Running for office in Virginia

This page covers what's specific to Virginia. Start with the general guide for the steps every candidate follows regardless of state.

Filing in Virginia

Virginia has no citizen ballot initiatives, but it does have a well-defined statutory path to run for local office under Title 24.2 of the Code of Virginia, covering county boards of supervisors, city councils, town councils, mayors, elected school boards, and constitutional offices like sheriff, treasurer, commissioner of revenue, and commonwealth's attorney.

The process differs by track. Primary candidates file most paperwork with their local political party chair on a compressed schedule tied to the August primary. Independent and non-primary party candidates file directly with their local general registrar on a longer window closing closer to the November general election. Everyone files a Certificate of Candidate Qualification and, in most localities, a Statement of Economic Interests. Primary candidates also collect petition signatures, submit a Declaration of Candidacy, and pay a filing fee (2 percent of one year's minimum salary for the office). Independents collect and file petition signatures but pay no fee.

Deadlines and numbers

• Petition signature collection can begin January 1, 2026
• Independent and non-primary party filing: opens January 2, 2026, closes June 16, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.
• Primary candidates (August 4, 2026 ballot): most filings due to the local party chair March 16, 2026 at noon through April 2, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.
• Petition signatures scale by jurisdiction size: 125 for most county, city, or large-town governing body and school board seats (dropping to 50 or 25 in smaller districts or wards), 50 for most other local offices, none in towns under 1,500 registered voters
• No filing fee for the general election ballot. The 2 percent primary fee is refunded if a candidate is disqualified, runs unopposed, or withdraws before party certification

Exact 2026 primary filing fee dollar amounts vary by locality and office and must come from each locality's treasurer or director of finance rather than a single statewide figure. Ask in /engage if you need that number now.

Where to go

• Virginia Department of Elections (ELECT), "Becoming a Candidate": elections.virginia.gov/candidatepac-info/becoming-a-candidate
• Annual Candidate Bulletin, office-specific and cycle-specific: elections.virginia.gov (2026 local office bulletin covers the August primary and November general)
• ELECT's Campaign Filing Schedule: elections.virginia.gov/candidatepac-info/candidate-calendar
• Public Contact Lookup to find your general registrar: vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation/PublicContactLookup
• Code of Virginia Title 24.2, Chapter 5, section 24.2-506 on petition signature counts