How to run in Arkansas, 2028
What it takes to get on Arkansas'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 Arkansas ballot
| Where to file | Party candidates: the secretary of the political party's state committee (affidavit of eligibility, party fee and pledge), then the Arkansas Secretary of State, State Capitol, Little Rock (party certificate and political practices pledge). Independent candidates: the Secretary of State. |
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| When | Party filing period: a one-week period beginning at 12:00 noon on the first Monday in November before the primary and ending at 12:00 noon on the eighth day thereafter (Ark. Code 7-7-203(c)(1), Act 405 of 2025): expected November 1, 2027 (noon) through November 9, 2027 (noon), for the preferential primary on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March, March 7, 2028 (general primary/runoff four weeks later, April 4, 2028). Independent candidates file their notice of candidacy, pledge and affidavits during the same party filing period, then file the petition by 12:00 noon on May 1 (the 2026 handbook date; May 1, 2028 is a Monday), with signatures gathered no earlier than 90 days before that deadline (about February 1, 2028). (expected: follows state law; the 2028 calendar isn't published yet) |
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| How | Party candidates: file a signed affidavit of eligibility with the secretary of the party's state committee, pay any party filing fee and file any party pledge there, obtain a party certificate, and then file the party certificate and a political practices pledge with the Secretary of State during regular office hours within the filing period. All forms are completed and signed in duplicate (two copies of each filed with the SOS). Federal candidates use the Candidate Information Form (Federal Candidates). Independent candidates: file a political practices pledge, affidavit of eligibility, signature collection affidavit and notice of candidacy during the party filing period, then a petition in the SOS-prescribed form with a signature collection affidavit by the petition deadline. |
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| Fee | Party filing fee, if any, is set by the party's state executive committee and paid to the party (no state filing fee listed). No fee listed for independent candidates. |
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| Petition instead | No petition alternative for party candidates. Independent route (Ark. Code 7-7-103): a petition signed by at least 3% of qualified electors in the congressional district, based on the total votes cast for governor in that district (the 2026 handbook uses the 2022 governor vote; the 2028 base is not yet published), but no more than 2,000 signatures. |
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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 Arkansas ballot
| Where to file | Party candidates: the secretary of the political party's state committee (affidavit of eligibility, party fee and pledge), then the Arkansas Secretary of State, State Capitol, Little Rock (party certificate and political practices pledge). Independent candidates: the Secretary of State. |
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| When | Party filing period: a one-week period beginning at 12:00 noon on the first Monday in November before the primary and ending at 12:00 noon on the eighth day thereafter (Ark. Code 7-7-203(c)(1), Act 405 of 2025): expected November 1, 2027 (noon) through November 9, 2027 (noon), for the preferential primary on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March, March 7, 2028 (general primary/runoff four weeks later, April 4, 2028). Independent candidates file their notice of candidacy, pledge and affidavits during the same party filing period, then file the petition by 12:00 noon on May 1 (the 2026 handbook date; May 1, 2028 is a Monday), with signatures gathered no earlier than 90 days before that deadline (about February 1, 2028). (expected: follows state law; the 2028 calendar isn't published yet) |
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| How | Party candidates: file a signed affidavit of eligibility with the secretary of the party's state committee, pay any party filing fee and file any party pledge there, obtain a party certificate, and then file the party certificate and a political practices pledge with the Secretary of State during regular office hours within the filing period. All forms are completed and signed in duplicate (two copies of each filed with the SOS). Federal candidates use the Candidate Information Form (Federal Candidates). Independent candidates: file a political practices pledge, affidavit of eligibility, signature collection affidavit and notice of candidacy during the party filing period, then a petition in the SOS-prescribed form with a signature collection affidavit by the petition deadline. |
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| Fee | Party filing fee, if any, is set by the party's state executive committee and paid to the party (no state filing fee listed). No fee listed for independent candidates. |
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| Petition instead | No petition alternative for party candidates. Independent route (Ark. Code 7-7-103): a petition signed by at least 3% of qualified electors statewide, based on the total votes cast for governor (the 2026 handbook uses the 2022 governor vote; the 2028 base is not yet published), but no more than 10,000 signatures. |
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Official filing information · U.S. Constitution · Arkansas'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 Arkansas's presidential primary ballot
| How | Presidential candidates appear on the party's preferential primary ballot by: filing a signed affidavit of eligibility with the secretary of the party's state committee; paying the party filing fee (if any) and filing the party pledge (if any) with the state committee; obtaining a party certificate from the secretary or chair of the state committee; and then filing the party certificate and a political practices pledge with the Secretary of State, all during the party filing period (SBEC Running for Public Office handbook, citing A.C.A. 7-1-101, 7-6-102, 7-7-203, 7-7-301). The SOS certifies to the counties the names of all candidates who filed party certificates. |
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| Where | First the political party's state committee; then the Arkansas Secretary of State (party certificate and political practices pledge). |
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| When | For presidential years, the party filing period begins at 12:00 noon on the first Monday in November before the primary and ends at 12:00 noon on the eighth day after (A.C.A. 7-7-203(c)(1)(B), as amended by Act 405 of 2025): Monday, November 1, 2027 at noon through Tuesday, November 9, 2027 at noon. The preferential primary in presidential years is the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March (A.C.A. 7-7-203(b)(2)): March 7, 2028. (expected: follows state law) |
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| Fee | Party filing fee set by the party's state executive committee, paid to the party (not to the state). |
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| Petition | None required by state law for party candidates; any party-set alternative is a party rule. |
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Sources: 2025-Running for Public Office-8-13-25--small
Running as an independent in November
| How | Persons who want their names on the ballot as independent candidates for President and Vice President file a petition with the Secretary of State containing the names of at least 5,000 qualified Arkansas electors declaring their desire to have the candidates' names printed on the ballot. The SOS verifies sufficiency within 10 days and, if insufficient, notifies the candidates in writing at the address or phone number submitted with the petition (A.C.A. 7-8-302(6)(A), as amended by Act 273 of 2021). A political group that is not a recognized party may instead file a 5,000-signature petition under 7-8-302(5)(B) with a certificate of choice naming its President and Vice-President candidates. |
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| Where | Arkansas Secretary of State, Elections Division, State Capitol, Little Rock. |
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| When | By 12:00 noon on the first Monday of August of the election year (A.C.A. 7-8-302(6)(A)): Monday, August 7, 2028. (expected: follows state law) |
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| Fee | None stated in statute. |
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| Petition | At least 5,000 qualified electors of the state (raised from 1,000 by Act 273 of 2021). |
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| Also | The petition names both the President and Vice-President candidates (the statute treats them as a joint filing). Whether the elector slate must be filed with the petition was not confirmed in the official pages read; A.C.A. 7-8-301/7-8-302 govern electors. The SOS-prescribed petition form for other independent offices does not apply to President/VP (SBEC handbook notice). |
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Sources: FTPDocument (arkleg.state.ar.us)
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 Arkansas's election office and the FEC before you file. ← All states
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