How to run in Georgia, 2028
What it takes to get on Georgia's 2028 ballot for the U.S. House, U.S. Senate or President, from the state's election office and laws.
U.S. House
- 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)
| Where to file | Partisan candidates qualify at the Georgia State Capitol, Atlanta, during the qualifying period. Independent and political body candidates file original nomination petitions with the Elections Division, Office of the Secretary of State, 2 MLK Jr. Dr. SE, West Tower, Suite 802, Atlanta, GA 30334. |
|---|---|
| How | Partisan candidates file the Declaration of Candidacy and Affidavit (Federal) and pay the qualifying fee during the qualifying period; each candidate files an affidavit stating eligibility for the office (O.C.G.A. 21-2-132(e), 21-2-153(e)). A pauper's affidavit and petition may be filed in place of the fee. Independent and political body candidates file a notice of candidacy (O.C.G.A. 21-2-132) and a nomination petition (O.C.G.A. 21-2-170): signatures in wet ink by registered voters eligible to vote for the office; each circulator's signature must be notarized; once filed, a petition cannot be amended or supplemented. Write-in candidates file a notice of intent and an affidavit of publication (O.C.G.A. 21-2-133). |
| Fee | 3% of the office's annual salary (O.C.G.A. 21-2-131(a)(2)); the SOS listed $5,220.00 for U.S. Representative in 2026. |
| Petition instead | No petition route for partisan candidates other than the pauper's affidavit and petition in lieu of the fee. Independent / political body route: a nomination petition signed by registered voters totaling 5% of the registered voters eligible to vote in the last election for the office (district candidates); in 2026 signatures could be collected from January 15 and petitions were due by noon July 14, 2026. |
U.S. Senate
- At least 30 years old
- A U.S. citizen for at least 9 years
- Living in the state when elected
| Where to file | Partisan candidates qualify at the Georgia State Capitol, Atlanta, during the qualifying period. Independent and political body candidates file original nomination petitions with the Elections Division, Office of the Secretary of State, 2 MLK Jr. Dr. SE, West Tower, Suite 802, Atlanta, GA 30334. |
|---|---|
| How | Partisan candidates file the Declaration of Candidacy and Affidavit (Federal) and pay the qualifying fee during the qualifying period; each candidate files an affidavit stating eligibility for the office (O.C.G.A. 21-2-132(e), 21-2-153(e)). A pauper's affidavit and petition may be filed in place of the fee. Independent and political body candidates file a notice of candidacy (O.C.G.A. 21-2-132) and a nomination petition (O.C.G.A. 21-2-170): signatures in wet ink by registered voters eligible to vote for the office; each circulator's signature must be notarized; once filed, a petition cannot be amended or supplemented. Write-in candidates file a notice of intent and an affidavit of publication (O.C.G.A. 21-2-133). |
| Fee | 3% of the office's annual salary (O.C.G.A. 21-2-131(a)(2)); the SOS listed $5,220.00 for U.S. Senator in 2026. |
| Petition instead | No petition route for partisan candidates other than the pauper's affidavit and petition in lieu of the fee. Independent / political body route: a nomination petition signed by registered voters totaling 1% of the registered voters eligible to vote in the last election for the office (statewide candidates); in 2026 signatures could be collected from January 15 and petitions were due by noon July 14, 2026. |
President
Getting on Georgia's presidential primary ballot
| How | Candidates don't file or petition. Each political party's state executive committee gives the Secretary of State its list of presidential candidates, and the Secretary posts the lists online in the fourth week before the primary. A party holds a presidential preference primary only if its ticket got more than 20% of Georgia's vote in the last presidential election (O.C.G.A. 21-2-191 and 21-2-193, as rewritten by HB 454 of 2011). |
|---|---|
| Where | Your party's state executive committee, which submits its list to the Georgia Secretary of State. |
| When | The Secretary of State sets the 2028 primary date by December 1, 2027, no later than June 13, 2028. Party lists are due on a date the Secretary sets, no later than 60 days before the primary. (expected: follows state law) |
Running as an independent in November
| How | An independent candidate for President/Vice President files with the Secretary of State a slate of presidential elector candidates that the candidate certifies as their electors (up to Georgia's number of electors, 16) (O.C.G.A. 21-2-132.1, added by HB 316 of 2019). The electors then qualify under O.C.G.A. 21-2-132: each elector (or agent) files a notice of candidacy (name, residence, office) with the Secretary of State, and, per the Georgia Supreme Court in Al-Bari v. Pigg, 319 Ga. 825 (2024), each certified elector must also file a nomination petition in their own name in the form prescribed by O.C.G.A. 21-2-170. At least one certified elector must file a valid petition for the presidential candidate to appear on the ballot; in 2024, candidates whose electors filed no petitions were removed. A 2016 federal injunction (Green Party of Ga. v. Kemp) bars enforcing the 1% statewide signature requirement against presidential candidates and set 7,500 signatures as an interim number; the Supreme Court held that injunction does not cover the later elector-petition requirement and expressed no view on the elector petition's signature count. Petition signatures are wet-ink signatures of registered voters eligible to vote for the office; the circulator's signature is notarized; a filed petition cannot be amended or supplemented (SOS FAQ). |
|---|---|
| Where | Georgia Secretary of State, Elections Division, 2 MLK Jr. Dr. SE, West Tower, Suite 802, Atlanta, GA 30334 (original petitions in person there only). |
| When | Elector slate certified by the Friday before qualifying opens (Friday, June 23, 2028). Elector notices of candidacy: 9:00 a.m. Monday, June 26, 2028 (fourth Monday in June) through 12:00 noon Friday, June 30, 2028. Nomination petitions: from 9:00 a.m. June 26, 2028 until 12:00 noon Tuesday, July 11, 2028 (second Tuesday in July) (O.C.G.A. 21-2-132(d)(1), (e), as quoted in Al-Bari v. Pigg). (expected: follows state law) |
| Fee | Not confirmed in the official pages read. |
| Petition | Statute: 1% of registered voters eligible to vote in the last election for the office (O.C.G.A. 21-2-170, as summarized in the SOS FAQ for statewide candidates). For presidential candidates' own petitions a federal injunction set 7,500 signatures; the number required on each elector's own petition was left open by the Georgia Supreme Court. Confirm the 2028 requirement with the Secretary of State. |
| Also | The elector slate (up to 16) must be certified before qualifying opens, and electors must file their own notices and petitions. The petition is for the President/Vice-President ticket via its electors; the pages read do not state separately when the Vice-President candidate must be named. Other sources: ; |
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.
See something wrong on this page? Report a problem · Corrections