How to run in Oklahoma, 2028
What it takes to get on Oklahoma'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 Oklahoma ballot
| Where to file | Secretary of the Oklahoma State Election Board, State Capitol Building, Oklahoma City. |
|---|
| When | From 8:00 a.m. on the first Wednesday of April of the even-numbered year to 5:00 p.m. the following Friday (26 O.S. 5-110): April 5-7, 2028, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. each day. The primary is the third Tuesday in June (26 O.S. 1-102), June 20, 2028. (expected: follows state law; the 2028 calendar isn't published yet) |
|---|
| How | Submit the Declaration of Candidacy for the year, with its candidate oath notarized, plus the filing fee or a supporting petition (and the Criminal History Disclosure Supplemental Form if any criminal-history question is answered yes). Filing may be in person, by mail, or through an agent, but all original documents must be received during the filing-period hours. Partisan candidates mark a party; independent candidates mark 'Independent (no party)' on the same declaration and file in the same period. |
|---|
| Fee | $1,000 for U.S. Representative, by cashier's check or certified check payable to the Secretary of the State Election Board; nonrefundable; no cash or personal/campaign checks (26 O.S. 5-112). |
|---|
| Petition instead | In lieu of the fee: a petition on the State Election Board form signed by at least 2% of the registered voters in the congressional district (count based on registration as of November 1 of the preceding year, Okla. Admin. Code 230:20-9-4), with a separate page for each county, submitted with the declaration during the filing period (26 O.S. 5-112). The same fee-or-petition rule applies to independent candidates, who file during the same April period. |
|---|
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 Oklahoma ballot
| Where to file | Secretary of the Oklahoma State Election Board, State Capitol Building, Oklahoma City. |
|---|
| When | 8:00 a.m. Wednesday April 5 through 5:00 p.m. Friday April 7, 2028 (first Wednesday of April through the next Friday, 26 O.S. 5-110), for the June 20, 2028 primary (26 O.S. 1-102). (expected: follows state law; the 2028 calendar isn't published yet) |
|---|
| How | Notarized Declaration of Candidacy with the fee or a supporting petition, filed in person, by mail, or by agent within the filing period; independents use the same declaration marked 'Independent (no party)'. |
|---|
| Fee | $2,000 for U.S. Senator, cashier's or certified check, nonrefundable (26 O.S. 5-112). |
|---|
| Petition instead | In lieu of the fee: petition signed by at least 2% of the state's registered voters as of November 1, 2027, on the State Election Board form, separate page per county (26 O.S. 5-112). Same rule for independent candidates. |
|---|
Official filing information · U.S. Constitution · Oklahoma'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 Oklahoma's presidential primary ballot
| How | The candidate files an Oklahoma Statement of Candidacy with the Secretary of the State Election Board (26 O.S. 20-102). The candidate must be a member of a political party recognized in Oklahoma. The candidate must also have filed a statement of candidacy with the FEC and have raised and spent at least $5,000 for the office, and must swear to these qualifications. The original signature must be notarized. The filing may be made in person by the candidate or an agent, or by mail or delivery service if it arrives during the filing period; fax and email are not accepted. The Presidential Preferential Primary is the first Tuesday in March (26 O.S. 20-101): March 7, 2028. The Board may move it to match a regional primary set by a neighboring state, but not to a date before then. |
|---|
| Where | Secretary of the Oklahoma State Election Board, State Capitol, Room G28, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73105 (mail: P.O. Box 53156, Oklahoma City, OK 73152). |
|---|
| When | 8:00 a.m. on the first Monday in December through 5:00 p.m. the following Wednesday (26 O.S. 20-102): December 6-8, 2027, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Early, late, or incomplete filings are not accepted. (expected: follows state law) |
|---|
| Fee | $5,000 by cashier's check or certified check payable to the Secretary of the State Election Board, in lieu of a petition. Campaign checks, personal checks and cash are not accepted. |
|---|
| Petition | In lieu of the fee: signatures of 1% of the registered voters, or 1,000 registered voters, whichever is less, in each of Oklahoma's five congressional districts. Signers must be voters eligible to vote for the candidate in that party's primary, counted from the latest January 15 registration report. Each page may cover only one county and one congressional district and must be verified (26 O.S. 20-102). |
|---|
Sources: DeliverDocument (oscn.net) · DeliverDocument (oscn.net) (2) · 2024 ppp filing packet
Running as an independent in November
| How | File a notarized Statement of Candidacy with the Secretary of the State Election Board. It must include a certification of the names and residence addresses of the candidate's presidential electors, one per Oklahoma electoral vote (seven). It must also include either a petition or a filing fee (26 O.S. 10-101.1). Each elector must be an Oklahoma resident registered to vote there and must subscribe to the elector oath; in 2024 the oath was due August 6. The Board rules on petition sufficiency within 30 days of receipt. |
|---|
| Where | Secretary of the Oklahoma State Election Board, State Capitol, Room G28, Oklahoma City (mail: P.O. Box 53156, Oklahoma City, OK 73152). Mail, private delivery, or in-person delivery by the candidate or an agent is accepted. |
|---|
| When | No later than July 15 of the presidential election year (26 O.S. 10-101.1(A)(1)). July 15, 2028 is a Saturday; confirm the Board's 2028 packet for how it handles this (in 2024 it fell on a Monday). The running mate's name is due by the parties' deadline under 26 O.S. 10-101(D), 75 days before the general election: August 24, 2028. (expected: follows state law) |
|---|
| Fee | In lieu of a petition: $5,000 per presidential elector (the 26 O.S. 20-102 fee), which is $35,000 for Oklahoma's seven electors. Payment is by cashier's check or certified check. |
|---|
| Petition | The same number of signatures needed to form a recognized political party (26 O.S. 10-101.1(A)(4)(c)): at least 3% of the total votes cast in the last general election for governor (26 O.S. 1-108). Each page may hold voters from only one county. For 2024 this was 34,599 (3% of 1,153,284 votes in 2022). For 2028 the base will be the November 2026 governor's race; the Board has not yet published that count. |
|---|
| Also | The elector slate must be named at filing. The vice-presidential running mate may be certified later, by August 24, 2028. An unrecognized party may use the same process, with its national chair submitting the filing (26 O.S. 10-101.1(B)). |
|---|
Sources: DeliverDocument (oscn.net) · DeliverDocument (oscn.net) (2) · DeliverDocument (oscn.net) (3) · Independent candidate filing packet
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 Oklahoma's election office and the FEC before you file. ← All states
See something wrong on this page? Report a problem · Corrections