Candidacy Forms & Requirements

U.S. President

Seat currently held by: Donald J Trump

U.S. Presidents must be:

  • a natural born citizen of the United States
  • at least 35 years old
  • a resident within the United States for at least 14 years
Each President serves a 4 year term in office and is voted on Statewide. (Article 2, Section 1, US Constitution)
Individuals who wish to run for U.S. President must register with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) for campaign finance reporting. For information on filing and reporting requirements, please refer to the FEC’s website. If you have questions regarding filing with the FEC, you will need to contact their offices directly at either [email protected] or at (800) 424-9530.

Filing for Ballot Access:

Individuals may run as either Partisan candidates (i.e. affiliated with one of the recognized political parties in Idaho) or as Independent candidates (i.e. no affiliation with any of the recognized political parties in Idaho). The recognized political parties in Idaho are the Constitution Party, Idaho Democratic Party, Libertarian Party of Idaho, and the Idaho Republican Party. No other political parties have met the requirements for recognition in Idaho.

Partisan Candidate Filing:

Idaho gives the political parties recognized in Idaho the option of conducting a Presidential Primary Election in March or conducting a caucus in accordance to their party rules. Each political party in Idaho must notify the Secretary of State’s Office by November 26, 2019 of their plan to hold a Presidential Primary Election. The deadline for Partisan Candidate filing was December 11, 2019.

Independent Candidate Filing:

Independent Candidates must file a Declaration of Candidacy and collect the signatures of at least 1,000 registered electors of the state. The U.S. Presidential Independent Filing Packet has the necessary forms and a short information sheet. Declarations and Petitions must be filed prior to August 24, 2020. When collecting signatures to be filed with the Declaration of Candidacy, each signature sheet must contain the signatures of qualified electors from only one county and must be verified by the County Clerk prior to being filed with the Secretary of State.

Filing Forms:

U.S. President - Independent

U.S. Senator

Seat currently held by: James E. Risch

U.S. Senators must be:

  • at least 30 years old at the time of the General Election
  • a citizen of the United States for at least 9 years
  • must reside within the state at the time of the General Election
Each Senator serves a 6 year term in office and is voted on Statewide. (Article I, Section 3, US Constitution; 34-604, Idaho Code)
Individuals who wish to run for U.S. Senator must register with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) for campaign finance reporting. For information on filing and reporting requirements, please refer to the FEC’s website. If you have questions regarding filing with the FEC, you will need to contact their offices directly at either [email protected] or at (800) 424-9530.

Filing for Ballot Access:

Individuals may run as either Partisan candidates (i.e. affiliated with one of the recognized political parties in Idaho) or as Independent candidates (i.e. no affiliation with any of the recognized political parties in Idaho).

The recognized political parties in Idaho are the Constitution Party, Idaho Democratic Party, Libertarian Party of Idaho, and the Idaho Republican Party. No other political parties have met the requirements for recognition in Idaho.

Partisan Candidate Filing:

Partisan Candidates must file a Declaration of Candidacy and either pay the $500 filing fee or collect the signatures of at least 1,000 registered electors of the state.

The U.S. Senator Filing Packet has the necessary forms and a short information sheet. Candidate filing is open from March 2, 2020 to March 13, 2020. Declarations and Petitions will not be accepted until March 2, 2020. Any received prior will be returned to the candidate.

When collecting signatures to be filed with the Declaration of Candidacy, each signature sheet must contain the signatures of qualified electors from only one county and must be verified by the County Clerk prior to being filed with the Secretary of State.

Independent Candidate Filing:

Independent Candidates must file a Declaration of Candidacy and collect the signatures of at least 1,000 registered electors of the state.

The U.S. Senator Independent Filing Packet has the necessary forms and a short information sheet. Candidate filing is open from March 2, 2020 to March 13, 2020. Declarations and Petitions will not be accepted until March 2, 2020. Any received prior will be returned to the candidate.

When collecting signatures to be filed with the Declaration of Candidacy, each signature sheet must contain the signatures of qualified electors from only one county and must be verified by the County Clerk prior to being filed with the Secretary of State.

Filing Forms:

U.S. Senator - Partisan
U.S. Senator - Independent

U.S. Representative

Seats currently held by: Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson

U.S. Representatives must be:

  • at least 25 years old at the time of the General Election
  • a citizen of the United States for at least 7 years
  • and must reside within the state at the time of the General Election
Each Representative serves a 2 year term in office and is voted on by Congressional District. (Article I, Section 2, US Constitution; 34-605, Idaho Code)
Individuals who wish to run for U.S. Representative must register with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) for campaign finance reporting. For information on filing and reporting requirements, please refer to the FEC’s website. If you have questions regarding filing with the FEC, you will need to contact their offices directly at either [email protected] or at (800) 424-9530.

Filing for Ballot Access:

Individuals may run as either Partisan candidates (i.e. affiliated with one of the recognized political parties in Idaho) or as Independent candidates (i.e. no affiliation with any of the recognized political parties in Idaho).

The recognized political parties in Idaho are the Constitution Party, Idaho Democratic Party, Libertarian Party of Idaho, and the Idaho Republican Party. No other political parties have met the requirements for recognition in Idaho.

Partisan Candidate Filing:

Partisan Candidates must file a Declaration of Candidacy and either pay the $300 filing fee or collect the signatures of at least 500 registered electors of their Congressional District.

The U.S. Representative Filing Packet has the necessary forms and a short information sheet. Candidate filing is open from March 2, 2020 to March 13, 2020. Declarations and Petitions will not be accepted until March 2, 2020. Any received prior will be returned to the candidate.

When collecting signatures to be filed with the Declaration of Candidacy, each signature sheet must contain the signatures of qualified electors from only one county and must be verified by the County Clerk prior to being filed with the Secretary of State.

Independent Candidate Filing:

Independent Candidates must file a Declaration of Candidacy and collect the signatures of at least 500 registered electors of the state.

The U.S. Representative Independent Filing Packet has the necessary forms and a short information sheet. Candidate filing is open from March 2, 2020 to March 13, 2020. Declarations and Petitions will not be accepted until March 2, 2020. Any received prior will be returned to the candidate.

When collecting signatures to be filed with the Declaration of Candidacy, each signature sheet must contain the signatures of qualified electors from only one county and must be verified by the County Clerk prior to being filed with the Secretary of State.

Filing Forms:

U.S. Representative - Partisan
U.S. Representative - Independent

Supreme Court Justice

Decided at Primary Election: May 19, 2020

Seats currently held by: John Stegner and Gregory Moeller

Supreme Court Justices and Appellate Court Judges must be:

  • at least 30 years old when elected
  • a citizen of the United States
  • admitted to practice law for at least 10 years prior to taking office
  • admitted to practice law in the state of Idaho
  • has resided within the state for at least 2 years preceding his election
Each Supreme Court Justice and Appellate Court Judges serves a 6 year term in office and is voted on statewide. (1-2404, Idaho Code; Supreme Court Justice – 34-615, Idaho Code)
Individuals who wish to run for Supreme Court Justice or Appellate Court Judge must file a C1: Appointment and Certification of Political Treasurer with the Secretary of State’s Office. The C1 Form must be filed prior to announcing your candidacy, accepting donations or spending money on your campaign. Visit the Campaign Finance section of this website to file a C1. If you have questions regarding this filing, please contact the Secretary of State’s Office at either [email protected] or at (208) 334-2852.

Filing for Ballot Access:

Individuals run as non-partisan candidates (i.e. no affiliation with any of the recognized political parties in Idaho).

Candidate Filing:

Candidates must file a Declaration of Candidacy and either pay the $300 filing fee or collect the signatures of at least 1,000 registered electors of the state.

The Judicial Filing Packet has the necessary forms and a short information sheet. Candidate filing is open from March 2, 2020 to March 13, 2020. Declarations and Petitions will not be accepted until March 2, 2020. Any received prior will be returned to the candidate.

When collecting signatures to be filed with the Declaration of Candidacy, each signature sheet must contain the signatures of qualified electors from only one county and must be verified by the County Clerk prior to being filed with the Secretary of State.

Filing Forms:

State Judicial Candidate

Court of Appeals Judge

Decided at Primary Election: May 19, 2020

Seat currently held by: Amanda Brailsford

Supreme Court Justices and Appellate Court Judges must be:

  • at least 30 years old when elected
  • a citizen of the United States
  • admitted to practice law for at least 10 years prior to taking office
  • admitted to practice law in the state of Idaho
  • has resided within the state for at least 2 years preceding his election
Each Supreme Court Justice and Appellate Court Judges serves a 6 year term in office and is voted on statewide. (1-2404, Idaho Code; Supreme Court Justice – 34-615, Idaho Code)
Individuals who wish to run for Supreme Court Justice or Appellate Court Judge must file a C1: Appointment and Certification of Political Treasurer with the Secretary of State’s Office. The C1 Form must be filed prior to announcing your candidacy, accepting donations or spending money on your campaign. Visit the Campaign Finance section of this website to file a C1. If you have questions regarding this filing, please contact the Secretary of State’s Office at either [email protected] or at (208) 334-2852.

Filing for Ballot Access:

Individuals run as non-partisan candidates (i.e. no affiliation with any of the recognized political parties in Idaho).

Candidate Filing:

Candidates must file a Declaration of Candidacy and either pay the $300 filing fee or collect the signatures of at least 1,000 registered electors of the state.

The Judicial Filing Packet has the necessary forms and a short information sheet. Candidate filing is open from March 2, 2020 to March 13, 2020. Declarations and Petitions will not be accepted until March 2, 2020. Any received prior will be returned to the candidate.

When collecting signatures to be filed with the Declaration of Candidacy, each signature sheet must contain the signatures of qualified electors from only one county and must be verified by the County Clerk prior to being filed with the Secretary of State.

Filing Forms:

State Judicial Candidate

Idaho State Senate

All seats in the Senate (35)

Senators must be:

  • at least 21 years old at the time of the General Election
  • a citizen of the United States
  • an elector of the state and has been an elector of the county or district whence he may be chosen for at least 1 year
Each Senator serves a 2 year term in office. (Article III, Section 6, Idaho State Constitution; 34-614, Idaho Code)
Individuals who wish to run for State Senate must file a C1: Appointment and Certification of Political Treasurer with the Secretary of State’s Office. The C1 Form must be filed prior to announcing your candidacy, accepting donations or spending money on your campaign. Visit the Campaign Finance section of this website to file a C1. If you have questions regarding this filing, please contact the Secretary of State’s Office at either [email protected] or at (208) 334-2852.

Filing for Ballot Access:

Individuals may run as either Partisan candidates (i.e. affiliated with one of the recognized political parties in Idaho) or as Independent candidates (i.e. no affiliation with any of the recognized political parties in Idaho).

The recognized political parties in Idaho are the Constitution Party, Idaho Democratic Party, Libertarian Party of Idaho, and the Idaho Republican Party. No other political parties have met the requirements for recognition in Idaho.

Partisan Candidate Filing:

Partisan Candidates must file a Declaration of Candidacy and either pay the $30 filing fee or collect the signatures of at least 50 registered electors of the Legislative District.

The State Senator Filing Packet has the necessary forms and a short information sheet. Candidate filing is open from March 2, 2020 to March 13, 2020. Declarations and Petitions will not be accepted until March 2, 2020. Any received prior will be returned to the candidate.

When collecting signatures to be filed with the Declaration of Candidacy, each signature sheet must contain the signatures of qualified electors from only one county and must be verified by the County Clerk prior to being filed with the Secretary of State.

Independent Candidate Filing:

Independent Candidates must file a Declaration of Candidacy and collect the signatures of at least 50 registered electors of the state.

The State Senator Independent Filing Packet has the necessary forms and a short information sheet. Candidate filing is open from March 2, 2020 to March 13, 2020. Declarations and Petitions will not be accepted until March 2, 2020. Any received prior will be returned to the candidate.

When collecting signatures to be filed with the Declaration of Candidacy, each signature sheet must contain the signatures of qualified electors from only one county and must be verified by the County Clerk prior to being filed with the Secretary of State.

Filing Forms:

State Senator - Partisan
State Senator - Independent

Idaho State Representative

All seats in the House of Representatives (70)

Representatives must be:

  • at least 21 years old at the time of the General Election
  • a citizen of the United States
  • an elector of the state and has been an elector of the county or district whence he may be chosen for at least 1 year
Each Representative serves a 2 year term in office. (Article III, Section 6, Idaho State Constitution; 34-614, Idaho Code; 34-614A, Idaho Code)
Individuals who wish to run for State Representative must file a C1: Appointment and Certification of Political Treasurer with the Secretary of State’s Office. The C1 Form must be filed prior to announcing your candidacy, accepting donations or spending money on your campaign. Visit the Campaign Finance section of this website to file a C1. If you have questions regarding this filing, please contact the Secretary of State’s Office at either [email protected] or at (208) 334-2852.

Filing for Ballot Access:

Individuals may run as either Partisan candidates (i.e. affiliated with one of the recognized political parties in Idaho) or as Independent candidates (i.e. no affiliation with any of the recognized political parties in Idaho).

The recognized political parties in Idaho are the Constitution Party, Idaho Democratic Party, Libertarian Party of Idaho, and the Idaho Republican Party. No other political parties have met the requirements for recognition in Idaho.

Partisan Candidate Filing:

Partisan Candidates must file a Declaration of Candidacy and either pay the $30 filing fee or collect the signatures of at least 50 registered electors of the Legislative District.

The State Representative Filing Packet has the necessary forms and a short information sheet. Candidate filing is open from March 2, 2020 to March 13, 2020. Declarations and Petitions will not be accepted until March 2, 2020. Any received prior will be returned to the candidate.

When collecting signatures to be filed with the Declaration of Candidacy, each signature sheet must contain the signatures of qualified electors from only one county and must be verified by the County Clerk prior to being filed with the Secretary of State.

Independent Candidate Filing:

Independent Candidates must file a Declaration of Candidacy and collect the signatures of at least 50 registered electors of the state.

The State Representative Independent Filing Packet has the necessary forms and a short information sheet. Candidate filing is open from March 2, 2020 to March 13, 2020. Declarations and Petitions will not be accepted until March 2, 2020. Any received prior will be returned to the candidate.

When collecting signatures to be filed with the Declaration of Candidacy, each signature sheet must contain the signatures of qualified electors from only one county and must be verified by the County Clerk prior to being filed with the Secretary of State.

Filing Forms:

State Representative - Partisan
State Representative - Independent

County Offices

Filing Period: March 2, 2020 to March 13, 2020
(Magistrate Judge filing deadline is August 5)

County Commissioner – District 1 (4 year term)

County Commissioner – District 2 (2 year term)

  • at least 21 years old at the time of the General Election
  • a citizen of the United States
  • has resided within the county for at least 1 year preceding the General Election
  • has resided within the district for at least 90 days preceding the Primary Election

County Sheriff

  • at least 21 years old at the time of the General Election
  • a citizen of the United States
  • has resided within the county for at least 1 year preceding the General Election

County Prosecuting Attorney

  • at least 21 years old at the time of the General Election
  • a citizen of the United States
  • is admitted to practice law in the state of Idaho
  • a qualified elector within the county

Precinct Committee persons

  • at least 18 years old at the time of the Primary Election
  • a citizen of the United States
  • a registered elector of the precinct
  • has resided in the precinct for at least six months preceding the Primary Election

Magistrate Judges

  • at least 30 years old at the time of the General Election
  • a citizen of the United States
  • must reside within the county
  • admitted to practice law for at least 5 years
  • currently licensed to practice law in the state of Idaho

Other offices and issues (if any) will vary by county

All candidates for County Office should contact the County Clerk’s Office for information on reporting requirements prior to announcing candidacy, accepting donations or spending money.

Should you have additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact the County Clerk’s Office.

Filing for Ballot Access:

Individuals may run as either Partisan candidates (i.e. affiliated with one of the recognized political parties in Idaho) or as Independent candidates (i.e. no affiliation with any of the recognized political parties in Idaho). The recognized political parties in Idaho are the Constitution Party, Idaho Democratic Party, Libertarian Party of Idaho, and the Idaho Republican Party. No other political parties have met the requirements for recognition in Idaho.

Partisan Candidate Filing:

Partisan Candidates must file a Declaration of Candidacy and either pay the $40 filing fee or collect the signatures of at least 5 registered electors within the county. The County Office Filing Packet has the necessary forms and a short information sheet. Candidate filing is open from March 2, 2020 to March 13, 2020. Declarations and Petitions will not be accepted until March 2, 2020. Any received prior will be returned to the candidate. When collecting signatures to be filed with the Declaration of Candidacy, each signature sheet must contain the signatures of qualified electors from only one county and must be verified by the County Clerk prior to being filed with the Secretary of State.

Independent Candidate Filing:

Independent Candidates must file a Declaration of Candidacy and collect the signatures of at least 5 registered electors within the county. The County Office Independent Filing Packet has the necessary forms and a short information sheet. Candidate filing is open from March 2, 2020 to March 13, 2020. Declarations and Petitions will not be accepted until March 2, 2020. Any received prior will be returned to the candidate. When collecting signatures to be filed with the Declaration of Candidacy, each signature sheet must contain the signatures of qualified electors from only one county and must be verified by the County Clerk prior to being filed with the Secretary of State.

Magistrate Judge Candidate Filing:

Magistrate Judge Candidates must file a Declaration of Candidacy. The Magistrate Judge Filing Packet has the necessary forms and a short information sheet. Candidate filing is open from March 2, 2020 to August 5, 2020. Declarations and Petitions will not be accepted until March 2, 2020. Any received prior will be returned to the candidate.

Filing Forms:

County Offices - Partisan
County Offices - Independent
County Offices - Write-In
Precinct Committee Person
Magistrate Judge

Any Constitutional Amendments passed by the Legislature

Any Initiative Propositions that qualify for ballot status

System Upgrade In Progress

Campaign Finance, Lobbyist Reporting, and Online Voter Tools are expected to be offline from April 9th at 5:00 p.m. MDT, through April 12th at 8:00 a.m. MDT to complete a system upgrade.

Per Idaho Code 67-6607, campaign finance is reported monthly during a campaign’s election year. The deadline for the March report falls on Saturday, April 10th. Due to the interruption caused by this upgrade, political treasurers will be allowed to file the March report until 11:59 p.m. MDT on Monday, April 12th.

While we do our best to ensure compliance with all deadlines in statute, the timing of this release is critical to ensure minimal (or no) impact to the May election cycle. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.