Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Connecticut

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


In order to get on the ballot in Connecticut, 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 Connecticut. For information about filing requirements for presidential candidates, see "Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Connecticut." 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).

DocumentIcon.jpg See state election laws

Year-specific filing information

2024

U.S. Senate

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates in Connecticut in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Connecticut, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2024
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Connecticut U.S. Senate Ballot-qualified party 2% of enrolled party members N/A TBD Source
Connecticut U.S. Senate Unaffiliated 1% of votes cast for the office in the last election, or 7,500, whichever is less N/A 8/7/2024 Source

U.S. House

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Connecticut in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Connecticut, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Connecticut U.S. House Ballot-qualified party 2% of registered party members in the district N/A TBD Source
Connecticut U.S. House Unaffiliated 1% of votes cast for the office in the last election, or 7,500, whichever is less N/A 8/7/2024 Source


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

Show more

2022

U.S. Senate

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates in Connecticut in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Connecticut, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2022
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Connecticut U.S. Senate Ballot-qualified party 2% of enrolled party members N/A 6/7/2022 Source
Connecticut U.S. Senate Unaffiliated 1% of votes cast for the office in the last election, or 7,500, whichever is less N/A 8/10/2022 Source

U.S. House

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Connecticut in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Connecticut, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2022
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Connecticut U.S. House Ballot-qualified party 2% of registered party members in the district N/A 6/7/2022 Source
Connecticut U.S. House Unaffiliated 1% of votes cast for the office in the last election, or 7,500, whichever is less N/A 8/10/2022 Source

Governor

The table below details filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates in Connecticut in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Connecticut, click here.

Filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates, 2022
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Connecticut Governor Ballot-qualified party 2% of enrolled party members N/A 6/7/2022 Source
Connecticut Governor Unaffiliated 1% of votes cast for the office in the last election, or 7,500, whichever is less N/A 8/10/2022 Source

For filing information from previous years, click "[Show more]" below. <ShowHideText>

Process to become a candidate

The first page of the nominating petition application for minor party and independent candidates in Connecticut, 2014.

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Chapter 153 of the Connecticut Statutes

Major party candidates

If more than one candidate belonging to the same party is running for the same office, a primary election will be held for that office. If there is only a single candidate seeking a party's nomination for an office, that candidate will advance to the general election without running in the primary election.[1][2][3]

A major party candidate may be nominated to run in the primary election in one of two ways: nomination at a convention or nomination by petition.[1]

By nomination at a convention

To be nominated at a convention, a candidate must receive at least 15 percent of the votes cast by convention delegates for the office being sought. After being nominated at a convention, a candidate must file a certificate of nomination with the Connecticut Secretary of State. The certificate must be signed by the candidate, state that the candidate was endorsed by the major party at the convention, and provide the candidate's name as it will appear on the ballot, the candidate's address, and the office being sought by the candidate. The certificate must also be attested to by the chairman, presiding officer, or secretary of the convention.[1][4]

By petition

A candidate who has been nominated by convention cannot be nominated by petition. To be nominated by petition, a major party candidate must collect signatures equal to at least 2 percent of the total number of members enrolled in that major party in the state (5 percent for state legislative candidates). Petition forms to collect those signatures are provided by the Connecticut Secretary of State beginning on the 105th day preceding the primary election for candidates seeking federal or state executive office. Candidates seeking office in the Connecticut State Legislature can retrieve petition forms beginning on the 77th day preceding the primary election.[1]

Petitions must be filed with the registrar of voters in each town in which signatures were collected no later than the 63 days preceding the primary. The registrar of voters must provide a receipt of the petition to the candidate, and the candidate must file a copy of that receipt with the Connecticut Secretary of State. The registrar of voters must then certify the names on the petition and file it with the Connecticut Secretary of State within seven days.[1][5]

Minor party candidates

A minor party candidate whose party has not yet attained qualified status must be nominated by petition. A minor party petition candidate affiliates with his or her party on an "Application for Reservation of Party Designation and Formation of Party Designation Committee." This form must be filed with the Connecticut Secretary of State. On this application, the candidate must indicate a party, whose name includes no more than three words (or no more than 25 letters), and must provide signatures from 25 registered voters in the state. The candidate must also provide the names of two individuals who will be responsible for filing a statement of endorsement qualifying the candidate to run under the party name specified. Candidates for the same minor party for state offices may be included on the same petition. Candidates for all other offices must file separate petitions.[6][7][8]

A minor party candidate whose party has attained qualified status can be nominated without a petition. The presiding officer of the committee or meeting in charge of deciding on nominations is required to certify and file a list of the minor party’s nominees with the Connecticut Secretary of State no later than 62 days prior to the election in which the candidates will be running. The list of nominees must include the following information:[9][10]

  • the names of the candidates as they will appear on the ballot
  • the signature of each candidate
  • the address of each candidate
  • the title and office sought by each candidate

Petition candidates

An unaffiliated candidate can petition for ballot access. To do this, the candidate must first file an application for the petition with the Connecticut Secretary of State. The application must include the name of the candidate and a statement signed by the candidate affirming that he or she has consented to place his or her name on the petition. The candidate may then circulate the petition. The candidate must collect signatures from registered, eligible voters equal to 1 percent of the votes cast at the most recent election for the office being sought by the candidate, or 7,500 signatures, whichever is less.[6][11][12]

Once completed, the petition may be filed with either the Connecticut Secretary of State or the town clerk where the candidate resides. If the petition is filed with the town clerk, the town clerk must submit it to the Connecticut Secretary of State within two weeks of receiving it.[6][13]

Write-in candidates

A write-in candidate may only run in the general election. To do so, he or she must register with the Connecticut Secretary of State no earlier than 90 days but no later than 14 days before the general election. The registration must include the candidate's name and address, the office being sought, and a statement of consent to be a candidate. A write-in candidate cannot designate an affiliation with a political party, and no candidate who was nominated by a major or minor party or by petition may run as a write-in candidate.[14][15]

Petition requirements

See also: Methods for signing candidate nominating petitions

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Chapter 153 of the Connecticut 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 Connecticut.

Format requirements

In Connecticut, major party, minor party, and independent candidates can petition for ballot access. To do this, petitions must meet the following criteria:

  • A petition must contain a set of instructions and must indicate where the petition will be circulated, the time, date, and place it will be filed, and the candidate's name, the office being sought, political party affiliation (if applicable), and the election in which the candidate will be running. This information cannot be changed once the petition has been signed. There must also be spaces provided for signatures, printed names, addresses, and dates of birth of those who sign the petition.[16][17]
  • All petitions must include the following printed statement: "Warning: it is a crime to sign this petition in the name of another person without legal authority to do so, and you may not sign this petition if you are not an elector."[16][18]
  • Each page of a petition must contain signatures from voters residing in the same municipality.[16]

Circulation requirements

A petition circulator must be U.S. citizen and Connecticut resident aged at least 18 years. A petition circulator for a political party candidate seeking ballot access in a primary election must be an enrolled party member of the same political party as the candidate in a municipality of Connecticut. Each petition page must contain a signed statement by the registrar of voters of that municipality attesting to that circulator's eligibility. Any candidate proposed on the primary petition may also be a circulator of that petition.[19][20][16]

Petitions must include a statement attesting to the eligibility of the circulator and the authenticity of the signatures. This statement must be signed by the circulator in the presence of the town clerk when filing the petition and must include the following:[16][21][22]

  • the circulator's address, including the town where the circulator is a resident
  • the circulator's date of birth
  • an affirmation that the circulator is a U.S. citizen and not on parole for a felony
  • an affirmation that each person whose name appears on the petition signed in the presence of the circulator, and that the circulator either knew the signers or they satisfactorily identified themselves
  • an affirmation that the candidate's name, the office being sought, and political party affiliation were all filled in prior to anyone signing the petition

Election-related agencies

See also: State election agencies

Connecticut Secretary of State

Physical address: 30 Trinity Street, Hartford, Connecticut 06106
Mailing address: P.O. Box 150470, Hartford, Connecticut 06115
Telephone: 860-509-6100
Toll-free: 1-800-540-3764
Fax: 860-509-6127
Email: lead@ct.gov
Website: http://www.sots.ct.gov/
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Term limits

State executives

See also: State executives with term limits

There are no term limits placed on Connecticut state executives.

State legislators

See also: State legislatures with term limits

There are no term limits placed on Connecticut state legislators.

Congressional partisanship

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

Below is the current partisan breakdown of the congressional delegation from Connecticut.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Connecticut
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 2 5 7
Republican 0 0 0
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 5 7

State legislative partisanship

Portal:State legislatures

Below is the current partisan breakdown of the state legislature of Connecticut.

Connecticut State Senate

Party As of January 2024
     Democratic Party 24
     Republican Party 12
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 36

Connecticut House of Representatives

Party As of January 2024
     Democratic Party 97
     Republican Party 53
     Other 0
     Vacancies 1
Total 151

Related legislation

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The embedded table below lists state bills affecting ballot access requirements for candidates introduced in Connecticut. The following information is included for each bill:

  • State
  • Bill number
  • Official name or caption
  • Most recent action date
  • Legislative status
  • Topics dealt with by the bill

Bills are organized alphabetically, first by state and then by bill number. To view additional results, use the arrows in the upper-right corner of the table. For more information about a particular bill, simply click the bill number. This will open a separate page with additional information.

Ballotpedia’s comprehensive Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker is the basis for this data. This user-friendly tracker covers thousands of election-related bills in state legislatures, and organizes them by topic with neutral, expert analysis from Ballotpedia’s election administration researchers.

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See also

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External links

Official state and federal links

Other information

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 9-400," accessed February 26, 2014
  2. ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 9-415," accessed February 26, 2014
  3. ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 9-416," accessed February 26, 2014
  4. ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 9-388," accessed February 26, 2014
  5. ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 9-404c," accessed February 26, 2014
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Connecticut Secretary of State, "Frequently Asked Questions: Nominating Petitions," accessed February 26, 2014
  7. ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 9-453u," accessed February 26, 2014
  8. ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 9-453c," accessed February 26, 2014
  9. ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 9-452," accessed February 26, 2014
  10. ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 9-451," accessed February 26, 2014
  11. ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 9-453b," accessed February 26, 2014
  12. ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 9-453d," accessed February 26, 2014
  13. ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 9-453n," accessed February 26, 2014
  14. ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part I, Section 9-377," accessed February 26, 2014
  15. ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part I, Section 9-373a," accessed October 31, 2013
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 9-404b," accessed March 4, 2014
  17. ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 9-453f," accessed March 4, 2014
  18. ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 9-453a," accessed March 4, 2014
  19. ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "Frequently Asked Questions: Nominating Petitions," accessed February 26, 2014
  20. ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 9-453e," accessed March 4, 2014
  21. ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 9-453j," accessed March 4, 2014
  22. ↑ Connecticut Statutes, "Chapter 153, Part III, Section 8-453k," accessed March 4, 2014
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