Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Michigan

Ballot access for major and minor party candidates
Ballot access for presidential candidates
List of political parties in the United States
Methods for signing candidate nominating petitions
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker
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 Michigan, 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 Michigan. For information about filing requirements for presidential candidates, see "Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Michigan." 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).

See state election laws

Year-specific filing information

2024

U.S. Senate

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

Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2024
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Signature formula	Filing fee	Filing fee formula	Filing deadline	Source
Michigan	U.S. Senate	Democrat or Republican	15,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	4/23/2024	Source
Michigan	U.S. Senate	Unaffiliated	3,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	TBD	Source

U.S. House

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

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Michigan	U.S. House	Democratic or Republican	TBD	N/A	4/23/2024	Source
Michigan	U.S. House	Unaffiliated	TBD	N/A	TBD	Source

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

Show more

2022

U.S. House

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

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2022
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Michigan	U.S. House	Democratic or Republican	1,000	N/A	4/19/2022	Source
Michigan	U.S. House	Unaffiliated	3,000	N/A	7/21/2022	Source

Governor

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

Filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates, 2022
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source	Notes
Michigan	Governor	Democratic or Republican	15,000	N/A	4/19/2022	Source
Michigan	Governor	Unaffiliated	12,000	N/A	2022-07-21	Source

2020

U.S. Senate

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates in Michigan in the 2020 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Michigan, 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
Michigan	U.S. Senate	Major party	15,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	5/8/2020	Source
Michigan	U.S. Senate	Unaffiliated	30,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	7/16/2020	Source

U.S. House

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Michigan in the 2020 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Michigan, 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
Michigan	10th Congressional District	Major party	1,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	5/8/2020	Source
Michigan	10th Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	5/8/2020	Source
Michigan	10th Congressional District	Unaffiliated	3,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	7/16/2020	Source
Michigan	11th Congressional District	Major party	1,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	5/8/2020	Source
Michigan	11th Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	5/8/2020	Source
Michigan	11th Congressional District	Unaffiliated	3,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	7/16/2020	Source
Michigan	12th Congressional District	Major party	1,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	5/8/2020	Source
Michigan	12th Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	5/8/2020	Source
Michigan	12th Congressional District	Unaffiliated	3,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	7/16/2020	Source
Michigan	13th Congressional District	Major party	1,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	5/8/2020	Source
Michigan	13th Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	5/8/2020	Source
Michigan	13th Congressional District	Unaffiliated	3,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	7/16/2020	Source
Michigan	14th Congressional District	Major party	1,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	5/8/2020	Source
Michigan	14th Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	5/8/2020	Source
Michigan	14th Congressional District	Unaffiliated	3,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	7/16/2020	Source
Michigan	1st Congressional District	Major party	1,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	5/8/2020	Source
Michigan	1st Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	5/8/2020	Source
Michigan	1st Congressional District	Unaffiliated	3,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	7/16/2020	Source
Michigan	2nd Congressional District	Major party	1,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	5/8/2020	Source
Michigan	2nd Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	5/8/2020	Source
Michigan	2nd Congressional District	Unaffiliated	3,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	7/16/2020	Source
Michigan	3rd Congressional District	Major party	1,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	5/8/2020	Source
Michigan	3rd Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	5/8/2020	Source
Michigan	3rd Congressional District	Unaffiliated	3,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	7/16/2020	Source
Michigan	4th Congressional District	Major party	1,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	5/8/2020	Source
Michigan	4th Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	5/8/2020	Source
Michigan	4th Congressional District	Unaffiliated	3,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	7/16/2020	Source
Michigan	5th Congressional District	Major party	1,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	5/8/2020	Source
Michigan	5th Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	5/8/2020	Source
Michigan	5th Congressional District	Unaffiliated	3,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	7/16/2020	Source
Michigan	6th Congressional District	Major party	1,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	5/8/2020	Source
Michigan	6th Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	5/8/2020	Source
Michigan	6th Congressional District	Unaffiliated	3,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	7/16/2020	Source
Michigan	7th Congressional District	Major party	1,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	5/8/2020	Source
Michigan	7th Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	5/8/2020	Source
Michigan	7th Congressional District	Unaffiliated	3,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	7/16/2020	Source
Michigan	8th Congressional District	Major party	1,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	5/8/2020	Source
Michigan	8th Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	5/8/2020	Source
Michigan	8th Congressional District	Unaffiliated	3,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	7/16/2020	Source
Michigan	9th Congressional District	Major party	1,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	5/8/2020	Source
Michigan	9th Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	5/8/2020	Source
Michigan	9th Congressional District	Unaffiliated	3,000	Fixed number	N/A	N/A	7/16/2020	Source

State House

The table below details filing requirements for Michigan 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
Michigan House of Representatives	Qualified party	Varies by district population	N/A	4/21/2020	Source
Michigan House of Representatives	Unaffiliated	Varies by district population	N/A	7/16/2020	Source

2018

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

See below for 2018 candidate filing deadlines.

April 24, 2018

2016

See also: Michigan elections, 2016

The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in Michigan in 2016. As of July 1, 2015, only campaign finance deadlines and election dates had been made available by the state. Ballot access deadlines will be added as they become available.

Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016
Deadline	Event type	Event description
February 12, 2016	Campaign finance	Pre-election report due
February 23, 2016	Election date	Election
March 21, 2016	Ballot access	Deadline for incumbent judges seeking re-election to file for the state primary
March 24, 2016	Campaign finance	Post-election report due
April 19, 2016	Ballot access	Deadline for partisan and nonpartisan candidates (other than incumbent judges) to file for the state primary
April 22, 2016	Campaign finance	Pre-election report due
May 3, 2016	Election date	Election
June 2, 2016	Campaign finance	Post-election report due
July 21, 2016	Ballot access	Deadline for unaffiliated candidates to file for the general election
July 22, 2016	Campaign finance	Pre-election report due
August 2, 2016	Election date	Primary election
September 1, 2016	Campaign finance	Post-election report due
October 28, 2016	Campaign finance	Pre-election report due
November 8, 2016	Election date	General election
December 8, 2016	Campaign finance	Post-election report due
Sources: Michigan Secretary of State, "2015 and 2016 Campaign Finance Filing Schedule," accessed July 1, 2015 Michigan Secretary of State, ,"2016 Michigan Election Dates," accessed January 16, 2016

2015

{{Ballot access collapsible list |Year = 2015 |Content =

See also: Michigan elections, 2015

There were no regularly scheduled state executive, state legislative or congressional elections in Michigan in 2015.<ref>[http://www.michigan.gov/sos/0,4670,7-127-1633_48760

Process to become a candidate

For major party candidates

See statutes: Michigan Election Law, "Preparation and Filing of Nominating Petitions; Fees"

Political parties whose principal candidate received at least 5 percent of the total votes cast for all candidates for Michigan Secretary of State at the most recent general election are considered major parties and must generally nominate their candidates by primary election.

A major party candidate for governor, the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, or the state legislature must file an affidavit of identity and nominating petition by 4:00 p.m. on the 15th Tuesday preceding the primary election. Candidates for secretary of state and attorney general are not nominated by primary, but by convention.

The affidavit of identity requires the candidate to provide basic identifying information (such as name, residential and mailing address, the office being sought, etc.). The affidavit also includes a campaign finance compliance statement, which the candidate must sign before a notary public.

Nominating petition signature requirements vary according to the population of the electoral division (e.g., entire state, congressional district, state legislative district, etc.) and are summarized in the table below.

Statutory signature requirements for major party candidates
Population of electoral division	Minimum signatures	Maximum signatures
0 - 9,999	3	10
10,000 - 24,999	20	50
25,000 - 49,999	50	100
50,000 - 74,999	100	200
75,000 - 99,999	200	400
100,000 - 199,999	300	500
200,000 - 499,999	500	1,000
500,000 - 999,999	1,000	2,000
1,000,000 - 1,999,999	2,000	4,000
2,000,000 - 4,999,999	4,000	8,000
Over 5 million (statewide)	15,000	30,000

A major party state legislative candidate may pay a filing fee of $100 in lieu of filing a nominating petition.

Filing paperwork for federal, statewide, and multi-county state legislative district offices must be submitted to the Michigan Secretary of State. Filing paperwork for single-county state legislative district offices must be submitted to the appropriate county clerk.

For minor party candidates

See statutes: Michigan Election Law, Section 168.686a

Political parties whose principal candidate received less than 5 percent of the total votes cast for all candidates for Michigan Secretary of State at the most recent general election are considered non-major parties and cannot nominate their candidates by primary election. Instead, such parties must nominate their candidates by county caucuses and state conventions. Candidates for the United States House of Representatives or the state legislature may be nominated by county caucuses, provided that the applicable electoral district lies entirely within the boundaries of a single county. Candidates for statewide office must be nominated by state conventions. District candidates (e.g., state legislative or congressional candidates whose districts encompass parts of more than one county) may be nominated at district caucuses held in conjunction with state conventions, provided that delegates from the district are in attendance.

No more than one day following the conclusion of a caucus or convention, the chairperson and secretary of the caucus or convention must certify the names and mailing addresses of the selected candidates to the county clerk (if nominated by county caucus) or Michigan Secretary of State (if nominated by state convention). This certification must be accompanied by an affidavit of identity (the same as that filed by major party candidates) and a signed certificate of acceptance of the nomination for each candidate.

Caucuses and conventions must be held by the date of the state primary election.

For independent candidates

See statutes: Michigan Election Law, "Candidates Without Political Party Affiliation"

An independent candidate seeking placement on the general election ballot must file an affidavit of identity (the same as that filed by party candidates) and a qualifying petition. All filing materials must be submitted by 4:00 p.m. on the 110th day preceding the general election.

Qualifying petition signature requirements vary according to the population of the electoral division (e.g., entire state, congressional district, state legislative district, etc.) and are summarized in the table below.

Statutory signature requirements for independent candidates
Population of electoral division	Minimum signatures	Maximum signatures
0 - 9,999	9	30
10,000 - 24,999	60	150
25,000 - 49,999	150	300
50,000 - 74,999	300	600
75,000 - 99,999	600	1,200
100,000 - 199,999	900	1,500
200,000 - 499,999	1,500	3,000
500,000 - 999,999	3,000	6,000
1,000,000 - 1,999,999	6,000	12,000
2,000,000 - 4,999,999	12,000	24,000
Over 5 million (statewide)	30,000	60,000

Signatures on qualifying petitions must be collected in the 180 days prior to the date the petition is filed. Any signatures collected prior to that will not be counted.

Filing paperwork for federal, statewide, and multi-county state legislative district offices must be submitted to the Michigan Secretary of State. Filing paperwork for single-county state legislative district offices must be submitted to the appropriate county clerk.

For write-in candidates

In order to have his or her votes tallied, a write-in candidate must submit a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate to the appropriate filing official by 4:00 p.m. on the second Friday immediately preceding an election.

Filing paperwork for federal, statewide, and multi-county state legislative district offices must be submitted to the Michigan Secretary of State. Filing paperwork for single-county state legislative district offices must be submitted to the appropriate county clerk.

Candidate name conventions

Michigan law establishes the following conventions to govern how a candidate's name can be rendered on an election ballot:

“

If you are using a name that was not provided to you at birth, you must check the box and provide your former name. However, you do not need to provide a former name if your name changed because of marriage or divorce, is a nickname that you have been known as for at least 6 months, or was formally changed for any reason more than 10 years ago.

”

Vacancies

Upon the death, resignation, or removal of a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, the governor must issue a call for a special election to fill the vacancy. A special primary must be held at least 20 days prior to the date of the special election. The proclamation must establish all election dates and candidate filing deadlines.

Petition requirements

See also: Methods for signing candidate nominating petitions

In some cases, political parties and/or 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 Michigan.

Format requirements

Ballot access petitions in Michigan are subject to the formal requirements detailed below.

Nominating petitions for major party candidates

See statutes: Michigan Election Law, Section 168.544c

Nominating petitions for major party candidates must include language substantially the same as the following:

“

NOMINATING PETITION (PARTISAN) We, the undersigned, registered and qualified voters of the city or township of [name of city of township], in the county of [name of county] and state of Michigan, nominate [name of candidate], [street address], [city or township], as a candidate of the [name of party] party for the office [name of office being sought], [electoral district, if applicable], to be voted for at the primary election to be held on the [date] day of [month], [year]. WARNING: A person who knowingly signs more petitions for the same office than there are persons to be elected to the office or signs a name other than his or her own is violating the provisions of the Michigan election law. CERTIFICATE OF CIRCULATOR The undersigned circulator of the above petition asserts that he or she is qualified to circulate this petition and that each signature on the petition was signed in his or her presence; and that, to his or her best knowledge and belief, each signature is the genuine signature of the person purporting to sign the petition, the person signing the petition was at the time of signing a qualified registered elector of the city or township listed in the heading of the petition, and the elector was qualified to sign the petition. Circulator -- do not sign or date certificate until after circulating petition. [Printed name and signature of circulator; date] [City or township where registered] [Complete residential address] [Zip code] Warning -- A circulator knowingly making a false statement in the above certificate, a person not a circulator who signs as a circulator, or a person who signs a name other than his or her own as circulator is guilty of a misdemeanor.

”

Nominating petitions must be printed on paper measuring 8.5 inches by 14 inches. The words '"Nominating petition" must be printed in 24-point boldface type. The words, "We, the undersigned," etc. must be printed in 8-point type. "Warning," and the accompanying text must be printed in 12-point boldface type. The remainder of the petition must be printed in 8-point type. The name, address, and party affiliation of the candidate and the office being sought cannot be printed in type larger than 24-point.

Qualifying petitions for independent candidates

See statutes: Michigan Election Law, Section 168.590h

Qualifying petitions for independent candidates must include language substantially the same as the following:

“

QUALIFYING PETITION (CANDIDATE WITHOUT PARTY AFFILIATION) We, the undersigned, registered and qualified electors of the city or township of [name of city or township], in the county of [name of county], and state of Michigan, nominate [name of candidate], [address of candidate], as a candidate without party affiliation for the office of [name of office sought and district, if applicable] in order that the name of the candidate can be placed without party affiliation on the ballot for the election to be held on the [date] day of [month], [year]. WARNING Whoever knowingly signs more petitions for the same office than there are persons to be elected to the office or signs a name other than his or her own is violating the Michigan election law.

”

The remainder of the petition must be written and signed in the same manner as a nominating petition.

Signature requirements

A petition signer must include his or her printed street address, name, and date of signing.

Circulation requirements

Circulators must be United States citizens and at least 18 years of age. On April 3, 2014, Governor Rick Snyder signed HB 5152 into law. The bill removed all residency requirements for petition circulators.

Objections

Written challenges to the validity of petitions may be made within seven days of the filing deadline. Complainants must note the specific petition and signatures that they contend to be invalid.

Noteworthy events

Petition requirement for unaffiliated candidates struck down (2021)

On March 29, 2021, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit struck down Michigan's petition requirement for unaffiliated candidates for statewide office, affirming a district court's decision to that effect. Writing for the court, Karen Moore (a Bill Clinton (D) appointee) said, "[It] is our responsibility to ensure that Michigan’s provisions for qualifying independent candidates for statewide office fall within the bounds of what the First and Fourteenth Amendments require. Our careful review of the facts and circumstances leads us to conclude that the 30,000-signature requirement, geographic-distribution requirement, and filing deadline, when viewed in combination, unconstitutionally burden Plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights." Judge Ronald Lee Gilman (also a Clinton appointee) joined Moore's opinion. Judge Richard Griffin (a George W. Bush (R) appointee) dissented.

The district court had earlier reduced the petition signature requirement for unaffiliated statewide candidates to 12,000, an order that the state appealed. The appellate court upheld the district court's remedy, calling it a "workable interim provision."

Election-related agencies

Seal of Michigan

See also: State election agencies

Michigan Secretary of State: Bureau of Elections

Physical address: 430 W. Allegan St., Lansing, Michigan 48918

Mailing address: PO Box 20126, Lansing, Michigan 48901-0726

Telephone: 517-335-3234

Tollfree: 800-292-5973

Fax: 517-335-3235

Website: https://www.michigan.gov/sos

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Term limits

State executives

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

State executive term limits in Michigan are established in Article V, Section 30, of the Michigan Constitution and are as follows:

• The governor may serve a total of two 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.

State legislators

See also: State legislatures with term limits

Members of the Michigan State Senate may serve a total of two four-year terms, and members of the Michigan House of Representatives may serve a total of three two-year terms.

Term limits were imposed on state legislators as a result of a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 1992.

Congressional partisanship

See also: List of United States Representatives from Michigan and List of United States Senators from Michigan

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

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Michigan
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	2	7	9
Republican	0	6	6
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	13	15

State legislative partisanship

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

Michigan State Senate

Party		As of January 2024
	Democratic Party	20
	Republican Party	18
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		38

Michigan House of Representatives

Party		As of January 2024
	Democratic Party	54
	Republican Party	54
	Other	0
	Vacancies	2
Total		110

Related legislation

The embedded table below lists state bills affecting ballot access requirements for candidates introduced in Michigan. 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

• Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Michigan
• Ballot access requirements for political parties in Michigan
• Michigan elections, 2024
• Campaign finance requirements in Michigan
• Counties in Michigan
• List of United States Representatives from Michigan
• List of United States Senators from Michigan
• 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

• Michigan Secretary of State
• Federal Election Commission
• Michigan Secretary of State, "Filing for Office"

Other information

• Ballot Access News – News updates and analysis of ballot access issues
• National Voter Outreach – Political consulting firm that specializes in organizing petition signature drives