How to run in Michigan, 2028
What it takes to get on Michigan's 2028 ballot for the U.S. House or President, from the state's election office and laws. Michigan has no U.S. Senate seat up in 2028.
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 | Michigan Bureau of Elections (Michigan Department of State, Richard H. Austin Building, 430 W. Allegan St., Lansing) for multi-county districts (currently districts 1-10 and 12); the county clerk for single-county districts (currently districts 11 and 13). |
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| When | Democratic and Republican candidates: petitions due by 4 p.m. on April 25, 2028 (the 15th Tuesday before the August 8, 2028 primary). Candidates without party affiliation: qualifying petitions due by 4 p.m. on July 20, 2028 (the 110th day before the November 7, 2028 general election). (expected: follows state law; the 2028 calendar isn't published yet) |
| How | File an Affidavit of Identity (in duplicate) with nominating petitions. The affidavit includes a statement that all campaign finance statements, late filing fees and fines owed in Michigan have been filed or paid. Withdrawal is allowed until 4 p.m. on the third day after the filing deadline. |
| Fee | None. Michigan does not offer a filing-fee route for this office. |
| Petition instead | Democratic or Republican primary: Partisan Nominating Petition with 1,000 to 2,000 valid signatures of registered voters in the district. Minor-party candidates (Libertarian, U.S. Taxpayers, Green, Natural Law, Working Class) are nominated at a party convention held no later than the August primary instead of by petition. Independent route: candidates without party affiliation file a Countywide Qualifying Petition with 3,000 to 6,000 valid signatures, collected within 180 days before filing, plus an Affidavit of Identity; they appear only on the November ballot as "No Party Affiliation." |
President
Getting on Michigan's presidential primary ballot
| How | Only the Democratic and Republican parties hold the state-run presidential primary. Under MCL 168.613a(2), a party that got 5% or less of the national presidential vote in the last election does not take part. The Secretary of State publishes a list of people the national news media generally advocate as potential candidates for each party. Each party's state chair then files its own list. Anyone on either list goes on that party's ballot without doing anything else (MCL 168.614a, 168.615a). A listed person can file an affidavit to come off the ballot ("(name) is not a presidential candidate") or to switch to the other participating party. A person on neither list gets on by filing a nominating petition. Names rotate by precinct, and each ballot has an 'uncommitted' option. |
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| Where | Michigan Department of State, Bureau of Elections, Richard H. Austin Building, 430 W. Allegan, Lansing. |
| When | 2028 dates computed from statute: the Secretary of State's media list by 4 p.m. Friday, November 12, 2027 (second Friday in November of the year before). Party chairs' lists by 4 p.m. Tuesday, November 16, 2027. Withdrawal or party-change affidavits, and nominating petitions from unlisted candidates, by 4 p.m. Friday, December 10, 2027 (second Friday in December). Petition signatures are not valid if gathered before October 1, 2027. Presidential primary: Tuesday, February 22, 2028 (fourth Tuesday in February; MCL 168.613a). (expected: follows state law) |
| Fee | None. A filing fee is not an option. |
| Petition | Only for a candidate on neither list: valid signatures of registered voters equal to at least 0.5% of the votes the party's presidential candidate got in Michigan in the previous presidential election, capped at 1,000 times the number of congressional districts (MCL 168.615a(2)): 13,000 with Michigan's 13 districts. The Department's 2024 guide listed 14,020 for Democrats, which is 0.5% of the 2020 vote without the cap; the statute's cap is 13,000. |
Running as an independent in November
| How | A candidate without political party affiliation files a qualifying petition on the form the Secretary of State prescribes (MCL 168.590a, 168.590h). The petition may be circulated countywide and must not mention any political party. The qualifying-petition sections also bring in the general petition and filing rules, including the affidavit-of-identity section, MCL 168.558 (via MCL 168.590f). The Board of State Canvassers rules on whether the petition is sufficient at least 60 days before the election. Anyone who files a qualifying petition cannot run as a party candidate for any office that calendar year (MCL 168.590g). |
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| Where | Michigan Department of State, Bureau of Elections, Lansing. Blank forms are also available from county clerks for countywide circulation (MCL 168.590e). |
| When | 2028 dates computed from statute: the qualifying petition is due by 4 p.m. Thursday, July 20, 2028 (110th day before the November 7 election; MCL 168.590c). The written withdrawal deadline is the third day after that (Sunday, July 23, 2028), which moves to the next business day. The running mate and the elector slate are due 66 days before the election (MCL 168.590d), which is Saturday, September 2, 2028. The Department's guide notes that a deadline falling on a weekend or holiday moves to the next business day (MCL 168.13). Confirm the exact 2028 dates with the Bureau of Elections. (expected: follows state law) |
| Fee | None. A filing fee may not be paid instead of the petition (MCL 168.590). |
| Petition | At least 12,000 valid signatures; up to 60,000 may be submitted. The statute (MCL 168.590b, 168.544f) sets a higher number, but the Department applies 12,000 under Graveline v. Benson (E.D. Mich. 2019). The petition must include at least 100 signatures from each of at least half of the state's congressional districts. Signatures dated more than 180 days before filing are invalid. |
| Also | The running mate and electors do not have to be named on the petition itself. They are filed separately, on a Secretary of State form, by the 66-day deadline (MCL 168.590d). The slate must equal Michigan's number of U.S. House members plus senators, and each elector must meet MCL 168.41 (citizen for at least 10 years, and a resident and registered voter of the district or state for at least 1 year; no member of Congress or federal office holder). If the running mate and electors are not filed, the candidate is not certified. |
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.
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