Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Washington
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Ballot access for major and minor party candidates |
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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.
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In order to get on the ballot in Washington, a candidate for president of the United States 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 presidential candidate must prepare to meet ballot access requirements in advance of primaries, caucuses, and the general election.
There are three basic methods by which an individual may become a candidate for president of the United States.
- An individual can seek the nomination of a political party. Presidential nominees are selected by delegates at national nominating conventions. Individual states conduct caucuses or primary elections to determine which delegates will be sent to the national convention.[1]
- An individual can run as an independent. Independent presidential candidates typically must petition in each state in order to have their names printed on the general election ballot.[1]
- An individual can run as a write-in candidate.[1]
The information on this page applies only to presidential candidates. For additional information about ballot access requirements for state and congressional candidates, see this page.
Year-specific filing information
2024
The tables below detail filing requirements for presidential candidates in Washington in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Washington, click here.
Presidential primary candidates
Candidates for Washington's presidential primaries do not file directly for ballot access. Instead, the parties themselves provide the names of their candidates for placement on the primary ballot.[2] The filing requirements listed here reflect those issued by the party.
| Filing requirements for presidential primary candidates in Washington, 2024 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Party | Signatures required | Signature formula | Filing fee | Filing fee formula | Filing deadline | Source |
| Washington | Democratic | 1,000 | Fixed | $2,500.00 | Fixed | Deadline to file with party: 1/6/2024 Deadline for party to submit names to secretary of state: 1/9/2024||Source, Source | |
| Washington | Republican | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Deadline for party to submit names to secretary of state: 1/9/2024 | Source |
Independent presidential candidates
| Filing requirements for independent candidates in Washington, 2024 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Signatures required | Signature formula | Filing fee | Filing fee formula | Filing deadline | Source |
| Washington | 1,000 | Fixed by statute | N/A | N/A | 8/2/2024[3] | Source |
For filing information from previous years, click "[Show more]" below.
2020
The tables below detail filing requirements for presidential candidates in Washington in the 2020 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Washington, click here.
Presidential primary candidates
Candidates for Washington's presidential primaries do not file directly for ballot access. Instead, the parties themselves provide the names of their candidates for placement on the primary ballot.[4]
Independent presidential candidates
| Filing requirements for independent candidates in Washington, 2020 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Signatures required | Signature formula | Filing fee | Filing fee formula | Filing deadline | Source |
| Washington | 1,000 | Fixed by statute | N/A | N/A | 8/7/2020[5] | Source |
2016
The calendar below lists important filing deadlines in Washington for the 2016 presidential election. For information about campaign finance reporting deadlines, see the chart further down the page.
| Dates and requirements for presidential candidates in 2016 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadline | Event type | Event description | |
| February 24, 2016 | Ballot access | Deadline for the secretary of state to issue initial list of presidential preference primary candidates (binding for Republicans only) | |
| February 26, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing deadline for Democratic caucuses | |
| March 10, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing deadline for primary candidates seeking ballot placement by petition (binding for Republicans only) | |
| March 26, 2016 | Election date | Democratic caucuses | |
| May 7, 2016 | Ballot access | First day to hold nominating convention for minor party or independent presidential candidates | |
| May 24, 2016 | Election date | Presidential preference primary (binding only for Republicans) | |
| July 23, 2016 | Ballot access | First day to hold nominating convention for minor party or independent presidential candidates | |
| August 5, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing deadline for minor party and independent nominating petitions | |
| October 21, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing deadline for write-in candidates | |
| November 8, 2016 | Election date | General election | |
| Sources: Washington Secretary of State, "Elections Calendar," accessed September 14, 2015 | |||
Qualifications
Article 2, Section 1, of the United States Constitution sets the following qualifications for the presidency:[6]
| “ | No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.[7] | ” |
| —United States Constitution | ||
Article 2, Section 4, of the United States Constitution says an individual can be disqualified from the presidency if impeached and convicted:
| “ | The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.[7] | ” |
| —United States Constitution | ||
The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution says an individual can also be disqualified from the presidency under the following conditions:
| “ | No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.[7] | ” |
| —United States Constitution | ||
Party nomination processes
- See also: Primary election and Caucus
| Hover over the terms below to display definitions. | |
| Ballot access laws | |
| Primary election | |
| Caucus | |
| Delegate | |
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A political party formally nominates its presidential candidate at a national nominating convention. At this convention, state delegates select the party's nominee. Prior to the nominating convention, the states conduct presidential preference primaries or caucuses. Generally speaking, only state-recognized parties—such as the Democratic Party and the Republican Party—conduct primaries and caucuses. These elections measure voter preference for the various candidates and help determine which delegates will be sent to the national nominating convention.[1][8][9]
The Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee, the governing bodies of the nation's two major parties, establish their own guidelines for the presidential nomination process. State-level affiliates of the parties also have some say in determining rules and provisions in their own states. Individuals interested in learning more about the nomination process should contact the political parties themselves for full details.
In Washington, presidential primary candidates do not file directly for ballot access. Instead, the parties themselves provide the names of their candidates for placement on the primary ballot. These names must be filed with the secretary of state no later than 63 days before the primary election.[10]
General election requirements
The president of the United States is elected not by popular vote, but by the Electoral College. The Electoral College comprises a total of 538 electors. Each state is allocated a number of electors equal to the size of its congressional delegation. The Office of the Federal Register administers the Electoral College process:[11][12]
| “ | On Election Day, the voters in each State choose the Electors by casting votes for the presidential candidate of their choice. The Electors’ names may or may not appear on the ballot below the name of the candidates running for President, depending on the procedure in each State. The winning candidate in each State—except in Nebraska and Maine, which have proportional distribution of the Electors—is awarded all of the State’s Electors.[7] | ” |
| —The Office of the Federal Register | ||
Typically, electors are selected by state parties. Federal law does not require electors to vote "according to the results of the popular vote in their states." Some states and political parties have enacted policies requiring their electors to vote in accordance with the popular vote. According to the Office of the Federal Register, "throughout our history as a nation, more than 99 percent of electors have voted as pledged."[11][12]
Washington was allocated 12 electoral votes in the 2024 presidential election, the same amount it was allocated in the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential contests.[13]
Major political parties
The candidate of a major political party is entitled to have his or her name on the general ballot. A party must certify the names of its candidates for president, vice president, and presidential electors with the secretary of state at least 50 days prior to the general election. Washington law defines a major party as a party whose nominees for president and vice president received at least 5 percent of the total votes cast for those offices at the last presidential election.[14][15][16]
Minor political parties and independent candidates
Washington law defines a minor political party as a political organization that does not qualify as a major party. Candidates for minor parties and independent candidates may be nominated at a convention held no earlier than the first Saturday in May and no later than the fourth Saturday in July of the election year. The convention must consist of at least 100 voters, "but a minor party or independent candidate holding multiple conventions may add together the number of signatures of different individuals from each convention in order to obtain and submit to the secretary of state the signatures of at least 1,000 registered voters of the state of Washington." The petition and a certificate of nomination must be submitted to the secretary of state no later than the first Friday in August.[17][18]
Running for multiple offices
Some states prohibit candidates for the presidency from seeking other offices simultaneously. Washington does not allow a candidate to appear on the ballot more than once in any election.[19]
Sore loser laws
Some states bar candidates who sought, but failed, to secure the nomination of a political party from running as independents in the general election. These restrictions are sometimes called sore loser laws. Washington state law does not appear to prohibit an unsuccessful presidential primary candidate from running as an independent in the general election.[20][21][22]
Richard Winger, publisher of Ballot Access News, has argued that, generally speaking, "sore loser laws have been construed not to apply to presidential primaries." His analysis of state sore loser laws and their applicability in presidential elections can be accessed here.[23]
Write-in requirements
A write-in candidate for president can file a declaration of candidacy with the secretary of state no later than 18 days before the general election. This form must be accompanied by the requisite filing fee. 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."[24]
Historical information
According to Richard Winger, publisher of Ballot Access News, between 1892 and 2012 there were 401 instances in which a state required an independent or unqualified party candidate to collect more than 5,000 signatures in order to appear on the general election ballot. In Washington, there were no such instances during this period. See this article for more information.[23]
Campaign finance requirements
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is the only agency authorized to regulate the financing of presidential and other federal campaigns (i.e., campaigns for the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives). The states cannot impose additional requirements on federal candidates. Federal law requires all presidential candidates to file a statement of candidacy within 15 days of receiving contributions or making expenditures that exceed $5,000. The statement of candidacy is the only federally mandated ballot access requirement for presidential candidates; all other ballot access procedures are mandated at the state level. The candidacy statement authorizes "a principal campaign committee to raise and spend funds" on behalf of the candidate. Within 10 days of filing the candidacy statement, the committee must file a statement of organization with the FEC. In addition, federal law establishes contribution limits for presidential candidates. These limits are detailed in the table below. The uppermost row indicates the recipient type; the leftmost column indicates the donor type.[25][26]
| Federal contribution limits, 2023-2024 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate committees | Political action committees | State and district party committees | National party committees | Additional national party committee accounts | |
| Individual | $3,300 per election | $5,000 per year | $10,000 per year (combined) | $41,300 per year | $123,900 per account, per year |
| Candidate committee | $2,000 per election | $5,000 per year | Unlimited transfers | Unlimited transfers | N/A |
| Multicandidate political action committee | $5,000 per election | $5,000 per year | $5,000 per year (combined) | $15,000 per year | $45,000 per account, per year |
| Other political action committee | $3,300 per election | $5,000 per year | $10,000 per year (combined) | $41,300 per year | $123,900 per account, per year |
| State and district party committee | $5,000 per election | $5,000 per year | Unlimited transfers | Unlimited transfers | N/A |
| National party committee | $5,000 per election | $5,000 per year | Unlimited transfers | Unlimited transfers | N/A |
| Note: Contribution limits apply separately to primary and general elections. For example, an individual could contribute $3,300 to a candidate committee for the primary and another $3,300 to the same candidate committee for the general election. Source: Federal Election Commission, "Contribution limits," accessed May 8, 2023 | |||||
Presidential candidate committees are required to file regular campaign finance reports disclosing "all of their receipts and disbursements" either quarterly or monthly. Committees may choose which filing schedule to follow, but they must notify the FEC in writing and "may change their filing frequency no more than once per calendar year."[27]
For contribution limits from previous years, click "[Show more]" below.
| Federal contribution limits, 2019-2020 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate committees | Political action committees | State and district party committees | National party committees | Additional national party committee accounts | |
| Individual | $2,800 per election | $5,000 per year | $10,000 per year (combined) | $33,500 per year | $106,500 per account, per year |
| Candidate committee | $2,000 per election | $5,000 per year | Unlimited transfers | Unlimited transfers | N/A |
| Multicandidate political action committee | $5,000 per election | $5,000 per year | $5,000 per year (combined) | $15,000 per year | $45,000 per account, per year |
| Other political action committee | $2,800 per election | $5,000 per year | $10,000 per year (combined) | $35,500 per year | $106,500 per account, per year |
| State and district party committee | $5,000 per election | $5,000 per year | Unlimited transfers | Unlimited transfers | N/A |
| National party committee | $5,000 per election | $5,000 per year | Unlimited transfers | Unlimited transfers | N/A |
| Note: Contribution limits apply separately to primary and general elections. For example, an individual could contribute $2,800 to a candidate committee for the primary and another $2,800 to the same candidate committee for the general election. Source: Federal Election Commission, "Contribution limits," accessed August 8, 2019 | |||||
| Federal contribution limits, 2015-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate committees | Political action committees | State and district party committees | National party committees | Additional national party committee accounts | |
| Individual | $2,700 per election | $5,000 per year | $10,000 per year (combined) | $33,400 per year | $100,200 per account, per year |
| Candidate committee | $2,000 per election | $5,000 per year | Unlimited transfers | Unlimited transfers | N/A |
| Multicandidate political action committee | $5,000 per election | $5,000 per year | $5,000 per year (combined) | $15,000 per year | $45,000 per account, per year |
| Other political action committee | $2,700 per election | $5,000 per year | $10,000 per year (combined) | $33,400 per year | $100,200 per account, per year |
| State and district party committee | $5,000 per election | $5,000 per year | Unlimited transfers | Unlimited transfers | N/A |
| National party committee | $5,000 per election | $5,000 per year | Unlimited transfers | Unlimited transfers | N/A |
| Note: Contribution limits apply separately to primary and general elections. For example, an individual could contribute $2,700 to a candidate committee for the primary and another $2,700 to the same candidate committee for the general election. Source: Federal Election Commission, "The FEC and Federal Campaign Finance Law," updated January 2015 | |||||
Election agencies
Federal Election Commission
- 1050 First Street, NE
- Washington, D.C. 20463
- Telephone: 800-424-9530
- Email: info@fec.gov
Washington Secretary of State Elections Division
- P.O. Box 40229
- Olympia, Washington 98504-0229
- Telephone: 360-902-4180
- Email: elections@sos.wa.gov
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See also
- Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Washington
- Presidential election, 2024
- Ballot access for presidential candidates
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Vote Smart, "Government 101: United States Presidential Primary," accessed May 9, 2023 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "votesmart" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Running for President of the United States," accessed May 9, 2023
- ↑ Last day to hold convention: 7/27/2024
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "2020 Presidential Primary Candidate Information," accessed January 8, 2019
- ↑ Last day to hold convention: 7/25/2020
- ↑ The Constitution of the United States of America, "Article 2, Section 1," accessed August 3, 2015
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Everything you need to know about how the presidential primary works," May 12, 2015
- ↑ FactCheck.org, "Caucus vs. Primary," April 8, 2008
- ↑ Washington State Legislature, "RCW 29A.56.031," accessed May 9, 2023
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Archives.gov, "What is the Electoral College?" accessed August 25, 2015
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Archives.gov, "Who are the Electors?" accessed August 25, 2015
- ↑ Archives.gov, "Distribution of Electoral Votes," accessed May 9, 2023
- ↑ Washington State Legislature, "RCW 29A.04.086," accessed May 9, 2023
- ↑ Washington State Legislature, "RCW 29A.04.311," accessed May 9, 2023
- ↑ National Association of Secretaries of State, "Summary: State Laws Regarding Presidential Ballot Access for the General Election," accessed May 9, 2023
- ↑ Washington State Legislature, "RCW 29A.56.610," accessed May 9, 2023
- ↑ Washington State Legislature, "RCW 29A.56.640," accessed May 9, 2023
- ↑ Washington State Legislature, “RCW 29A.36.201,” accessed May 9, 2023
- ↑ SSRN, "Sore Loser Laws and Democratic Contestation," accessed May 9, 2023
- ↑ Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, "“If You Ain’t First, You’re Last”: How State “Sore-Loser” Laws Make It Impossible For Trump To Run A Successful Third-Party Campaign If He Loses The Republican Primary," accessed May 9, 2023
- ↑ Revised Code of Washington, "Section 29A.56.320," accessed May 9, 2023
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 This information comes from research conducted by Richard Winger, publisher and editor of Ballot Access News.
- ↑ Washington State Legislature, "RCW 29A.24.311," accessed May 9, 2023
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "The FEC and Federal Campaign Finance Law," updated January 2015
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Quick Answers to Candidate Questions," accessed August 13, 2015
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2016 Reporting Dates," accessed June 17, 2022
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