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Candidate Requirements

Overview

Candidates must meet certain qualifications and requirements in order to appear on the ballot. These qualifications and requirements may vary depending on the office the candidate is running for. All candidates must meet the minimum qualifications:

Qualified voter
Qualified to hold office being sought
Resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia for one year immediately preceding elections

The following steps will help you through the candidate registration process:

All links will take you to the proper form directly on the State Board of Elections website.

1. Read the candidate bulletins for Local Office.

2. Complete the Certificate of Candidate Qualification form for the office sought. This form may be filed any time after January 1 of the election year and before the filing deadline of the election. It must be filed before a candidate can purchase a Registered Voter’s list from the State Board of Elections. Registered Voters lists CANNOT be obtained from the local Registrar.

3. Complete necessary:

Campaign Finance documents

Laws and Policies for Campaign Committees

4. Complete the Statement of Economic Interest form.

5. Complete the Declaration of Candidacy form and Petition of Qualified Voter form to begin circulation. These forms must be filed together on or before the filing deadline for the election.

Declaration of Candidacy

Petition of Qualified Voters Revised

6. Candidates for office must meet certain qualifications and are required to file specific documents in order to qualify to appear on the ballot. These qualifications and requirements may vary depending on office sought (local, general assembly, statewide or federal). Submit all qualifying forms by deadline specified in the Candidate Bulletin to either the Voter Registration Office or State Board of Elections depending on office sought.

The prospective candidate is encouraged to file all related documents well before the deadline, in the case that there any omissions or corrections that need to be addressed before the deadline. Specifically candidates filing candidate petitions should begin bringing those petitions to the Registrar’s Office for signature verification well in advance of the deadline.

All interested individuals may call the Virginia Department of Elections at (800) 552-9745 to request a complete Candidate Packet.

Candidates may also visit the Candidates and PACs section of the Department of Elections website for additional information, including laws, policies, and forms for regional, statewide, and federal offices.