Signature requirements and deadlines for 2023 state government elections

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Candidates for elective office must often file petition signatures or pay filing fees in order to have their names printed on the ballot. Candidates must submit these petitions, and any other required paperwork or filing fees (sums of money paid to either the state or to a political party) by fixed deadlines. These requirements and deadlines, which are referred to collectively as ballot access rules, vary between offices and from state to state. This article outlines filing deadlines and petition requirements for state-level candidates in the 2023 election cycle.

Filing deadlines and primary dates for statewide elections

The following table lists filing deadlines and primary dates for statewide elections in 2023. Please note that dates are subject to change.

Primary dates and filing deadlines, 2023
State	Primary date	Primary runoff date	Filing deadline for primary candidates	Source
Kentucky	5/16/2023	N/A	1/6/2023	Source
Louisiana	10/14/2023	N/A	8/10/2023	Source
Mississippi	8/8/2023	8/29/2023	2/1/2023	Source
New Jersey	6/6/2023	N/A	3/27/2023	Source
Pennsylvania	5/16/2023	N/A	3/7/2023	Source
Virginia	6/20/2023	N/A	4/6/2023	Source
Washington	8/1/2023	N/A	5/19/2023	Source
Wisconsin	2/21/2023	N/A	1/3/2023	Source

Signature requirements, filing fees, and filing deadlines for gubernatorial candidates, 2023

Signature requirements, filing fees, and filing deadlines for gubernatorial candidates, 2023
State	Office	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source	Qualifications
Kentucky	Governor	N/A	$500.00	1/6/2023	Source	Must be at least 30 years of age, and have been a citizen and resident of Kentucky for at least 6 years next preceding his election.
Louisiana	Governor	5,000 in lieu of fee (at least 500 from each congressional district)	$750.00	8/10/2023	Source	By the date of qualification, the candidate shall have attained the age of 25 years, be an elector, and have been a citizen of the United States and of Louisiana for at least the preceding 5 years. A person who has served as governor for more than one and one-half terms in two consecutive terms shall not be elected governor for the succeeding term.
Mississippi	Governor	1,000 for independent candidates in addition to fee	$1,000.00	2/1/2022	Source	A qualified elector, at least 30 years old, a citizen of the United States 20 years, and a resident of the state five (5) years next preceding the day of election.

See also

• Elections
• Ballot access for major and minor party candidates
• State executive official elections, 2023
• Elections calendar
• Ballotpedia's Candidate Filing Analysis Hub, 2023