How to run in Pennsylvania, 2028
What it takes to get on Pennsylvania'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 Pennsylvania ballot
| Where to file | Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Elections, Harrisburg (nomination petitions and papers for U.S. Senator and Representative in Congress are filed with the Secretary of the Commonwealth; Election Code sections 'Time of Filing Nomination Petitions; Filing Fees' and 'Time of Filing Nomination Papers'). |
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| When | Nomination petitions may not be circulated before the 13th Tuesday before the primary, and signatures must be dated no later than the 10th Tuesday before it (Election Code § 908). In a presidential year the primary is the fourth Tuesday of April (Election Code § 603), April 25, 2028, so circulation and filing run January 25 to February 15, 2028, with filing due by 5:00 p.m. on the last day (as in the DOS 2024/2026 instructions). (expected: follows state law; the 2028 calendar isn't published yet) |
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| How | Circulate the DOS nomination petition form (separate pages for each county; signers must be registered and enrolled members of the candidate's party in the district; circulators must be party members). File the bound petition pages with one Candidate's Affidavit and the filing fee. Federal candidates do not file the State Ethics Commission Statement of Financial Interests. |
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| Fee | $150 for Representative in Congress, by certified check or money order payable to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; not refundable. |
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| Petition instead | Party primary: at least 1,000 valid signatures of registered and enrolled party members in the district (Election Code § 912.1). Candidates of political bodies (minor parties and independents) file nomination papers instead: signatures equal to 2% of the largest vote cast for any officer (except a judge) at the last election in the district, and not fewer than the party-petition requirement (2026 figure for District 1, for example: 5,228; DOS publishes each district's number); same $150 fee; Candidate's Affidavit (an unsworn statement may replace notarization under Act 2020-15). DOS set the nomination-paper period as the day after the petition deadline through August 1 in 2024 (March 11-August 3 in 2026). |
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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 Pennsylvania ballot
| Where to file | Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Elections, Harrisburg (Election Code sections 'Time of Filing Nomination Petitions; Filing Fees' and 'Time of Filing Nomination Papers'). |
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| When | January 25 to February 15, 2028 (13th through 10th Tuesday before the April 25, 2028 primary; Election Code §§ 603, 908), 5:00 p.m. on the last day. (expected: follows state law; the 2028 calendar isn't published yet) |
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| How | Nomination petition signed by registered and enrolled party members (separate pages per county), filed with a Candidate's Affidavit and the fee. No State Ethics Statement of Financial Interests for federal office. |
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| Fee | $200 for U.S. Senator (DOS 2024 petition instructions), certified check or money order; not refundable. |
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| Petition instead | Party primary: at least 2,000 valid signatures of registered and enrolled party members statewide (Election Code § 912.1(2)). Political-body (minor party/independent) candidates: nomination papers with 5,000 signatures for U.S. Senator -- DOS is not enforcing the statutory 2% statewide formula under a federal court order (Constitution Party of Pa. v. Cortés, E.D. Pa. 2018); $200 fee; filing period after the petition deadline through August 1 (2024 practice). |
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Official filing information · U.S. Constitution · Pennsylvania'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 Pennsylvania's presidential primary ballot
| How | The candidate files a nomination petition with the Secretary of the Commonwealth (Election Code sec. 913(a), 25 P.S. 2873). Signers must be registered and enrolled members of the candidate's party. The filing includes the filing fee and a notarized Candidate's Affidavit; an unsworn statement under Act 2020-15 may be used instead of notarization. Petition pages must be printed double-sided, and different sheets must be used for signers from different counties. Presidential candidates do not need to file a Statement of Financial Interests. The vote for President is cast at the General primary, held in presidential years on the fourth Tuesday of April (sec. 603(a)): April 25, 2028. |
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| Where | Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Elections. In-person filing: Keystone Building, 400 North St., Harrisburg, PA 17120. Delivery by mail or courier is accepted if it arrives by the deadline. |
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| When | Petitions may be circulated starting the 13th Tuesday before the primary, and signatures must be dated no later than the 10th Tuesday before it (sec. 908). Petitions must be filed on or before the 10th Tuesday before the primary (sec. 913(d)), by 5:00 p.m. at the Department. For 2028 that is January 25 - February 15, 2028. (In 2024 the period was January 23 - February 13.) (expected: follows state law) |
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| Fee | $200 (sec. 913(b.1)(1)), by certified check, cashier's check or money order payable to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. No cash, personal or campaign checks at the Department. Non-refundable. |
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| Petition | At least 2,000 valid signatures of registered and enrolled members of the candidate's party (sec. 912.1(1)). There is no county distribution requirement for President. |
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Sources: View statute (palegis.us) · 2024 Nomination Petition Filing Guide APPROVED · 2024 Pennsylvania Election Calendar
Running as an independent in November
| How | File political body nomination papers on the Secretary of the Commonwealth's prescribed form (sec. 951, 25 P.S. 2911). The papers must name the political body, in no more than three words. They must list a committee of 3 to 5 people to fill vacancies. They must include the names, residences and occupations of 19 presidential electors. Each sheet needs a signed Statement of Circulator, and each candidate must file a Candidate's Affidavit. A person who was a registered and enrolled party member at any time from 30 days before the primary through the general election cannot be a political body candidate that year (sec. 951.1). |
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| Where | Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Elections, Harrisburg (sec. 953(a)). |
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| When | Statute: circulation from the 10th Wednesday before the primary, with filing by the second Friday after the primary (sec. 953(b)-(c)). In practice the Department has used a longer period: for 2024, circulation ran February 14 to August 1, 2024, the filing deadline. On that pattern, expect about February 16 - August 1, 2028. Confirm against the Department's 2028 calendar. (expected: follows state law) |
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| Fee | $200, the same as for a presidential nomination petition, by certified check or money order payable to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. |
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| Petition | 5,000 signatures of registered Pennsylvania electors, under the Department's policy after Constitution Party of Pa. v. Cortes (E.D. Pa. 2018). Statute (sec. 951(b)) would instead require 2% of the largest vote for any statewide winner at the last statewide election; the Department does not enforce that rule for statewide offices. Under the Green Party of Pa. v. Aichele order, the Department also does not enforce the rule against signing more than one set of papers per office (sec. 951(c)). The Department warns a court could still apply the statutory rules if an objection is filed. |
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| Also | The 19-elector slate must appear on the nomination papers. The vice-presidential candidate is nominated on the same papers as the presidential candidate. |
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Sources: PB 2024 Nomination Paper Instructions · View statute (palegis.us) · 2024 Pennsylvania Election Calendar
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 Pennsylvania's election office and the FEC before you file. ← All states
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