How to run in Illinois, 2028
What it takes to get on Illinois'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)
- The State Board of Elections candidate guide lists 'Registered voter' among the qualifications, and the candidate's notarized Statement of Candidacy is a sworn statement that includes the candidate's voter qualification (10 ILCS 5/7-10, 10-5). source
Getting on the Illinois ballot
| Where to file | Illinois State Board of Elections, 2329 S. MacArthur Blvd., Springfield, IL 62704, by mail or in person (papers delivered by other carriers such as UPS or FedEx are not included in the ballot placement lottery). |
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| When | Established party (primary) candidates: not more than 141 nor less than 134 days before the general primary, which is the third Tuesday in March: November 1 - November 8, 2027, for the March 21, 2028 primary. Petition sheets may not be circulated more than 90 days before the last filing day. (expected: follows state law; the 2028 calendar isn't published yet) |
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| How | File nomination papers: a notarized Statement of Candidacy (SBE Form P-1 for established party candidates), notarized petition sheets numbered consecutively (SBE Form P-11), and an optional Loyalty Oath (SBE Form P-1C). A Statement of Economic Interests is not required for federal offices. |
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| Fee | No filing fee is listed; ballot access is by petition. |
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| Petition instead | Established party: signatures of not less than 0.5% of the qualified primary electors of the candidate's party in the congressional district (10 ILCS 5/7-10(b)). |
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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
- The State Board of Elections candidate guide lists 'Registered voter' among the qualifications, and the candidate's notarized Statement of Candidacy is a sworn statement that includes the candidate's voter qualification (10 ILCS 5/7-10, 10-5). source
Getting on the Illinois ballot
| Where to file | Illinois State Board of Elections, 2329 S. MacArthur Blvd., Springfield, IL 62704, by mail or in person. |
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| When | Established party (primary) candidates: not more than 141 nor less than 134 days before the general primary (third Tuesday in March): November 1 - November 8, 2027, for the March 21, 2028 primary. Petition sheets may not be circulated more than 90 days before the last filing day. (expected: follows state law; the 2028 calendar isn't published yet) |
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| How | File nomination papers: a notarized Statement of Candidacy (SBE Form P-1 for established party candidates), notarized petition sheets numbered consecutively (SBE Form P-10), and an optional Loyalty Oath (SBE Form P-1C). A Statement of Economic Interests is not required for federal offices. |
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| Fee | No filing fee is listed; ballot access is by petition. |
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| Petition instead | Established party: not less than 5,000 nor more than 10,000 primary electors of the candidate's party (10 ILCS 5/7-10(a)). |
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Official filing information · U.S. Constitution · Illinois'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 Illinois's presidential primary ballot
| How | Candidate filing: a candidate for President has their name printed on their party's primary ballot by filing a petition signed by party primary electors with the State Board of Elections. If a national party's rules or policies conflict with these filing requirements, the party's state central committee chair notifies the Board in writing and the Board directs petitions to be filed under that party's delegate selection plan. Unless national party rules provide otherwise, the presidential vote is an advisory expression of party voters' preference to the party's national convention delegates (10 ILCS 5/7-11). Delegates and alternate delegates to national conventions file their own petitions (10 ILCS 5/7-10). The general primary is held on the third Tuesday in March: March 21, 2028 (10 ILCS 5/2A-1.1). |
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| Where | Illinois State Board of Elections (principal office, Springfield). |
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| When | Not more than 141 and not less than 134 days before the general primary: November 1 - November 8, 2027, for the March 21, 2028 primary (10 ILCS 5/7-11). (expected: follows state law) |
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| Fee | None stated in the statute. |
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| Petition | Not less than 3,000 nor more than 5,000 signatures of primary electors who are members of and affiliated with the candidate's party (10 ILCS 5/7-11). A qualified primary elector may not sign petitions for more than one party's primary (10 ILCS 5/7-10). |
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Sources: ilga.gov · ilga.gov (2) · ilga.gov (3)
Running as an independent in November
| How | File nomination papers (an independent candidate petition) with the State Board of Elections. Each petition sheet must carry a uniform heading, signers' residence addresses, and a sworn circulator's statement; original sheets must be bound in book form and numbered (10 ILCS 5/10-4). A candidate who was defeated for a party nomination at the primary is ineligible to run as an independent at that general election (10 ILCS 5/10-3). |
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| Where | Principal office of the Illinois State Board of Elections (10 ILCS 5/10-6). |
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| When | Not more than 169 nor less than 162 days before the general election: May 22 - May 29, 2028, for November 7, 2028 (10 ILCS 5/10-6, as amended by P.A. 104-434, eff. 11-21-25). Petition sheets may not be circulated more than 90 days before the last day for filing (10 ILCS 5/10-4). (expected: follows state law) |
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| Fee | None stated in the statute. |
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| Petition | 1% of the number of voters who voted in the preceding statewide general election, or 25,000 qualified voters of the State, whichever is less (10 ILCS 5/10-3). |
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| Also | Electors: each political party or group chooses electors and alternate electors and certifies the list to the State Board of Elections; the ballot shows the presidential and vice-presidential names in a bracket in place of the electors (10 ILCS 5/21-1). The statutes read here do not spell out when an independent candidate must name a running mate or elector slate; confirm with the State Board of Elections' 2028 candidate guide when published. The State Board of Elections website (elections.il.gov) blocked automated access, so its guide was not read; the filing window was computed from statute and the recently amended 162-169 day rule should be confirmed against the Board's 2028 calendar. |
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Sources: ilga.gov · ilga.gov (2) · ilga.gov (3) · ilga.gov (4)
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 Illinois's election office and the FEC before you file. ← All states
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