How to run in Arizona, 2028
What it takes to get on Arizona's 2028 ballot for the U.S. House, U.S. Senate or President, from the state's election office and laws.
U.S. House
Who can run
- At least 25 years old
- A U.S. citizen for at least 7 years
- Living in the state when elected (the Constitution doesn't require living in the district)
Getting on the Arizona ballot
| Where to file | Arizona Secretary of State, Elections Division (A.R.S. 16-311(E)); statement of interest and nomination paper through the SOS online Candidate Portal. |
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| When | Not less than 120 nor more than 150 days before the primary (A.R.S. 16-311(A), 16-341(C)); filing closes 5:00 p.m. on the last day. The primary is the second-to-last Tuesday in July (A.R.S. 16-201), July 18, 2028, so the expected window is February 19, 2028 through March 20, 2028. (The SOS listed February 21 - March 23, 2026 for the July 21, 2026 primary, consistent with this rule.) (expected: follows state law; the 2028 calendar isn't published yet) |
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| How | Before collecting any signature, file a statement of interest online through the Candidate Portal (signatures collected earlier are invalid). File the nomination paper online through the Candidate Portal, with the declaration of qualification form prescribed by the SOS; nomination petitions must be filed in person. A party candidate must be registered with that party from the date of the first petition signature through the general election (A.R.S. 16-311(A)). An optional statement on recall may be filed. |
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| Fee | None listed; ballot access is by nomination petition. |
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| Petition instead | Party candidates (recognized parties): at least 1/2 of 1% and not more than 10% of qualified signers in the congressional district as of January 2, 2028 (A.R.S. 16-322(A)(2)). Qualified signers are members of the candidate's party, members of parties without continued ballot representation, and voters registered independent or no party preferred (A.R.S. 16-321(F)). Candidates without a recognized party designation (A.R.S. 16-341): a nomination petition signed by at least 3% of registered voters in the district who are not members of a party qualified for an official primary ballot, counted as of January 2, 2028; any registered voter in the district may sign if they have not signed a petition for another candidate for the office in that primary; filed in the same 120-150 day window. A person who failed to qualify for that primary for lack of signatures may not use this route. |
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Official filing information · U.S. Constitution
U.S. Senate
Who can run
- At least 30 years old
- A U.S. citizen for at least 9 years
- Living in the state when elected
Getting on the Arizona ballot
| Where to file | Arizona Secretary of State, Elections Division (A.R.S. 16-311(E)); statement of interest and nomination paper through the SOS online Candidate Portal. |
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| When | Not less than 120 nor more than 150 days before the primary (A.R.S. 16-311(A), 16-341(C)); filing closes 5:00 p.m. on the last day. The primary is the second-to-last Tuesday in July (A.R.S. 16-201), July 18, 2028, so the expected window is February 19, 2028 through March 20, 2028. (The SOS listed February 21 - March 23, 2026 for the July 21, 2026 primary, consistent with this rule.) (expected: follows state law; the 2028 calendar isn't published yet) |
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| How | Before collecting any signature, file a statement of interest online through the Candidate Portal (signatures collected earlier are invalid). File the nomination paper online through the Candidate Portal, with the declaration of qualification form prescribed by the SOS; nomination petitions must be filed in person. A party candidate must be registered with that party from the date of the first petition signature through the general election (A.R.S. 16-311(A)). An optional statement on recall may be filed. |
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| Fee | None listed; ballot access is by nomination petition. |
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| Petition instead | Party candidates (recognized parties): at least 1/4 of 1% and not more than 10% of qualified signers statewide as of January 2, 2028 (A.R.S. 16-322(A)(1)). Qualified signers are members of the candidate's party, members of parties without continued ballot representation, and voters registered independent or no party preferred (A.R.S. 16-321(F)). Candidates without a recognized party designation (A.R.S. 16-341): a nomination petition signed by at least 3% of registered voters statewide who are not members of a party qualified for an official primary ballot, counted as of January 2, 2028; any registered voter may sign if they have not signed a petition for another candidate for the office in that primary; filed in the same 120-150 day window. |
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Official filing information · U.S. Constitution · Arizona's 2028 Senate race
President
Who can run: At least 35 years old; A natural-born U.S. citizen; A U.S. resident for at least 14 years (U.S. Constitution).
Getting on Arizona's presidential primary ballot
| How | Presidential Preference Election (PPE), held only for recognized parties that participate. The candidate files with the Secretary of State a signed nomination paper (name, residence and mailing address, recognized party, name and address of the chair of the candidate's state committee, and exact ballot name) plus EITHER nomination petitions with at least 500 valid signatures OR, instead of petitions, a notice of candidacy with official documentation from at least two other states showing the candidate qualified for that party's presidential primary ballot there (A.R.S. 16-242). The SOS certifies qualified names within 72 hours after filing closes. |
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| Where | Arizona Secretary of State, Election Services Division, 1700 W. Washington St., 7th Floor, Phoenix, AZ 85007. |
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| When | Not less than 100 nor more than 130 days before the PPE, by 5:00 p.m. on the last day (next business day if it falls on a weekend/holiday) (A.R.S. 16-242(B)). The PPE is the Tuesday after March 15 (A.R.S. 16-241(A)), which is March 21, 2028, unless the governor proclaims a later date at least 180 days ahead (16-241(B)). That computes to a filing period of Friday, November 12, 2027 through Monday, December 13, 2027 at 5:00 p.m. (the 100th day is Sunday, December 12). For 2024 the SOS guide listed November 10 - December 11, 2023 for a March 19, 2024 PPE. (expected: follows state law) |
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| Fee | None stated in statute or the SOS guide. |
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| Petition | At least 500 valid signatures of qualified electors who can vote for the candidate in that party's PPE (for recognized parties with fewer than 50,000 registered voters, 500 registered voters of any affiliation); petitions must conform to A.R.S. 16-314. Alternative: proof of PPE ballot qualification in two other primary-style states. |
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Sources: azleg.gov
Running as an independent in November
| How | A candidate who is not a registered member of a recognized party is nominated by petition for a slate of presidential electors (A.R.S. 16-341). The filing must include: a letter designating the vice-presidential running mate and the 11 presidential electors with their signed consent; a nomination paper for the presidential candidate; a nomination paper for the vice-presidential candidate; a nomination paper for each of the 11 electors; and one nomination petition for the electors collectively. The electors must be designated in writing to the SOS before any signatures can be accepted for filing. Any registered Arizona voter may sign. The candidate may choose a designation of up to three words (e.g. 'Independent'). Sample forms are in Chapter 4(B) of the SOS guide. |
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| Where | Arizona Secretary of State, Election Services Division, 1700 W. Washington St., 7th Floor, Phoenix, AZ 85007. |
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| When | Elector nomination petitions are filed not less than 80 nor more than 100 days before the general election (A.R.S. 16-341(G)), which computes to Sunday, July 30, 2028 through Saturday, August 19, 2028 at 5:00 p.m. (For 2024 the SOS guide listed July 28 - August 17, 2024 at 5:00 p.m., where the last day was also a Saturday.) (expected: follows state law) |
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| Fee | None stated in statute or the SOS guide. |
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| Petition | 3% of registered voters, based on registration statistics as of January 2 of the election year (January 2, 2028), per the SOS guide. The statute (A.R.S. 16-341(E)-(F)) words the base as 3% of registered voters not members of a party qualified for the primary ballot. The SOS publishes the figure after January 2; confirm the exact count with the SOS. |
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| Also | Running mate and full elector slate (11 electors, equal to Arizona's U.S. senators plus representatives) must be named at filing, with signed consents (A.R.S. 16-341(J)). Statute: |
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Sources: 2024 running for president handbook 20240309 · azleg.gov
Campaign money
- Once you raise or spend more than $5,000, file a Statement of Candidacy (FEC Form 2) within 15 days.
- Your campaign committee then files a Statement of Organization (FEC Form 1) within 10 days and reports to the FEC.
FEC: registering as a candidate · FEC campaign guides
Checked November 4, 2026. Rules can change; confirm with Arizona's election office and the FEC before you file. ← All states
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