committee (n this case, the candidate would designate a candidate political committee)
  • the party affiliation and purpose of the committee
  • the name and address of each officer of the committee, such as chairman and treasurer, and any others in charge of keeping financial accounts
  • the name and address of any sponsoring entities (a sponsoring entity must contribute 33 percent of the committee’s total funds to be considered a sponsoring entity)
  • a statement on how the committee plans to dispose of extra funds upon termination of the committee
  • a list of all banks or financial institutions the committee will use
  • the amount of funds available to the committee as of the filing date of the Statement of Organization

Reporting requirements

All candidates must file quarterly reports covering the four quarters of the year: January 1 through March 31, April 1 through June 30, July 1 through September 30 and October 1 through December 31. These reports are due on the 15th day of the month following the last month covered in the report.[21]

A quarterly report must be filed even if no financial transactions occurred during the time period covered by the report.[22]

Reports must be cumulative and must include:[23]

  • the name and address of the candidate political committee
  • the name of the person filing the report, if other than the chairman or treasurer
  • the amount of funds on hand at the beginning of the reporting period
  • the name and address of each person who contributed funds, including any rebates, refunds or income from investments, to the committee in an aggregate total of $150 or more, along with the amounts and dates of those contributions; if the contributions exceeded $500, the occupation and employers of the contributor must also be included
  • the total sum of individual contributions of $150 or less
  • the name and address of any political committee who transferred funds to or from the reporting committee in an aggregate total of over $150
  • the total sum of individual transfers made under $150
  • the names and addresses of each lender or endorser of loans over $150, along with the amount and date of each loan; if the loans exceeded $500, the occupation and employer of the lenders or endorsers must also be included
  • the total proceeds from sales of tickets to events, collections at events and sales of political items such as buttons, pins or banners
  • the total sum of all contributions.
  • the name and address of each person to whom expenditures were made, including personal services and salaries, in excess of $150, along with the amount, date and purpose of the expenditure
  • the value of each asset held as an investment as of the last day of the report
  • the total sum of expenditures made
  • the name and address of each person to whom the committee owes debts or obligations of $150 or more, along with the amount and date of those debts
  • a statement, signed and dated by the candidate, verifying that the report has been reviewed by the candidate and that it is true and correct to the best of his or her knowledge and belief

A candidate may need to submit additional reports if contributions received or expenditures made exceed $1,000 during the 30 days before an election. If contributions of over $1,000 are received during that time, an electronic report must be filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections within two days of receipt. If expenditures of $1,000 or more are made during that time, an electronic report must be filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections within five days.[21][22]

Copies of all reports must be maintained by those responsible for filing them for a period of two years.[22]

Contribution limits

In addition to campaign finance reporting requirements, candidate political committees are subject to contribution limits. The table below details contribution limits per election cycle.[24]

Contribution limit Contributing entity
$5,000 Any individual
$10,000 Any corporation, labor organization or association
$50,000 Any candidate political committee or political action committee

Political party committees are exempt from contribution limits, except when candidates to whom they are contributing are running in a primary election. In that case, political party committees are subject to contribution limits based on the office sought by the candidate. These contribution limits are detailed in the table below.[24]

Office sought Contribution limit
State executive office $200,000
State Senator $125,000
Illinois House of Representatives $75,000

Election-related agencies

See also: State election agencies

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

Illinois State Board of Elections
Why: This agency is the authority on all laws, information and procedures dealing with elections.

Springfield Office:
2329 S. MacArthur Blvd., Springfield, IL 62704
Telephone: 217-782-4141
Fax: 217-782-5959
Chicago Office:
100 W. Randolph, Suite 14-100, Chicago, IL 60601
Telephone: 312-814-6440
Fax: 312-814-6485
Email: webmaster@elections.il.gov
http://www.elections.state.il.us/

Illinois Secretary of State
Why: This agency provides and processes Statements of Economic Interests.

Office of the Secretary of State
Index Division
111 East Monroe
Springfield, IL 62756
Phone: 217-782-7017

Term limits

State executives

State Executive Officials
See also: State executives with term limits and States with gubernatorial term limits

Illinois does not place term limits on state executive offices.

State legislators

See also: State legislatures with term limits

Illinois does not place term limits on state legislators.

Congressional partisanship

Portal:Legislative Branch
See also: List of United States Representatives from Illinois and List of United States Senators from Illinois

Here is the current partisan breakdown of the congressional members from Illinois:

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Illinois
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 2 14 16
Republican 0 3 3
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 17 19

State legislative partisanship

Portal:State legislatures

Here is the current partisan breakdown of members of the state legislature of Illinois:

State Senate

Party As of November 2025
     Democratic Party 40
     Republican Party 19
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 59

State House

Party As of November 2025
     Democratic Party 78
     Republican Party 40
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 118

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Illinois ballot access. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Illinois - Google News

See also

External links

Official state and federal links

Forms

Additional reading

Other information

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Illinois State Board of Elections, "State of Illinois Candidate's Guide 2014," Updated November 26, 2013 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "ilguide" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "ilguide" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "ilguide" defined multiple times with different content
  2. ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election and Campaign Finance Calendar 2014," Updated July 31, 2013
  3. ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections Website, "Party Officials," accessed February 11, 2015
  4. ↑ Ballotpedia, "Email communication with ballot access expert Richard Winger," January 2014
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 ILGA.GOV, "ELECTIONS - (10 ILCS 5/) Election Code (Sec. 10-2)," accessed July 7, 2025
  6. ↑ Or, 5,000 signatures for the first election after redistricting.
  7. ↑ Or, 3,000 signatures for the first election after redistricting.
  8. ↑ Or, 1,500 signatures for the first election after redistricting.
  9. ↑ ILGA.GOV, "ELECTIONS - (10 ILCS 5/) Election Code (Sec. 7-2)," accessed July 7, 2025
  10. ↑ Illinois Statutes, "Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 10, Section 12," accessed February 26, 2025
  11. ↑ Illinois Statutes, "Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 7, Section 10.1," accessed February 26, 2025
  12. ↑ Illinois Statutes, "Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 7, Section 10," accessed February 26, 2025
  13. ↑ Illinois Statutes, "Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 10, Section 3," accessed February 26, 2025
  14. ↑ Illinois Statutes, "Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 7, Section 59," accessed February 26, 2025
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 Illinois State Board of Elections, "State of Illinois Candidate's Guide 2025," accessed February 26, 2025
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Illinois Statutes, "Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 7, Section 10," accessed February 26, 2025
  17. ↑ Ballot Access News, "Illinois Supreme Court Construes Election Law to Ban Persons from Circulating for a Primary Candidate and a General Election Candidate in Same Year," April 21, 2021
  18. ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections Website, "Frequently Asked Questions about Campaign Disclosure," accessed March 27, 2014
  19. ↑ Illinois Statutes, "Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 9, Section 2," accessed March 27, 2014
  20. ↑ Illinois Statutes, "Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 9, Section 3," accessed March 27, 2014
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election and Campaign Finance Calendar 2014," Updated July 31, 2013
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Illinois Statutes, "Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 9, Section 10," accessed March 27, 2014
  23. ↑ Illinois Statutes, "Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 9, Section 11," accessed March 27, 2014
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Illinois Statutes, "Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 9, Section 8.5," accessed March 27, 2014
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