Presidential Ballot Access
Presidential Ballot Access by State
Compare state-level presidential ballot access requirements for general-election party nominees, petition candidates, fee access where listed, and write-in candidates.
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Presidential Ballot Access Requirements
| State | Code | Political Party Nomination | Petition / Independent Access | Write-In | Write-In Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | AL | A presidential candidate nominated by a political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | An independent candidate for president may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the secretary of state no later than 82 days before the election a petition containing the signatures of at least 5,000 qualified electors. | Yes | No |
| Alaska | AK | A presidential candidate nominated by a recognized political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | An independent candidate for president may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the director of elections no later than the 90th day before a presidential election a petition containing the signature of qualified voters equal to at least 1% of the number of votes cast for president at the last general election. | Yes | Yes |
| Arizona | AZ | The presidential candidate nominated at the national convention and vice-presidential running mate will appear on the general election ballot provided that the state political party timely appoints 11 presidential electors. | A presidential candidate who is not a member of a recognized political party may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the secretary of state no less than 80 days before the general election nomination papers and a petition containing the number of signatures equal to 3% of the registered independent voters in the state. | Yes | Yes |
| Arkansas | AR | A presidential candidate nominated by a political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | A presidential candidate of a political group may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the secretary of state no later than the first Monday of August a petition containing the names of 5,000 qualified electors. | Not available | Not reported |
| California | CA | A presidential candidate nominated by a qualified political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | An independent presidential candidate may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with county election officials no later than 88 days before the election a declaration of candidacy for each of the presidential electors and nomination papers signed by the number of voters equal to at least 1% of the entire number of registered voters in the state. | Yes | Yes |
| Colorado | CO | A presidential candidate nominated by a major or minor political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | An unaffiliated presidential candidate may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the secretary of state no later than the 90th day before the election a petition containing the signatures of at least 5,000 eligible electors and a notice of acceptance of the nomination from the presidential candidate and each of the electors. | Yes | Yes |
| Connecticut | CT | A presidential candidate nominated by a major or minor political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | A presidential candidate who does not receive a nomination from a minor or major political party may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the secretary of state no later than the 97th day prior to the election a petition containing the number of signatures of qualified electors equal to the lesser of 1% of the votes cast for the office at the last election, or 7,500. | Yes | No |
| Delaware | DE | A presidential candidate nominated by a qualified political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | An unaffiliated presidential candidate may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the state election co mmissioner no later than September 1st a sworn declaration of non -affiliation and a nominating petition signed by at least 1% of the total number of registered voters as of December 31st of the year immediately preceding the general election. | Yes | Yes |
| District of Columbia | DC | Not available in source. | Not available in source. | Not available | Not reported |
| Florida | FL | A presidential candidate nominated by a political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | An unaffiliated presidential candidate, and a presidential candidate of a minor political party that is not affiliated with a national party holding a nominating convention, may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the department of state no later than July 15th a petition signed by 1% of the registered electors of the state. | Yes | Yes |
| Georgia | GA | A presidential candidate nominated by a political party or a political body may be placed on the general election ballot. | An independent presidential candidate, or a presidential candidate of a political body, presidential candidate may obtain ballot access for the general election by submitting to the secretary of state no later than no later than the second Tuesday in July a nominating petition signed by 7500 registered voters eligible to vote in the last presidential election. | Yes | Yes |
| Hawaii | HI | A presidential candidate nominated by a qualified political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | An individual presidential candidate or the presidential candidate of a party our group that is not a qualified political party may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the chief election officer no later than the 90th day prior to the general election a petition containing the signatures of at least 1% of the number of votes cast in the state at the last presidential election. | Not available | Not reported |
| Idaho | ID | A presidential candidate nominated by a political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | An independent presidential candidate may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the secretary of state between the 12th Monday before the primary election and the 10th Friday before the primary election, a petition signed by 1,000 qualified electors. | Yes | Yes |
| Illinois | IL | A presidential candidate nominated by an established political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | An independent presidential candidate, or a presidential candidate of a new political party, may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the state board of elections no less than 134 prior to the election a petition signed by 1% of the number of voters who voted at the next preceding statewide general election or 25,000 qualif ied voters, whichever is less. | Yes | Yes |
| Indiana | IN | A presidential candidate nominated by a major political party or other qualified political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | An independent presidential candidate or a presidential candidate of a minor political party not qualified to nominate by con vention may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the elections division no later than July 15 a written consent form and a petition containing the signatures of registered voters equal to 2% of the votes cast at the last election for secretary of state. | Yes | Yes |
| Iowa | IA | A presidential candidate nominated by a political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | An independent presidential candidate, or a presidential candidate of a political organization that does not hold a nominating caucus or convention, may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the secretary of state no later than the 73rd day before the general election an affidavit of candidacy and a petition signed by at least 3500 eligible electors, including at least 100 residing in each of 19 counties of the state. | Yes | No |
| Kansas | KS | A presidential candidate nominated by a recognized political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | An independent presidential candidate may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the secretary of state no later than the Monday preceding the primary election a petition signed by at least 5,000 qualified voters. | Yes | Yes |
| Kentucky | KY | A presidential candidate nominated by a political party or political organization may be placed on the general election ballot. | An independent presidential candidate, a political group presidential candidate, and a presidential candidate of a political organization not entitled to nominate by convention, may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the secretary of state no later than the Friday following the first Tuesday in September a nominating petition signed by at least 5,000 registered voters. | Yes | Yes |
| Louisiana | LA | A presidential candidate nominated by a recognized political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | An independent presidential candidate may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the secretary of state no later than the first Friday following the first Tuesday in September a notice of candidacy, affidavit of each elector, and a petition containing at least 5,000 signatures of registered voters, at least 500 of which must be obtained in each of the congressional districts. | Not available | Not reported |
| Maine | ME | A presidential candidates nominated by a qualified political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | A presidential candidate that is not nominated by a political party may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the secretary of state no later than August 15th a petition signed by at least 4,000 and not more than 6,000 vote rs. | Yes | Yes |
| Maryland | MD | A presidential candidate nominated by a qualified political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | A presidential candidate that is not affiliated with a political party may obtain ballot access by submitting a petition with the state board of election no later than the first Monday in August a certificate of candidacy and a petition containing the signatures of at least 10,000 registers voters of the state. | Yes | Yes |
| Massachusetts | MA | A presidential candidate nominated by a political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | A presidential candidate not running as the candidate of a political party may obtain ballot access by submitting to the secretary of state no later than the second Tuesday of September nomination papers containing the signatures of at least 10,000 voters. | Yes | Yes |
| Michigan | MI | A presidential candidate nominated by a political party that qualifies for general election ballot access may be placed on the general election ballot. | A presidential candidate not affiliated with a political party may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the secretary of state no later than the 110th day before the election a petition signed by a number of qualified and registered electors of the state equal to not less than 1% of the total number of votes cast for all candidates for governor at the last election in which a governor w as elected. | Yes | Yes |
| Minnesota | MN | A presidential candidate nominated by a major political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | A presidential candidate of a minor political party or other party, and independent presidential candidates, may obtain ballo t access by filing with the secretary of state no later than 77 days before the general election a petition containing the signatures of at least 2,000 eligible voters. | Yes | Yes |
| Mississippi | MS | A presidential candidate nominated by an organized political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | An independent presidential candidate may o btain ballot access by filing with the secretary of state no less than 60 days before the election a petition containing the signatures of 1,000 qualified electors. | Yes | No |
| Missouri | MO | A presidential candidate nominated by an established political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | An independent presidential candidate may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the secretary of state no later than the 15th Monday immediately preceding the general election a declaration of candidacy and petition containing the signatures of at least 10,000 registered voters. | Yes | Yes |
| Montana | MT | A presidential candidate nominated by a qualified political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | An independent presidential candidate or a presidential candidate of a political party that does not qualify may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the secretary of state 76 days prior to the general election a petition containing the signatures of electors equal to 5% or more of the total votes cast for the successful candidate for governor at the last general election, or 5,000 electors, whichever is less. | Yes | Yes |
| Nebraska | NE | A presidential candidate nominated by a political party that meets state requirements for partisan ballot access may be placed on the general election ballot. | Presidential candidates of a newly formed political party, and nonpartisan presidential candidates, may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the secretary of state no later than September 1st a petition containing the signatures of at least 2500 registered voters. | Yes | Yes |
| Nevada | NV | A presidential candidate nominated by a qualified major or minor political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | An independent presidential candidate may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the secretary of state no later than the second Friday in August a declaration of candidacy, a filing fee of $250, and a petition containing the signatures of registered voters equal to at least 1% of the total number of votes cast at the last preceding general election for the office of representative in congress. | Not available | Not reported |
| New Hampshire | NH | A presidential candidate nominated by a political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | A presidential candidate may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing a declaration of intent between the first Wednesday in June and the Friday of the following week, and submitting to the secretary of state no later than the Wednesday one week before the primary nomination papers containing the signatures of 3,000 registered voters, 1,500 from each United States congressional district in the state. | Yes | No |
| New Jersey | NJ | A presidential candidate nominated by a political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | A presidential candidate who is not nominated by a political party, and independent presidential candidate, may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing a petition with the secretary of state no later than the 99th day before the general election a petition containing the signatures of 800 legally qualified voters of the state. | Yes | No |
| New Mexico | NM | A presidential candidate nominated by a qualified political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | An independent presidential candidate may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the secretary of state on the 21st day following the primary election a declaration of candidacy and a nominating petition containing the number of voter signatures equal to at least 3% of the total vote cast for governor at the last preceding general election for that office. | No | No |
| New York | NY | A presidential candidate nominated by a political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | An independent presidential candidate may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the state board of elections a petition containing 45,000 signatures, or 1% of the total votes cast for the office of governor at the last gubernatorial election, whichever is less, with at least 500 signatures or 1% of enrolled voters, whichever is less, coming from each of ½ of the congressional districts in the state. | Yes | Yes |
| North Carolina | NC | A presidential candidate nominated by a political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | An unaffiliated presidential candidate may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the state board of elections no later than the last Friday in June preceding the general election a petition containing the number signatures of registered voters equal to 1.5% of the total number of voters who voted in the most recent general election for governor. | Yes | Yes |
| North Dakota | ND | A presidential candidate nominated by an established political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | A presidential candidate of a party that is not established, or an independent presidential candidate, may obtain ballot acce ss for the general election by filing with the secretary of state no later than the 6 4th day before the general election an affidavit of candidacy, a statement of interests, and a petition containing the signatures of 4,000 qualified electors. | Yes | Yes |
| Ohio | OH | A presidential candidate nominated by a political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | An independent presidential candidate may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the secretary of state no later than the 90th day before the general election a petition containing the signatures of at least 5,000 qualified electors. | Yes | Yes |
| Oklahoma | OK | A presidential candidate nominated by a recognized political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | An independent presidential candidate, or a presidential candidate nominated by an unrecognized political party, may obtain ballot access for the general election by submitting a Statement of Candidacy with the names and residence addresses of the candidate’s presidential electors, and the required filing fee or petition containing the signatures of registered voters equal to at least 3% of the total votes cast in the last general election for governor. | Not available | Not reported |
| Oregon | OR | A presidential candidate nominated by a major or minor political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | A nonaffiliated presidential candidate may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the secretary of state no later than the 70th day before the general election a petition containing the signatures of individual electors equal to not less than 1% of the total votes cast for all candidates for presidential electors at the last general election. | Yes | No |
| Pennsylvania | PA | A presidential candidate nominated by a political party (commonly known as a “major” political party) may be placed on the general election ballot. | Presidential candidates of minor parties and political bodies may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the Secretary of the Commonwealth, no later than August 1st, an affidavit of candidacy, a $200 fee, and nomination papers containing the signatures of 5000 qualified electors. | Yes | No |
| Rhode Island | RI | A presidential candidate nominated by a political party may be placed on the general election. | An independent presidential candidate or presidential candidates seeking to establish a political party may obtain ballot acc ess by filing nomination papers containing the signatures of 1000 voters. | Yes | No |
| South Carolina | SC | A presidential candidate nominated by a political party may be placed on the general election. | A presidential candidate may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the state election commission no later than July 15th a petition containing the signatures of at least 5% of qualified registered electors, provided that the petition candidate is not required to furnish more than 10,000 signatures. | No | No |
| South Dakota | SD | A presidential candidate nominated by a political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | An independent presidential candidate may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the secretary of state no later than the first Tuesday in August prior to the election a certificate of nomination containing the number of signatures equal to at least 1% of the total combined vote cast for governor at the last certified gubernatorial election. | Not available | Not reported |
| Tennessee | TN | The chair of a nominating body of a statewide political party or recognized minor political party must certify the party’s nominees for president and vice president to the coordinator of elections no later than the first business day in September. | An independent presidential candidate may obtain ballot access by filing with the coordinator of elections no later than the 3rd Thursday in August a petition containing the signatures of 25 or more registered voters for each elector allotted to the state, which totals 275 valid signatures. | Yes | Yes |
| Texas | TX | A presidential candidate nominated by a political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | An independent presidential candidate may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the secretary of state no later than the 2nd Monday in May an application and a petition containing the number of signatures equal to at least 1% of the total vote received in the state by all candidates for president in the most recent presidential election. | Yes | Yes |
| Utah | UT | A presidential candidate nominated by a registered political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | An independent presidential candidate may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the lieutenant governor a certificate of nomination and a nominating petition containing the signatures of 1,000 registered voters no later than the 4th business day after the filing period begins on January 2nd of the year in which the next regular general election is held. | Yes | Yes |
| Vermont | VT | A presidential candidate nominated by a major political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | An independent presidential candidate may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the secretary of state no later than the second Thursday after the first Monday in June preceding the primary election a statement of nomination containing the signatures of 1,000 registered voters and a consent form from each nominee for presidential elector. | Yes | No |
| Virginia | VA | A presidential candidate nominated by a political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | A group of qualified voters not constituting a political party may obtain ballot access for a presidential candidate by filin g with the state board of elections no later than the 74th day before the election a petition containing the signatures of at least 5,000 qualified voters including signatures of at least 400 qualified voters from each congressional district. | Yes | Yes |
| Washington | WA | The secretary of state must certify to the general election ballot the names of all candidates for president and vice president who, no later than the third Tuesday in August, have been nominated by a major political party, a minor political party, or as independent candidates, and have certified a slate of electors to the secretary of state. | A presidential candidate that is not nominated by a major political party, including minor party candidates and independent candidates, may be placed on the general election ballot by holding a convention attended by at least one hundred registered voters no earlier than the first Saturday in May and no later than the fourth Saturday in July. | Yes | Yes |
| West Virginia | WV | A presidential candidate nominated by a political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | A group of citizens that is not a political party (minor party and independent candidates) may obtain ballot access for a presidential candidate by filing with the secretary of state no later than August 1st preceding the general election a certificate of nomination containing the number of signatures of registered voters equal to at least 1% of the entire vote cast for president in the last preceding presidential election. | Yes | Yes |
| Wisconsin | WI | The names of candidates for President and Vice President are placed on the General Election ballot in Wisconsin by one of the following methods: Political organizations that have attained ballot status currently are the Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, and Constitution parties. | Independent Candidates for President and Vice President circulate and file nomination papers (EL-167). | Not available | Not reported |
| Wyoming | WY | A presidential candidate nominated by a major or minor political party may be placed on the general election ballot. | An independent presidential candidate may obtain ballot access for the general election by filing with the secretary of state no later than 70 days before a general election a petition containing the signatures of registered electors numbering not less than 2% of the total number of votes cast for united states representative in the last general election. | Yes | Yes |
Source and Use
How to Read This Ballot Access Data
This reference is generated from NASS Summary: State Laws Regarding Presidential Ballot Access for the General Election, updated 2024-07-29.
- Primary source
- NASS ballot access summary PDF
- Source updated
- 2024-07-29
- Coverage
- General-election presidential ballot access requirements by state, as summarized by NASS.
- Use note
- Informational reference only; verify current law with the state election office, current statutes, and legal counsel.
- These entries summarize general-election presidential ballot access rules for political party nominees, petition candidates, fee access where listed, and write-in candidacies.
- Ballot access law can change through statutes, court decisions, and state election guidance. Verify requirements with the state election office before relying on them.
- This reference does not state whether any candidate has qualified for a state ballot.
- This page is informational and is not legal advice or a filing procedure guide.