Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Pennsylvania

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Ballot access for presidential candidates
List of political parties in the United States
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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 Pennsylvania, 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 Pennsylvania. For information about filing requirements for presidential candidates, click here. 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

See also: Signature requirements and deadlines for 2024 U.S. Congress elections and Pennsylvania elections, 2024

U.S. Senate

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

Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2024
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Pennsylvania	U.S. Senate	Ballot-qualified party	2,000	$200.00	2/13/2024	Source
Pennsylvania	U.S. Senate	Unaffiliated	2% of the largest entire vote cast for any elected statewide candidate in the last election	$200.00	8/1/2024	Source

U.S. House

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

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Pennsylvania	U.S. House	Ballot-qualified party	1,000	$150.00	2/13/2024	Source
Pennsylvania	U.S. House	Unaffiliated	2% of votes cast in the district in the last election	$150.00	8/1/2024	Source

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

Show more

2023

State Supreme Court

The table below details filing requirements for state supreme court candidates in Pennsylvania in the 2023 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Pennsylvania, click here.

Filing requirements for Pennsylvania Supreme Court candidates, 2023
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Pennsylvania	Supreme Court Justice	Nonpartisan	2,500	$200.00	8/1/2023	Source

2022

See also: Signature requirements and deadlines for 2022 U.S. Congress elections and Pennsylvania elections, 2022

U.S. Senate

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

Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2022
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Pennsylvania	U.S. Senate	Ballot-qualified party	2,000	$200.00	3/15/2022	Source
Pennsylvania	U.S. Senate	Unaffiliated	2% of the largest entire vote cast for any elected statewide candidate in the last election	$200.00	8/1/2022	Source

U.S. House

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

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2022
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Pennsylvania	U.S. House	Ballot-qualified party	1,000	$150.00	3/15/2022	Source
Pennsylvania	U.S. House	Unaffiliated	2% of largest entire vote cast for a candidate in the district in the last election	$150.00	8/1/2022	Source

Governor

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

Filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates, 2022
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Pennsylvania	Governor	Ballot-qualified party	2,000, including at least 100 signatures from each of at least 10 counties	$200.00	3/15/2022	Source
Pennsylvania	Governor	Unaffiliated	2% of the largest entire vote cast for any elected statewide candidate in the last election	$200.00	8/1/2022	Source

2020

See also: Signature requirements and deadlines for 2020 U.S. Congress elections and Pennsylvania elections, 2020

U.S. House

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Pennsylvania in the 2020 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Pennsylvania, 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
Pennsylvania	1st Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	$150.00	Fixed number	2/18/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	2nd Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	$150.00	Fixed number	2/18/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	3rd Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	$150.00	Fixed number	2/18/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	4th Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	$150.00	Fixed number	2/18/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	5th Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	$150.00	Fixed number	2/18/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	6th Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	$150.00	Fixed number	2/18/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	7th Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	$150.00	Fixed number	2/18/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	8th Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	$150.00	Fixed number	2/18/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	9th Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	$150.00	Fixed number	2/18/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	10th Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	$150.00	Fixed number	2/18/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	11th Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	$150.00	Fixed number	2/18/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	12th Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	$150.00	Fixed number	2/18/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	13th Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	$150.00	Fixed number	2/18/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	14th Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	$150.00	Fixed number	2/18/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	15th Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	$150.00	Fixed number	2/18/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	16th Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	$150.00	Fixed number	2/18/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	17th Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	$150.00	Fixed number	2/18/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	18th Congressional District	Qualified party	1,000	Fixed number	$150.00	Fixed number	2/18/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	1st Congressional District	Unaffiliated	Unknown (results unavailable for calculations)	2% of largest entire vote cast for a candidate in the district in the last election	$150.00	Fixed number	8/3/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	2nd Congressional District	Unaffiliated	Unknown (results unavailable for calculations)	2% of largest entire vote cast for a candidate in the district in the last election	$150.00	Fixed number	8/3/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	3rd Congressional District	Unaffiliated	Unknown (results unavailable for calculations)	2% of largest entire vote cast for a candidate in the district in the last election	$150.00	Fixed number	8/3/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	4th Congressional District	Unaffiliated	Unknown (results unavailable for calculations)	2% of largest entire vote cast for a candidate in the district in the last election	$150.00	Fixed number	8/3/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	5th Congressional District	Unaffiliated	Unknown (results unavailable for calculations)	2% of largest entire vote cast for a candidate in the district in the last election	$150.00	Fixed number	8/3/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	6th Congressional District	Unaffiliated	Unknown (results unavailable for calculations)	2% of largest entire vote cast for a candidate in the district in the last election	$150.00	Fixed number	8/3/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	7th Congressional District	Unaffiliated	Unknown (results unavailable for calculations)	2% of largest entire vote cast for a candidate in the district in the last election	$150.00	Fixed number	8/3/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	8th Congressional District	Unaffiliated	Unknown (results unavailable for calculations)	2% of largest entire vote cast for a candidate in the district in the last election	$150.00	Fixed number	8/3/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	9th Congressional District	Unaffiliated	Unknown (results unavailable for calculations)	2% of largest entire vote cast for a candidate in the district in the last election	$150.00	Fixed number	8/3/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	10th Congressional District	Unaffiliated	Unknown (results unavailable for calculations)	2% of largest entire vote cast for a candidate in the district in the last election	$150.00	Fixed number	8/3/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	11th Congressional District	Unaffiliated	Unknown (results unavailable for calculations)	2% of largest entire vote cast for a candidate in the district in the last election	$150.00	Fixed number	8/3/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	12th Congressional District	Unaffiliated	Unknown (results unavailable for calculations)	2% of largest entire vote cast for a candidate in the district in the last election	$150.00	Fixed number	8/3/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	13th Congressional District	Unaffiliated	Unknown (results unavailable for calculations)	2% of largest entire vote cast for a candidate in the district in the last election	$150.00	Fixed number	8/3/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	14th Congressional District	Unaffiliated	Unknown (results unavailable for calculations)	2% of largest entire vote cast for a candidate in the district in the last election	$150.00	Fixed number	8/3/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	15th Congressional District	Unaffiliated	Unknown (results unavailable for calculations)	2% of largest entire vote cast for a candidate in the district in the last election	$150.00	Fixed number	8/3/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	16th Congressional District	Unaffiliated	Unknown (results unavailable for calculations)	2% of largest entire vote cast for a candidate in the district in the last election	$150.00	Fixed number	8/3/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	17th Congressional District	Unaffiliated	Unknown (results unavailable for calculations)	2% of largest entire vote cast for a candidate in the district in the last election	$150.00	Fixed number	8/3/2020	Source
Pennsylvania	18th Congressional District	Unaffiliated	Unknown (results unavailable for calculations)	2% of largest entire vote cast for a candidate in the district in the last election	$150.00	Fixed number	8/3/2020	Source

State House

The table below details filing requirements for Pennsylvania 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
Pennsylvania House of Representatives	Qualified party	300	$100.00	2/18/2020	Source
Pennsylvania House of Representatives	Unaffiliated	2% of the largest entire vote cast for an elected candidate in the last election within the district	$100.00	8/3/2020	Source

State Senate

The table below details filing requirements for Pennsylvania 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
Pennsylvania State Senate	Qualified party	500	$100.00	2/18/2020	Source
Pennsylvania State Senate	Unaffiliated	2% of the largest entire vote cast for an elected candidate in the last election within the district	$100.00	8/3/2020	Source

2018

See also: Signature requirements and deadlines for 2018 U.S. Congress elections and Pennsylvania elections, 2018

See below for 2018 candidate filing deadlines.

March 6, 2018

2016

See also: Signature requirements and deadlines for 2016 U.S. Congress elections and Pennsylvania elections, 2016

The calendar below lists important filing deadlines for political candidates in Pennsylvania in 2016.

Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016
Deadline	Event type	Event description
February 16, 2016	Ballot access	Last day to file nomination petitions for the primary election
March 15, 2016	Campaign finance	Sixth Tuesday pre-primary report due
April 15, 2016	Campaign finance	Second Friday pre-primary report due
April 26, 2016	Election date	Primary election
May 26, 2016	Campaign finance	30-day post-primary report due
August 1, 2016	Ballot access	Last day to file nomination petitions for the general election
September 27, 2016	Campaign finance	Sixth Tuesday pre-general report due
October 28, 2016	Campaign finance	Second Friday pre-general report due
November 8, 2016	Election date	General election
December 8, 2016	Campaign finance	30-day post-general report due
January 31, 2017	Campaign finance	2016 annual report due
Source: Pennsylvania Department of State, "2016 Election Calendar," accessed January 11, 2016

2015

To view historical information for 2015, click [show] to expand the section.
There were no regularly scheduled state executive, state legislative or congressional elections in Pennsylvania in 2015.

2014

To view historical information for 2014, click [show] to expand the section.

See also: Signature requirements and deadlines for 2014 U.S. Congress elections and Pennsylvania elections, 2014 Pennsylvania held a primary election on May 20, 2014. The general election took place on November 4, 2014. Voters elected candidates to serve in the following state and federal offices: Governor of Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania 18 seats in the United States House of Representatives 203 seats in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives 25 seats in the Pennsylvania State Senate The 2014 filing deadline for candidates seeking to participate in the primary was March 11, 2014. Candidates seeking to participate in the November general election needed to file by August 1, 2014. Legend:      Ballot access     Campaign finance     Election date Dates and requirements for candidates in 2014 Deadline Event type Event description March 11, 2014 Ballot access Deadline for candidates to file nomination petitions to gain access to the primary ballot April 8, 2014 Campaign finance 6th Tuesday Pre-Primary Report (through March 31, 2014) May 9, 2014 Campaign finance 2nd Friday Pre-Primary Report (through May 5, 2014) May 20, 2014 Election date State primary date June 19, 2014 Campaign finance 30-Day Post-Primary Report (through June 9, 2014) August 1, 2014 Ballot access Deadline for candidates from minor parties or political bodies to file nomination papers to participate in the November general election September 23, 2014 Campaign finance 6th Tuesday Pre-Election Report (through September 15, 2014) October 24, 2014 Campaign finance 2nd Friday Pre-Election Report (through October 20, 2014) November 4, 2014 Election date General election December 4, 2014 Campaign finance 30-Day Post-Election Report (through November 24, 2014) February 2, 2015 Campaign finance 2014 Annual Report (through December 31, 2014)

Process to become a candidate

Generally speaking, there are two types of petition forms that prospective candidates may need to file in order to gain access to the ballot.

1. Nomination petitions: These are the petition forms used by political party candidates.
2. Nomination papers: These are the petition forms used by independent and political party designation candidates.

For party candidates

See statutes: Pennsylvania Election Code, Chapter 14, Article 9

Party candidates for state office must file nomination petitions with the Pennsylvania Secretary of State. Signature requirements are summarized below (for more information regarding nomination petitions, see "Nomination petitions" below).

Nomination petition signature requirements in Pennsylvania
Office sought	Required signatures
U.S. Senator	2,000
U.S. House Representative	1,000
Governor	2,000
Lt. Governor	1,000
State senator	500
State representative	300

Each candidate must file a candidate affidavit with his or her nomination petition. The affidavit must include the candidate's address, election district, the name of the office being sought, a statement verifying the candidate's eligibility for said office, and a statement verifying that the candidate will not "knowingly violate any provision of this act [i.e., the election code], or of any law regulating and limiting nomination and election expenses and prohibiting corrupt practices in connection therewith."

The candidate must also pay a filing fee. Filing fees must be submitted with nomination petitions. Fees are summarized in the table below.

Filing fees in Pennsylvania
Office sought	Fee
United States Senator, governor, lieutenant governor, treasurer, auditor general, attorney general	$200
United States Representative	$150
State legislator	$100

In addition, a candidate for state office must file a statement of financial interests with the state ethics commission. A copy of this statement must be attached to the nomination petition submitted to the Pennsylvania Secretary of State, as well.

For other candidates

See statutes: Article 9, Part (b) of the Pennsylvania Election Code

Like party candidates participating in the primary, independent, minor political party, and political body candidates for state office (including the Pennsylvania General Assembly) must submit candidate affidavits and statements of financial interests to the Pennsylvania Secretary of State. Candidates must also pay the same filing fees as primary candidates. Independent, minor party, and political body candidates must also file nomination papers (not to be confused with the nomination petitions party candidates participating in the primary must complete). Candidates filing nomination papers must obtain signatures from electors of the district equal to at least 2 percent of the largest entire vote cast for an elected candidate in the last election within the district. For more information regarding nomination papers, see "Nomination papers" below.

For write-in candidates

Pennsylvania does not require write-in candidates to file paperwork in order to have their votes tallied.

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 Pennsylvania.

The form of all petitions for candidates is prescribed by the secretary of state.

Nomination petitions

Each page of a nomination petition contains these three basic components:

• Preamble: The preamble includes information about the candidate, such as the candidate's name, occupation, and residence, the office being sought, and the party affiliation of the signers.
• Signatures of electors: Each person who signs a nomination petition must include the following information:
  • signature
  • printed name
  • address of residence
  • date of signature

Nomination petitions must be circulated and filed between the 13th Tuesday and the 10th Tuesday preceding the primary election.

Nomination papers

Each page of a nomination paper must include these basic components:

• Preamble: The preamble includes the name of the minor political party or political body making the nomination and the county of the signers.
• Candidate information: This section includes the name, address, and occupation of the candidate being nominated.
• Signatures of electors: Each person who signs a nomination paper must include the following information:
  • signature
  • printed name
  • address of residence
  • date of signature

Each page of a nomination paper submitted by a political body must also include the names and addresses of the political body's Committee to Fill Vacancies. The committee must include at least three and no more than five members.

Nomination papers must be circulated and filed between the 10th Wednesday preceding the primary and August 1 of each year.

Noteworthy events

Seal of Pennsylvania

Petition requirements ruled unconstitutional (2015)

On March 2, 2015, United States District Court Judge Stewart Dalzell ruled that three of Pennsylvania's petition requirements were unconstitutional "as applied to the Green Party and Libertarian Party." These three requirements were as follows:

1. "the ban on out-of-state circulators"
2. "the requirement that each petition sheet be notarized"
3. "the prohibition on a voter signing for more than one minor party in any given election"

Richard Winger, editor of Ballot Access News, said the following about the decision: "Oddly, the relief is limited only to the plaintiffs in the case, the Green and Libertarian Parties. There will probably be new lawsuits filed by other plaintiffs, which probably will result in an expansion of the relief to all petitioning groups, at least for general election petitions." The state government did not appeal the decision.

Election administration agencies

Election agencies

Seal of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission

See also: State election agencies

Individuals seeking additional information about voting provisions in Pennsylvania can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.

Pennsylvania County Election Officials

Click here for a list

Pennsylvania Secretary of State; Bureau of Elections

North Office Building, Room 210

401 North Street

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120-0060

Toll free: 1-877-868-3772

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.pa.gov/en/agencies/vote.html

Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission

Finance Building, Room 309

613 North Street

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120-0400

Phone: 717-783-1610

Toll free: 800-932-0936

Fax: 717-787-0806

Email: https://www.ethicsforms.pa.gov/Forms/ContactUs

Website: https://www.ethics.pa.gov/Pages/default.aspx

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200

Washington, DC 20001

Phone: 301-563-3919

Toll free: 1-866-747-1471

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.eac.gov

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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 are established in Article 4 of the Pennsylvania Constitution. The state executive term limits in Pennsylvania are as follows:

• The governor may serve a total of two consecutive terms.
• The attorney general may serve a total of two consecutive terms.
• The treasurer may serve two consecutive terms and must wait four years before becoming eligible for the office of auditor general.
• The auditor general may serve a total of two consecutive terms.

State legislators

See also: State legislatures with term limits

There are no term limits placed on Pennsylvania state legislators.

Congressional partisanship

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

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

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Pennsylvania
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	2	9	11
Republican	0	8	8
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	17	19

State legislative partisanship

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

Pennsylvania State Senate

Party		As of November 2024
	Democratic Party	22
	Republican Party	28
	Independent	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		50

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Party		As of November 2024
	Democratic Party	102
	Republican Party	101
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		203

Related legislation

The embedded table below lists state bills affecting ballot access requirements for candidates introduced in Pennsylvania. 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 Pennsylvania
• Ballot access requirements for political parties in Pennsylvania
• Pennsylvania elections, 2024
• Campaign finance requirements in Pennsylvania
• Counties in Pennsylvania
• List of United States Representatives from Pennsylvania
• List of United States Senators from Pennsylvania
• 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

• Pennsylvania Department of State
• Federal Election Commission
• Information for candidates, from the Pennsylvania Secretary of State

Other information

• Ballot Access News – News updates and analysis of ballot access issues
• Election Law Program – Report on state regulations that affect political parties
• National Voter Outreach – Political consulting firm that specializes in organizing petition signature drives