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Select a state below to learn more about ballot access requirements for candidates in that state.
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Note: This article is not intended to serve as a guide to running for public office. Individuals should contact theirstate election agencies for further information.

In order to get on the ballot in Idaho, a candidate for state or federal office must meet a variety of state-specific filing requirements and deadlines.These regulations, known as ballot access laws, determine whether a candidate or party will appear on an election ballot. These laws are set at the state level. A candidate must prepare to meet ballot access requirements well in advance of primaries, caucuses, and the general election.

There are three basic methods by which an individual may become a candidate for office in a state.

1. An individual can seek the nomination of a state-recognized political party.
2. An individual can run as an independent. Independent candidates often must petition in order to have their names printed on the general election ballot.
3. An individual can run as a write-in candidate.

This article outlines the steps that prospective candidates for state-level and congressional office must take in order to run for office in Idaho. For information about filing requirements for presidential candidates,click here. Information about filing requirements for local-level offices is not available in this article (contactstate election agencies for information about local candidate filing processes).

Seestate election laws

Year-specific filing information

2026

See also: Signature requirements and deadlines for 2026 U.S. Congress elections andIdaho elections, 2026

U.S. Senate

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates in Idaho in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Idaho, clickhere.

U.S. House

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Idaho in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Idaho, clickhere.

Governor

The table below details filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates in Idaho in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Idaho, clickhere.

State House

The table below details filing requirements for Idaho House of Representatives candidates in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Idaho, clickhere.

State Senate

The table below details filing requirements for Idaho State Senate candidates in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Idaho, clickhere.

For filing information from previous years, click "[Show more]" below.

Process to become a candidate

See statutes:Title 34 of the Idaho Code

Political party candidates

A partisan candidate for a local office must file a declaration of candidacy and either pay a filing fee or submit a petition containing the required number of signatures with the relevant city, district, or county.^[7] A candidate for a statewide, state legislative, or federal office must file a declaration of candidacy and either pay a filing fee or submit a petition containing the required number of signatures withIdaho Secretary of State.^[7]

For a candidate collecting signatures to be filed with a declaration of candidacy, each signature sheet must contain the signatures of qualified electors from a single county and must be verified by the appropriate county clerk prior to being filed with the Idaho Secretary of State. This applies to candidates for all statewide offices, state legislative offices, and congressional offices. Filing fees and signature requirements vary according to the office sought and are set out in the table below.^[7]

Independent candidates

An independent candidate must file a declaration of candidacy and submit a petition containing the required number of signatures with theIdaho Secretary of State.^[7][8]

Each petition signature sheet must contain the signatures of qualified electors from a single county and must be verified by the appropriate county clerk prior to being filed with the Idaho Secretary of State. This applies to all statewide, state legislative, and congressional offices.^[7] Candidates must collect 1,000 signatures for any statewide office, including U.S. Senate, 500 for U.S. House, 50 for state legislative districts, and five for county offices.^[8]

Write-in candidates

A write-in candidate must file a declaration of intent form with theIdaho Secretary of State. A write-in candidate seeking the nomination of a political party in the primary election also must pay the filing fee required of that office within 10 days following the primary election date. A write-in candidate must also receive a minimum number of votes in the primary election in order to advance to the general election. These vote thresholds are as follows:^[9]

• 1,000 for any statewide office
• 500 for a congressional district office
• 50 for a state legislative office

A write-in candidate must file a declaration of intent form no less than 28 days before the primary or general election.^[10]

Proposed changes

In June 2013, members of the Idaho Republican Central Committee submitted a motion to require local Republican leadership to approve candidates before they can access the ballot. This would have given party leaders control over who made it onto the ballot. However, the rules committee rejected the motion. The committee did approve to expand an existing party rule that requires candidates to read and endorse or reject the party platform. The change stated that if a candidate chooses to reject the platform, a press release will be sent out telling other party members of the candidate's rejection and that the party will no longer endorse him or her.^[11]

Petition requirements

See also:Methods for signing candidate nominating petitions

Seal of Idaho

See statutes:Title 34 Title 34 of the Idaho Code

In some cases, political parties and/or candidates may need to obtain signatures via the petition process to gain access to the ballot. This section outlines the laws and regulations pertaining to petitions and circulators.

General petition requirements are established inTitle 34, Chapter 1807, of the Idaho Election Code.

Circulation requirements

A petition circulator must be at least 18 years old and a resident ofIdaho. The circulator must verify the signatures contained within the petition by affidavit, which must be signed by a notary public. Any petition upon which signatures are obtained from non-eligible individuals will be void.^[12]

The date on which petitions may begin to circulate is August 30 in the year preceding the general election.^[13]

Contact information

Election agencies

Seal of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission

See also:State election agencies

Individuals seeking additional information about election administration in Idaho can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.

Idaho County Clerks

Click here for a list

Idaho Secretary of State, Elections Division

Physical Address: 700 West Jefferson St, Room E205

Boise, Idaho 83702

Mailing address: PO Box 83720

Boise, Idaho 83720-0080

Phone: 208-334-2852

Email:elections@sos.idaho.gov

Website:https://sos.idaho.gov

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200

Washington, DC 20001

Phone: 301-563-3919

Toll free: 1-866-747-1471

Email:clearinghouse@eac.gov

Website:https://www.eac.gov

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Do you need information about elections inyour area? Are you looking foryour local election official?Click here to visit theU.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool.

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Term limits

State executives

See also:State executives with term limits andStates with gubernatorial term limits

No state executive offices in Idaho are subject to term limits.

State legislators

See also:State legislatures with term limits

There are no term limits for Idaho state legislators.

Congressional partisanship

See also:List of United States Representatives from Idaho andList of United States Senators from Idaho

Below is the current partisan breakdown of the congressional delegation fromIdaho.

State legislative partisanship

Below is the current partisan breakdown of the state legislature ofIdaho.

Idaho State Senate

Idaho House of Representatives

Related legislation

The table below lists bills related to ballot access requirements for candidates that have been introduced during (or carried over to) the current legislative session in Idaho. The following information is included for each bill:

• State
• Bill number
• Official bill name or caption
• Most recent action date
• Legislative status
• Sponsor party
• Topics dealt with by the bill

Bills are organized by most recent action. The table displays up to 100 results. To view more bills, use the arrows in the upper-right corner. Clicking on a bill will open its page onBallotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker, which includes bill details and a summary.

The Ballot Bulletin

TheBallot Bulletin is a weekly email that delivers the latest updates on election policy. The Ballot Bulletin tracks developments in election policy around the country, including legislative activity, big-picture trends, and recent news. Each email contains in-depth data from ourElection Administration Legislation Tracker. You'll also be able to track relevant legislation, with links to and summaries of the bills themselves.

Recent issues

Click below to view recent issues of The Ballot Bulletin.

• The Ballot Bulletin: November 21, 2025
• The Ballot Bulletin: November 14, 2025
• The Ballot Bulletin: November 7, 2025
• The Ballot Bulletin: October 31, 2025
• The Ballot Bulletin: October 24, 2025

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See also

• Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Idaho
• Ballot access requirements for political parties in Idaho
• Idaho elections, 2024
• Campaign finance requirements in Idaho
• Counties in Idaho
• List of United States Representatives from Idaho
• List of United States Senators from Idaho
• Methods for signing candidate nominating petitions
• State executives with term limits
• States with gubernatorial term limits
• State legislatures with term limits

External links

• Idaho Secretary of State
• Federal Election Commission
• Idaho Secretary of State, "Election Laws 2023"
• Vote Idaho, "Citizen's Guide to Voting'

Other information

• Ballot Access News – News updates and analysis of ballot access issues
• ThirdPartyPolitics.us – Blog about American minor party and independent politics
• National Voter Outreach – Political consulting firm that specializes in organizing petition signature drives

Footnotes

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policy Alabama •Alaska •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Delaware •Florida •Georgia •Hawaii •Idaho •Illinois •Indiana •Iowa •Kansas •Kentucky •Louisiana •Maine •Maryland •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Mississippi •Missouri •Montana •Nebraska •Nevada •New Hampshire •New Jersey •New Mexico •New York •North Carolina •North Dakota •Ohio •Oklahoma •Oregon •Pennsylvania •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Tennessee •Texas •Utah •Vermont •Virginia •Washington •West Virginia •Wisconsin •Wyoming Redistricting policy Alabama •Alaska •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Delaware •Florida •Georgia •Hawaii •Idaho •Illinois •Indiana •Iowa •Kansas •Kentucky •Louisiana •Maine •Maryland •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Mississippi •Missouri •Montana •Nebraska •Nevada •New Hampshire •New Jersey •New Mexico •New York •North Carolina •North Dakota •Ohio •Oklahoma •Oregon •Pennsylvania •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Tennessee •Texas •Utah •Vermont •Virginia •Washington •West Virginia •Wisconsin •Wyoming Recount laws Alabama •Alaska •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Delaware •Florida •Georgia •Hawaii •Idaho •Illinois •Indiana •Iowa •Kansas •Kentucky •Louisiana •Maine •Maryland •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Mississippi •Missouri •Montana •Nebraska •Nevada •New Hampshire •New Jersey •New Mexico •New York •North Carolina •North Dakota •Ohio •Oklahoma •Oregon •Pennsylvania •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Tennessee •Texas •Utah •Vermont •Virginia •Washington •West Virginia •Wisconsin •Wyoming Ballot access for political candidates Alabama •Alaska •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Delaware •Florida •Georgia •Hawaii •Idaho •Illinois •Indiana •Iowa •Kansas •Kentucky •Louisiana •Maine •Maryland •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Mississippi •Missouri •Montana •Nebraska •Nevada •New Hampshire •New Jersey •New Mexico •New York •North Carolina •North Dakota •Ohio •Oklahoma •Oregon •Pennsylvania •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Tennessee •Texas •Utah •Vermont •Virginia •Washington •West Virginia •Wisconsin •Wyoming Ballot access for presidential candidates Alabama •Alaska •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Delaware •Florida •Georgia •Hawaii •Idaho •Illinois •Indiana •Iowa •Kansas •Kentucky •Louisiana •Maine •Maryland •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Mississippi •Missouri •Montana •Nebraska •Nevada •New Hampshire •New Jersey •New Mexico •New York •North Carolina •North Dakota •Ohio •Oklahoma •Oregon •Pennsylvania •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Tennessee •Texas •Utah •Vermont •Virginia •Washington •West Virginia •Wisconsin •Wyoming Ballot access for political parties Alabama •Alaska •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Delaware •Florida •Georgia •Hawaii •Idaho •Illinois •Indiana •Iowa •Kansas •Kentucky •Louisiana •Maine •Maryland •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Mississippi •Missouri •Montana •Nebraska •Nevada •New Hampshire •New Jersey •New Mexico •New York •North Carolina •North Dakota •Ohio •Oklahoma •Oregon •Pennsylvania •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Tennessee •Texas •Utah •Vermont •Virginia •Washington •West Virginia •Wisconsin •Wyoming Electoral systems Single-winner system •Multi-winner system •Block voting system •Plurality voting system •Majority voting system •Top-two primary •Blanket primary •Open primary •Closed primary •Semi-closed primary •Top-four primary •Ranked-choice voting (RCV) •STAR voting •Approval voting •Fusion voting