Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Illinois

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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 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, see "Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Illinois." 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

For information on candidate ballot access requirements in Illinois, click here.

U.S. House

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

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Illinois U.S. House Ballot-qualified party 400 N/A 12/4/2023 Source
Illinois U.S. House Unaffiliated 5,000 N/A 6/24/2024 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 Illinois in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Illinois, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2022
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Illinois U.S. Senate Ballot-qualified party 3,250 N/A 3/14/2022 Source
Illinois U.S. Senate Unaffiliated 25,000 N/A 7/11/2022 Source

U.S. House

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

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2022
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Illinois U.S. House Ballot-qualified party 400 N/A 3/14/2022 Source
Illinois U.S. House Unaffiliated 5,000 N/A 7/11/2022 Source

Governor

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

Filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates, 2022
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source Notes
Illinois Governor Ballot-qualified party 3,250 N/A 3/14/2022 Source
Illinois Governor Unaffiliated 25,000 N/A 7/11/2022 Source

2020

U.S. Senate

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates in Illinois in the 2020 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Illinois, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2020
State Office Party Signatures required Signature formula Filing fee Filing fee formula Filing deadline Source
Illinois U.S. Senate Democratic and Republican 5,000 Fixed number N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois U.S. Senate Unaffiliated Pending 10% of original requirement (by court order) N/A N/A 7/20/2020 Source

U.S. House

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Illinois in the 2020 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Illinois, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2020
State Office Party Signatures required Signature formula Filing fee Filing fee formula Filing deadline Source
Illinois 10th Congressional District Democratic 808 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 10th Congressional District Republican 655 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 10th Congressional District Unaffiliated Pending 10% of original requirement (by court order) N/A N/A 7/20/2020 Source
Illinois 11th Congressional District Democratic 820 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 11th Congressional District Republican 593 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 11th Congressional District Unaffiliated Pending 10% of original requirement (by court order) N/A N/A 7/20/2020 Source
Illinois 12th Congressional District Democratic 816 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 12th Congressional District Republican 871 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 12th Congressional District Unaffiliated Pending 10% of original requirement (by court order) N/A N/A 7/20/2020 Source
Illinois 13th Congressional District Democratic 748 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 13th Congressional District Republican 788 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 13th Congressional District Unaffiliated Pending 10% of original requirement (by court order) N/A N/A 7/20/2020 Source
Illinois 14th Congressional District Democratic 758 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 14th Congressional District Republican 961 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 14th Congressional District Unaffiliated Pending 10% of original requirement (by court order) N/A N/A 7/20/2020 Source
Illinois 15th Congressional District Democratic 523 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 15th Congressional District Republican 1,373 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 15th Congressional District Unaffiliated Pending 10% of original requirement (by court order) N/A N/A 7/20/2020 Source
Illinois 16h Congressional District Democratic 607 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 16h Congressional District Republican 1,192 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 16h Congressional District Unaffiliated Pending 10% of original requirement (by court order) N/A N/A 7/20/2020 Source
Illinois 17th Congressional District Democratic 833 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 17th Congressional District Republican 698 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 17th Congressional District Unaffiliated Pending 10% of original requirement (by court order) N/A N/A 7/20/2020 Source
Illinois 18th Congressional District Democratic 563 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 18th Congressional District Republican 1,033 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 18th Congressional District Unaffiliated Pending 10% of original requirement (by court order) N/A N/A 7/20/2020 Source
Illinois 1st Congressional District Democratic 1,230 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 1st Congressional District Republican 408 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 1st Congressional District Unaffiliated Pending 10% of original requirement (by court order) N/A N/A 7/20/2020 Source
Illinois 2nd Congressional District Democratic 1,184 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 2nd Congressional District Republican 336 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 2nd Congressional District Unaffiliated Pending 10% of original requirement (by court order) N/A N/A 7/20/2020 Source
Illinois 3rd Congressional District Democratic 786 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 3rd Congressional District Republican 603 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 3rd Congressional District Unaffiliated Pending 10% of original requirement (by court order) N/A N/A 7/20/2020 Source
Illinois 4th Congressional District Democratic 862 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 4th Congressional District Republican 180 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 4th Congressional District Unaffiliated Pending 10% of original requirement (by court order) N/A N/A 7/20/2020 Source
Illinois 5th Congressional District Democratic 1,150 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 5th Congressional District Republican 566 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 5th Congressional District Unaffiliated Pending 10% of original requirement (by court order) N/A N/A 7/20/2020 Source
Illinois 6th Congressional District Democratic 876 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 6th Congressional District Republican 1,010 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 6th Congressional District Unaffiliated Pending 10% of original requirement (by court order) N/A N/A 7/20/2020 Source
Illinois 7th Congressional District Democratic 1,356 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 7th Congressional District Republican 271 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 7th Congressional District Unaffiliated Pending 10% of original requirement (by court order) N/A N/A 7/20/2020 Source
Illinois 8th Congressional District Democratic 741 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 8th Congressional District Republican 552 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 8th Congressional District Unaffiliated Pending 10% of original requirement (by court order) N/A N/A 7/20/2020 Source
Illinois 9th Congressional District Democratic 1,190 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 9th Congressional District Republican 622 0.5% of qualified party primary voters in the district N/A N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois 9th Congressional District Unaffiliated Pending 10% of original requirement (by court order) N/A N/A 7/20/2020 Source

State House

The table below details filing requirements for Illinois House of Representatives candidates in the 2020 election cycle.

Filing requirements for state legislative candidates, 2020
Chamber name Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Illinois House of Representatives Qualified party 500 N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois House of Representatives Unaffiliated 10% of original requirement (by court order) N/A 7/20/2020 Source

State Senate

The table below details filing requirements for Illinois State Senate candidates in the 2020 election cycle.

Filing requirements for state legislative candidates, 2020
Chamber name Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Illinois State Senate Qualified party 1,000 N/A 12/2/2019 Source
Illinois State Senate Unaffiliated 10% of original requirement (by court order) N/A 7/20/2020 Source

2018

See also: State and federal candidate filing deadlines for 2018 and Illinois elections, 2018

See below for 2018 candidate filing deadlines.

December 4, 2017

2016

See also: Illinois elections, 2016

The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in Illinois in 2016.

Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016
Deadline Event type Event description
November 30, 2015 Ballot access Filing deadline for established party candidates
January 14, 2016 Ballot access Filing deadline for write-in candidates for the primary election
January 15, 2016 Campaign finance December quarterly report due
March 15, 2016 Election date Primary election
April 15, 2016 Campaign finance March quarterly report due
June 27, 2016 Ballot access Filing deadline for new political party candidates and independent candidates
July 15, 2016 Campaign finance June quarterly report due
September 8, 2016 Ballot access Filing deadline for write-in candidates for the general election
October 17, 2016 Campaign finance September quarterly report due
November 8, 2016 Election date General election
January 17, 2017 Campaign finance December quarterly report due
Source: Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election and Campaign Finance Calendar 2016," accessed August 7, 2015

2015


2014


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 113 days before the primary election and ends 106 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.[3][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.[4]
  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][5]
  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][6][7]
Petition signature requirements
Office Established party candidates New party candidates Independent candidates
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.[2]

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][8]

Petition requirements

See also: Methods for signing candidate nominating petitions

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.[9][10]

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.[9][10]

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.[9]

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.[9] 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.[11]

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.[9][10]

Election-related agencies

See also: State election agencies

Illinois State Board of Elections

2329 S. MacArthur Blvd., Springfield, Illinois 62704
Telephone: 217-782-4141
Fax: 217-782-5959
Email: webmaster@elections.il.gov
http://www.elections.state.il.us/

Illinois Secretary of State

111 East Monroe, Springfield, Illinois 62756
Telephone: 217-782-7017


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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

Below is the current partisan breakdown of the congressional delegation 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

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

Illinois State Senate

Party As of January 2024
     Democratic Party 40
     Republican Party 19
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 59

Illinois House of Representatives

Party As of January 2024
     Democratic Party 78
     Republican Party 40
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 118

Related legislation

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The embedded table below lists state bills affecting ballot access requirements for candidates introduced in Illinois. 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 1.5 1.6 1.7 Illinois State Board of Elections, "State of Illinois Candidate's Guide 2014," Updated November 26, 2013
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election and Campaign Finance Calendar 2014," Updated July 31, 2013
  3. ↑ Illinois Statutes, "Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 10, Section 12," accessed March 26, 2014
  4. ↑ Illinois Statutes, "Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 7, Section 10.1," accessed March 26, 2014
  5. ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "State of Illinois Candidate's Guide 2013," accessed March 26, 2014
  6. ↑ Illinois Statutes, "Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 7, Section 10," accessed March 26, 2014
  7. ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate's Guide 2018," updated October 11, 2017
  8. ↑ Illinois Statutes, "Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 7, Section 59," accessed March 26, 2014
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Illinois State Board of Elections, "State of Illinois Candidate's Guide 2014," Updated November 26, 2013
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Illinois Statutes, "Chapter 10, Section 5, Article 7, Section 10," accessed March 26, 2014
  11. ↑ 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
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