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From Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Washington
 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 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.
- An individual can seek the nomination of a state-recognized political party.
- An individual can run as an independent. Independent candidates often must petition in order to have their names printed on the general election ballot.
- 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).
Year-specific filing information
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 |
For filing information from previous years, click "[Show more]" below.
2018
See below for 2018 candidate filing deadlines.
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
To view historical information for 2015, click [show] to expand the section. | |||
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2014
To view historical information for 2014, click [show] to expand the section. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Process to become a candidate
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[2]
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.[3][4]
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."[5]
Petition requirements
See the articles listed below for more information about ballot access requirements for the 2018 election cycle. |
| State and federal candidate filing deadlines for 2018 |
|---|
| Independent candidate petition requirements for: Gubernatorial candidates U.S. Senate candidates U.S. House candidates |
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
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).[6][7] |
” |
The relevant statutes do not stipulate clearly any information on petition challenges or circulator requirements.
- See also: State election agencies
Washington Secretary of State
- 520 Union Avenue SE
- Olympia, Washington 98501-1429
- Telephone: 360-902-4180
- Toll-free: 1-800-448-4881
- Website: http://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/
- Email: elections@sos.wa.gov
Washington State Public Disclosure Commission
- 711 Capitol Way #206
- P.O. Box 40908
- Olympia, Washington 98504-0908
- Phone: 360-753-1111
- Website: http://www.pdc.wa.gov/
Term limits
State executives
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
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 | 7 | 9 |
| Republican | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vacancies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 10 | 12 |
State legislative partisanship
Below is the current partisan breakdown of the state legislature of Washington.
Washington State Senate
| Party | As of December 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 28 | |
| Republican Party | 20 | |
| Vacancies | 1 | |
| Total | 49 | |
Washington House of Representatives
| Party | As of December 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 57 | |
| Republican Party | 41 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 98 | |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Washington ballot access. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Washington
- Ballot access requirements for political parties in Washington
- Washington elections, 2020
- Campaign finance requirements in Washington
- Counties in Washington
- List of United States Representatives from Washington
- List of United States Senators from Washington
- 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
- Washington Secretary of State, Elections and Voting
- Washington Public Disclosure Commission
- Federal Election Commission
- 2016 candidate guide, from the Washington Secretary of State
Other information
- Ballot Access News – News updates and analysis of ballot access issues
- ThirdPartyPolitics.us – Blog about American third party and independent politics
- National Voter Outreach – Political consulting firm that specializes in organizing petition signature drives
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Washington Secretary of State, "Washington State Election Calendar," accessed November 6, 2013
- ↑ Washington Election Code, "Chapter 29A.24.031," accessed March 7, 2014
- ↑ Washington Election Code, "Chapter 29A.24.050," accessed March 10, 2014
- ↑ Washington Election Code, "Chapter 29A.24.070," accessed March 10, 2014
- ↑ Washington Election Code, "Chapter 29A.24.311," accessed March 10, 2014
- ↑ Washington Election Code, "Chapter 29A.24.101," accessed March 11, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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