Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Washington

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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 Washington, a candidate for state or federal office must meet a variety of state-specific filing requirements and deadlines. These regulations, known as ballot access laws, determine whether a candidate or party will appear on an election ballot. These laws are set at the state level. A candidate must prepare to meet ballot access requirements well in advance of primaries, caucuses, and the general election.

There are three basic methods by which an individual may become a candidate for office in a state.

  1. An individual can seek the nomination of a state-recognized political party.
  2. An individual can run as an independent. Independent candidates often must petition in order to have their names printed on the general election ballot.
  3. An individual can run as a write-in candidate.

This article outlines the steps that prospective candidates for state-level and congressional office must take in order to run for office in Washington. For information about filing requirements for presidential candidates, see "Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Washington." 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 Washington in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Washington, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2024
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Washington U.S. Senate All candidates 1,740 $1,740.00 5/17/2024 Source

U.S. House

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

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Washington U.S. House All candidates 1,740 $1,740.00 TBD Source

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

Show more

2023

U.S. Senate

The table below details filing requirements for Washington intermediate appellate court judges in the 2023 election cycle. Note that in Washington, candidates are required to either pay a filing fee or submit a signature petition in order to qualify to appear on the ballot. Candidates are not permitted to combine payment and signatures.[1]

Filing requirements for intermediate appellate court judges, 2023
Chamber name Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Washington Intermediate Appellate Courts Judge 2,134 $2,134.00 5/19/2023 Source

2022

U.S. Senate

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

Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2022
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Washington U.S. Senate All candidates 1,740 $1,740.00 5/20/2022 Source

U.S. House

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

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2022
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Washington U.S. House All candidates 1,740 $1,740.00 5/20/2022 Source

2020

U.S. House

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Washington in the 2020 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Washington, 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
Washington 1st Congressional District All candidates N/A N/A $1,740.00 1% of annual salary 5/15/2020 Source
Washington 2nd Congressional District All candidates N/A N/A $1,740.00 1% of annual salary 5/15/2020 Source
Washington 3rd Congressional District All candidates N/A N/A $1,740.00 1% of annual salary 5/15/2020 Source
Washington 4th Congressional District All candidates N/A N/A $1,740.00 1% of annual salary 5/15/2020 Source
Washington 5th Congressional District All candidates N/A N/A $1,740.00 1% of annual salary 5/15/2020 Source
Washington 6th Congressional District All candidates N/A N/A $1,740.00 1% of annual salary 5/15/2020 Source
Washington 7th Congressional District All candidates N/A N/A $1,740.00 1% of annual salary 5/15/2020 Source
Washington 8th Congressional District All candidates N/A N/A $1,740.00 1% of annual salary 5/15/2020 Source
Washington 9th Congressional District All candidates N/A N/A $1,740.00 1% of annual salary 5/15/2020 Source
Washington 10th Congressional District All candidates N/A N/A $1,740.00 1% of annual salary 5/15/2020 Source

State House

The table below details filing requirements for Washington 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
Washington House of Representatives All candidates N/A $568.81 5/15/2020 Source

State Senate

The table below details filing requirements for Washington 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
Washington State Senate All candidates N/A $568.81 5/15/2020 Source

2018

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

See below for 2018 candidate filing deadlines.

May 18, 2018

2016

See also: Washington elections, 2016

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

Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016
Deadline Event type Event description
January 11, 2016 Campaign finance Monthly C-4 and C-3 due, if required
February 10, 2016 Campaign finance Monthly C-4 and C-3 due, if required
March 10, 2016 Campaign finance Monthly C-4 and C-3 due, if required
April 11, 2016 Campaign finance Monthly C-4 and C-3 due, if required
May 10, 2016 Campaign finance Monthly C-4 and C-3 due, if required
May 20, 2016 Ballot access Filing deadline for all candidates
June 10, 2016 Campaign finance Monthly C-4 due, if required
July 12, 2016 Campaign finance 21-day pre-primary C-4 due
July 15, 2016 Ballot access Filing deadline for write-in primary candidates
July 26, 2016 Campaign finance 7-day pre-primary C-4 due
August 2, 2016 Election date Primary election
September 12, 2016 Campaign finance Post-primary C-4 due
October 18, 2016 Campaign finance 21-day pre-general C-4 due
October 21, 2016 Ballot access Filing deadline for write-in general election candidates
November 1, 2016 Campaign finance 7-day pre-general C-4 due
November 8, 2016 Election date General election
December 12, 2016 Campaign finance Post-general C-4 due (and C-3, if required)
January 10, 2017 Campaign finance End of election cycle C-4 due (and C-3, if required)
Note: Beginning June 1, 2016, C-3 reports must be filed weekly for deposits made during the previous seven days.
Sources: Washington Secretary of State, "2016 Elections Calendar," accessed June 12, 2015
Washington Public Disclosure Commission, "2016 Key Reporting Dates for Candidates," accessed November 25, 2015

2015


2014


Process to become a candidate

Declaration of candidacy form, 2013

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Chapter 29A.24 of the Washington Election Code

A candidate who desires to have his or her name printed on the ballot for election to an office other than president must complete and file a declaration of candidacy. The candidate must do the following:

  • declare that he or she is a registered voter within the jurisdiction of the office for which he or she is filing (the candidate must include the address at which he or she is registered)
  • indicate the position for which he or she is filing
  • state a party preference, if the office is a partisan office
  • indicate the amount of the filing fee accompanying the declaration of candidacy (the candidate may also indicate that he or she is filing a petition in lieu of the filing fee)
  • sign the declaration of candidacy, stating that the information provided on the form is true and swearing or affirming that he or she will support the constitution and laws of the United States and the constitution and laws of the state of Washington[3]

The filing period for candidates begins on the Monday two weeks before Memorial Day and ends the following Friday in the year in which the office is scheduled to be voted upon. Candidates must also submit the declaration of candidacy to the Washington Public Disclosure Commission within one business day after the filing period has ended.[4][5]

A filing fee equal to 1 percent of the annual salary of the office at the time of filing must accompany the declaration of candidacy for any office with a fixed annual salary of more than $1,000.

A candidate who lacks sufficient assets or income at the time of filing may submit with his or her declaration of candidacy a filing fee petition. The petition must contain signatures from registered voters equal to the number of dollars of the filing fee.

For write-in candidates

Any person who desires to be a write-in candidate and have his or her votes counted at a primary or general election can file a declaration of candidacy with the Washington Secretary of State and the Washington Public Disclosure Commission no later than 18 days before a primary or general election. A declaration of candidacy for a write-in candidate must be accompanied by a filing fee or a filing fee petition with the required signatures (fee amounts and signature requirements are the same as those stated above). Write-in votes cast for any candidates who fail to file this form will only be counted if the voter indicates "the office sought or position number, if the manner in which the write-in is done does not make the office or position clear."[6]

Petition requirements

See also: Methods for signing candidate nominating petitions

In some cases, 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 Washington.

Format requirements

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Chapter 29A.24.101 of the Washington Election Code

In lieu of paying a filing fee, candidates can submit a filing fee petition with a number of signatures equivalent to the dollar amount of the filing fee for the specific office. The petition must be in substantially the following form:

“ (FILING FEE PETITION FOR CANDIDATES)

We, the undersigned registered voters of (the state of Washington or the political subdivision for which the nomination is made), hereby petition that the name of (candidate’s name) be printed on the official primary ballot for the office of (insert name of office).[7][8]

”

The relevant statutes do not stipulate clearly any information on petition challenges or circulator requirements.

Election-related agencies

See also: State election agencies

Washington Secretary of State

520 Union Avenue SE
Olympia, Washington 98501
Telephone: 360-902-4180
Toll-free: 1-800-448-4881
Website: http://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/
Email: elections@sos.wa.gov
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Term limits

State executives

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

There are no provisions specifying state executive term limits in Washington.

State legislators

See also: State legislatures with term limits

There are no term limits for Washington state legislators.

Congressional partisanship

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

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

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Washington
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 2 8 10
Republican 0 2 2
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 10 12

State legislative partisanship

Portal:State legislatures

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

Washington State Senate

Party As of January 2024
     Democratic Party 29
     Republican Party 20
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 49

Washington House of Representatives

Party As of January 2024
     Democratic Party 58
     Republican Party 40
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 98

Related legislation

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The embedded table below lists state bills affecting ballot access requirements for candidates introduced in Washington. 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. ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Washington State Candidates Guide 2023," accessed May 30, 2023
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Washington Secretary of State, "Washington State Election Calendar," accessed November 6, 2013
  3. ↑ Washington Election Code, "Chapter 29A.24.031," accessed May 30, 2023
  4. ↑ Washington Election Code, "Chapter 29A.24.050," accessed May 30, 2023
  5. ↑ Washington Election Code, "Chapter 29A.24.070," accessed May 30, 2023
  6. ↑ Washington Election Code, "Chapter 29A.24.311," accessed May 30, 2023
  7. ↑ Washington Election Code, "Chapter 29A.24.101," accessed May 30, 2023
  8. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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