How to run in North Carolina, 2028
What it takes to get on North Carolina'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 North Carolina ballot
| Where to file | North Carolina State Board of Elections, Raleigh (U.S. House candidates file with the State Board, not the county board; G.S. 163-106.2(a)). Mailing address for notarized notices: P.O. Box 27255, Raleigh, NC 27611-7255. |
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| When | From 12:00 noon on the first Monday in December to 12:00 noon on the third Friday in December preceding the primary (G.S. 163-106.2(a)); the primary is the Tuesday after the first Monday in March (G.S. 163-1(b)), March 7, 2028. That gives a filing period of 12:00 noon December 6, 2027 to 12:00 noon December 17, 2027. (expected: follows state law; the 2028 calendar isn't published yet) |
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| How | File a Notice of Candidacy form and pay the filing fee at the time of filing. The candidate files in person (not by surrogates or staff), or has the signature on the notice notarized and sends it by mail or courier. A person registered as unaffiliated cannot file in a party primary, and a candidate must have been affiliated with the party for at least 90 days before filing (NCSBE Filing for Candidacy page). |
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| Fee | 1% of the annual salary of the office (G.S. 163-107). At the current $174,000 congressional salary that is $1,740; refundable on timely withdrawal. |
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| Petition instead | Petition in lieu of the fee: signed by 5% of the registered voters of the district affiliated with the candidate's party, or by at least 200 registered voters regardless of affiliation, whichever is greater; presented to the county boards for verification at least 15 days before it is due and filed with the State Board by 12:00 noon on the Monday before the filing deadline (G.S. 163-107.1(c)) -- December 13, 2027. Unaffiliated candidates for the general election: petitions signed by qualified voters of the district equal to 1.5% of registered voters in the district as of January 1 of the election year, filed with the State Board by 12:00 noon on primary day (March 7, 2028) (G.S. 163-122(a)(2)). |
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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 North Carolina ballot
| Where to file | North Carolina State Board of Elections, Raleigh (G.S. 163-106.2(a)). |
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| When | 12:00 noon December 6, 2027 to 12:00 noon December 17, 2027 (first Monday to third Friday in December preceding the March 7, 2028 primary; G.S. 163-106.2(a), 163-1(b)). (expected: follows state law; the 2028 calendar isn't published yet) |
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| How | Notice of Candidacy filed in person, or notarized and sent by mail or courier, with the filing fee. Party-primary candidates must not be registered unaffiliated and must have been affiliated with the party for at least 90 days before filing. |
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| Fee | 1% of the annual salary of the office (G.S. 163-107): $1,740 at the current $174,000 salary. |
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| Petition instead | Petition in lieu of the fee: 10,000 registered voters who are members of the candidate's party, verified by county boards and filed with the State Board by 12:00 noon on the Monday before the filing deadline (G.S. 163-107.1(b)) -- December 13, 2027. (For a party qualified by petition under G.S. 163-96(a)(2), the requirement is 5% of the party's registered voters statewide or 8,000 voters of any affiliation, whichever is greater.) Unaffiliated candidates: petitions signed by qualified voters equal to 1.5% of the total vote for Governor in the most recent gubernatorial election, including at least 200 registered voters from each of three congressional districts, filed with the State Board by 12:00 noon on primary day (G.S. 163-122(a)(1)). |
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Official filing information · U.S. Constitution · North Carolina'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 North Carolina's presidential primary ballot
| How | Candidates do not file a notice of candidacy. The chair of each recognized political party submits to the State Board of Elections a list of its presidential candidates who are generally advocated and recognized in the national or North Carolina news media (a listed candidate can opt out by affidavit filed with the party chair). The State Board meets in Raleigh on the first Tuesday in January and nominates every submitted candidate; by vote of at least three members it may also add any other party-affiliated person it finds is generally advocated and recognized in the news media as a candidate for that party's nomination (G.S. 163-213.4). A candidate not placed this way can qualify by petition (G.S. 163-213.5). The presidential preference primary is held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in March (G.S. 163-213.2): March 7, 2028. |
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| Where | North Carolina State Board of Elections, P.O. Box 27255, Raleigh, NC 27611-7255. Petition signature pages go first to the county boards of elections where signatures were collected for verification. |
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| When | Party chairs' lists are due no later than 90 days before the primary: December 8, 2027. The State Board's nominating meeting is the first Tuesday in January: January 4, 2028. Petitions are due at the county boards 10 days before the filing deadline and at the State Board by 5:00 p.m. on the Monday before that meeting: January 3, 2028 (so at the counties by about December 24, 2027). (expected: follows state law) |
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| Fee | None in the presidential primary statutes (G.S. 163-213.1 et seq.). |
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| Petition | Optional route: petitions signed by 10,000 North Carolina registered voters affiliated with the same political party as the candidate, with a letter of approval signed by the candidate and the name and address of the chair of the circulating group (G.S. 163-213.5; NCSBE 'Political Party Endorsement for President' page). |
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Sources: N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-213.4 · N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-213.5 · N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-213.2 · Political party endorsement president (ncsbe.gov)
Running as an independent in November
| How | An unaffiliated presidential candidate qualifies by petition under G.S. 163-122(a)(1), the statewide-office rule. The candidate first submits a petition request form to the State Board (petition.sboe@ncsbe.gov), then circulates the State Board's petition sheets (original ink signatures only, separated by county). County boards verify signatures. A person whose name appeared on a primary ballot for the same office that year is not eligible (G.S. 163-122(b)). |
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| Where | North Carolina State Board of Elections, Raleigh; signature pages are verified by the county boards of elections. |
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| When | Petitions due by 12:00 noon on the day of the primary: March 7, 2028. The running mate's name (to the State Board) and the elector slate (to the Secretary of State) are due by 12:00 noon on the first Friday in August: August 4, 2028 (G.S. 163-209). (expected: follows state law) |
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| Fee | G.S. 163-122(e) requires the filing fee provided in G.S. 163-107 for the office; the G.S. 163-107 fee schedule lists no fee for President. |
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| Petition | 1.5% of the total number of voters who voted in the most recent general election for Governor, plus at least 200 registered voters from each of three congressional districts. NCSBE's current fact sheet gives this as 83,874 signatures (based on the 2024 governor's race); that is the most recent governor's race before the March 2028 deadline. |
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| Also | The vice-presidential candidate and the elector slate are not required with the petition. They are filed after qualifying, by the first Friday in August. Elector names are not printed on the ballot. Forms: NCSBE Petition Request form. |
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Sources: N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-122 · N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-209 · Unaffiliated candidate petitions (ncsbe.gov) · 2026 Fact Sheet Unaffiliated Candidate · NC Petition Request Fillable
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 North Carolina's election office and the FEC before you file. ← All states
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