Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Nevada

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Note: This article is not intended to serve as an exhaustive guide to running for public office. Individuals should contact their state election agencies for further information.


In order to get on the ballot in Nevada, 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 Nevada. For information about filing requirements for presidential candidates, click here. Information about filing requirements for local-level offices is not available in this article (contact state election agencies for information about local candidate filing processes).

DocumentIcon.jpg See state election laws

Year-specific filing information

2024

See also: Signature requirements and deadlines for 2024 U.S. Congress elections and Nevada elections, 2024

U.S. Senate

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates in Nevada in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Nevada, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2024
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Nevada U.S. Senate Ballot-qualified party N/A $500.00 Non-judicial 3/15/2024 Judicial: 1/12/2024 Source
Nevada U.S. Senate Unaffiliated N/A $500.00 6/6/2024 Source

U.S. House

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Nevada in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Nevada, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Nevada U.S. House ballot-qualified N/A $300.00 3/15/2024 Source
Nevada U.S. House unaffiliated N/A $300.00 6/6/2024 Source


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

Show more

2022

See also: Signature requirements and deadlines for 2022 U.S. Congress elections and Nevada elections, 2022

U.S. Senate

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates in Nevada in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Nevada, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2022
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Nevada U.S. Senate All candidates N/A $500.00 3/18/2022 Source

U.S. House

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Nevada in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Nevada, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2022
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Nevada U.S. House All candidates N/A $300.00 3/18/2022 Source

Governor

The table below details filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates in Nevada in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Nevada, click here.

Filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates, 2022
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source Notes
Nevada Governor Ballot-qualified party N/A $300.00 3/18/2022 Source
Nevada Governor Unaffiliated N/A $300.00 3/18/2022 Source

2020

See also: Signature requirements and deadlines for 2020 U.S. Congress elections and Nevada elections, 2020

U.S. House

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Nevada in the 2020 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Nevada, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2020
State Office Party Signatures required Signature formula Filing fee Filing fee formula Filing deadline Source
Nevada 1st Congressional District Major party 0 N/A $300.00 Fixed number 3/13/2020 Source
Nevada 1st Congressional District Unaffiliated 0 N/A $300.00 Fixed number 3/13/2020 Source
Nevada 2nd Congressional District Major party 0 N/A $300.00 Fixed number 3/13/2020 Source
Nevada 2nd Congressional District Unaffiliated 0 N/A $300.00 Fixed number 3/13/2020 Source
Nevada 3rd Congressional District Major party 0 N/A $300.00 Fixed number 3/13/2020 Source
Nevada 3rd Congressional District Unaffiliated 0 N/A $300.00 Fixed number 3/13/2020 Source
Nevada 4th Congressional District Major party 0 N/A $300.00 Fixed number 3/13/2020 Source
Nevada 4th Congressional District Unaffiliated 0 N/A $300.00 Fixed number 3/13/2020 Source

State House

The table below details filing requirements for Nevada State Assembly candidates in the 2020 election cycle.

Filing requirements for state legislative candidates, 2020
Chamber name Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Nevada State Assembly All candidates N/A $100.00 3/13/2020 Source

State Senate

The table below details filing requirements for Nevada State Senate candidates in the 2020 election cycle.

Filing requirements for state legislative candidates, 2020
Chamber name Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Nevada State Senate All candidates N/A $100.00 3/13/2020 Source

2018

See also: Signature requirements and deadlines for 2018 U.S. Congress elections and Nevada elections, 2018

See below for 2018 candidate filing deadlines.

March 16, 2018

2016

See also: Signature requirements and deadlines for 2016 U.S. Congress elections and Nevada elections, 2016

The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in Nevada in 2016.

Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016
Deadline Event type Event description
January 4, 2016 Ballot access Judicial candidate filing period opens
January 15, 2016 Ballot access Judicial candidate filing period closes
March 7, 2016 Ballot access Candidate filing period opens
March 18, 2016 Ballot access Candidate filing period closes
March 28, 2016 Campaign finance Candidate financial disclosure statement due
May 24, 2016 Campaign finance Contributions and expenses report #1 due
June 10, 2016 Campaign finance Contributions and expenses report #2 due
June 14, 2016 Election date Primary election
October 18, 2016 Campaign finance Contributions and expenses report #3 due
November 4, 2016 Campaign finance Contributions and expenses report #4 due
November 8, 2016 Election date General election
January 15, 2017 Campaign finance Annual contributions and expenses report due; Contributions and expenses report #5 due; annual financial disclosure statement due
Source: Nevada Secretary of State, "Important 2016 Candidate Dates," accessed July 17, 2015

2015


2014


Process to become a candidate

Declaration of candidacy form, 2013

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Title 24, Chapter 293 of the Nevada Revised Statutes

A candidate in Nevada may access the ballot in one of three ways: as a major party candidate, as a minor party candidate, or as an independent candidate. Write-in candidates are not permitted in this state. Voters can only cast a vote for candidates whose names appear on the ballot.[8]

Major party candidates

A major party candidate must have been affiliated with his or her party by December 31 of the year preceding the election. If a candidate changes his or her affiliation after that date, he or she can no longer run as a major party candidate.[9]

Major party candidates are nominated via primary election. There are two ways in which a major party candidate may be placed on the primary election ballot:[10]

  • by filing a declaration of candidacy and paying the filing fee during the candidate filing period, which begins on the first Monday in March and ends on the second Friday in March following that Monday; the declaration must include the following:[11]
    • the residential address of the candidate, which must be in the appropriate district of the state corresponding to the office being sought
    • a copy of a government-issued photo ID, a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, or document issued by a government entity in order to prove the residence address listed on the declaration
    • the candidate's Social Security number, license number, or state identification number
  • by having 10 or more registered voters file a certificate of candidacy on behalf of any registered voter they wish to nominate as a candidate for their major party; this must be done no earlier than the first Monday in February and no later than the first Monday in March preceding the primary election (if nominated in this way, the candidate must file an acceptance of candidacy with the required filing fee during the candidate filing period)[11][4]

The filing fees mentioned above vary according to the office being sought and can be paid by cash, cashier's check, or certified check. Personal checks, campaign checks, and credit cards are not acceptable forms of payment. The filing fees are detailed in the table below.[12][13][14]

Filing fees
Office sought Filing fee
United States Senator $500
United States Representative and Governor of Nevada $300
Nevada state executive offices other than governor $200
Nevada Senator and Nevada Assemblyman $100

If the candidate is seeking office in the United States House of Representatives or Nevada State Legislature in a district within a single county, he or she must file with the county clerk of that county. Candidates for all other offices must file with the Nevada Secretary of State.[15]

Minor party candidates

Minor parties must file a list of candidates with the Nevada Secretary of State before any minor party candidates can file individually. This list must be signed in the presence of a notary public by the party officer named to do so on the minor party's certificate of existence. The list must be filed during the candidate filing period, which starts on the first Monday in March and ends on the second Friday in March following that Monday.[5][16]

Once the candidate list has been submitted to the Nevada Secretary of State, a minor party candidate can file his or her declaration of candidacy and pay the required filing fee (detailed above). These must be filed during the candidate filing period. If the candidate is seeking office in the United States House of Representatives or Nevada State Legislature in a district within a single county, he or she must file with the county clerk of that county. Candidates for all other offices must file with the Nevada Secretary of State.[15][5][16]

Minor party candidates are not permitted to participate in the primary election. Minor parties nominate their candidates to be placed on the general election ballot and may field only one candidate for each office appearing on the ballot.[17]

Independent candidates

Independent candidates may run only in the general election. Independent candidates must petition to be placed on the ballot. This may be done in one of two ways:[2][3]

  • by submitting a petition containing signatures of registered voters equal in number to at least 1 percent of the total votes cast at the last general election for the same office the candidate seeks
  • by submitting a petition containing 250 signatures of registered voters if the candidate seeks statewide office, or containing 100 registered voters' signatures if the candidate seeks any other office

Before circulating a petition, a candidate must file a copy of the petition with the Nevada Secretary of State after January 2 of the year of the election. The petition may be circulated as soon as the copy has been filed. The completed petition must then be filed with the counties where the petition was circulated in order to be verified. In order to have the petitions verified in time to file them during the candidate filing period, which starts on the first Monday in March and ends on the third Friday in June preceding the general election, the petitions must be submitted to the counties 10 business days before the last day of the candidate filing period. A verified petition may then be filed with the declaration of candidacy and filing fee with the Nevada Secretary of State unless the candidate is seeking office in a district existing entirely within one county. Such candidates file all documents and fees with the county clerk of the appropriate county.[2][3][18][19][15]

Petition requirements

See also: Methods for signing candidate nominating petitions

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

Format requirements

In Nevada, the rules regulating the use of petitions are the same no matter the purpose of the petition.

  • Prior to circulation, copies of all petitions must be submitted to the Nevada Secretary of State for approval.[20] Once the petition has been approved, it can be signed by any registered voter in the appropriate district.[21] A registered voter who signs the petition may be affiliated with any political party without losing his or her party standing or the right to vote in his or her party's primary.[22]
  • All petitions must adhere to the following format:[20][21]
    1. If longer than one page, the pages must be bound together and numbered sequentially.
    2. The name of the candidate and the office being sought must be displayed. No more than one candidate's name may appear on the petition.
    3. The county the petition is being circulated in must be displayed, and only voters in that county may sign.
  • Once the petition has been completed, it must be submitted to the county or counties in which it was circulated so it can be verified. This must be done 25 business days before the last day the petition must be officially filed.[21][23][20]

Signature requirements

An individual who signs a petition must include his or her name, address, and the date of signing. Each signature must be made in ink. Any signature not made in ink will be disregarded. The circulator of the petition must sign, before a notary public, an affidavit on the back of the petition verifying that all signatures were recorded in the circulator's presence. The circulator must also affirm that, to the best of his or her knowledge, all signers were registered voters at the time of signing.[21][23]

Circulation requirements

Circulators of petitions are not required to be registered voters in Nevada. The statutes do not stipulate any requirements for circulators in Nevada.[21]


Election administration agencies

Election agencies

Seal of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission
See also: State election agencies

Individuals seeking additional information about voting provisions in Nevada can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.

Nevada County Clerks and Voter Registrars

Click here for a list

Nevada Secretary of State, Elections Division

101 North Carson Street, Suite 3
Carson City, Nevada 89701-3714
Phone: 775-684-5705
Fax: 775-684-5718
Email: nvelect@sos.nv.gov
Website: https://www.nvsos.gov/sos

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 in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool.

Term limits

State executives

State Executive Officials
See also: State executives with term limits and States with gubernatorial term limits

State executive term limits in Nevada are as follows:[24]

State legislators

See also: State legislatures with term limits

Members of the Nevada State Legislature are term-limited to serve a total of 12 years, six terms in the Nevada State Assembly and three terms in the Nevada State Senate.[25]

Term limits were imposed on Nevada state legislators by a 1996 ballot initiative and took effect for those elected in 1998.

Congressional partisanship

Portal:Legislative Branch
See also: List of United States Representatives from Nevada and List of United States Senators from Nevada

Below is the current partisan breakdown of the congressional delegation from Nevada.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Nevada
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 2 3 5
Republican 0 1 1
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 4 6

State legislative partisanship

Portal:State legislatures

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

Nevada State Senate

Party As of March 2025
     Democratic Party 13
     Republican Party 8
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 21

Nevada Assembly

Party As of March 2025
     Democratic Party 27
     Republican Party 15
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 42

Related legislation

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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 Neveda. 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 on Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker, which includes bill details and a summary.

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See also

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External links

Official state and federal links

Other information

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Nevada Secretary of State, "Election Information Guide 2013-2014," accessed November 18, 2013
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Nevada Secretary of State, "Independent Candidate Guide 2014," accessed February 10, 2014
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Nevada Revised Statutes, "Title 24, Chapter 293, Section 200," accessed February 10, 2014
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Nevada Revised Statutes, "Title 24, Chapter 293, Section 180," accessed February 10, 2014
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Nevada Secretary of State, "Minor Party Qualification Guide 2013-2014," accessed February 10, 2014
  6. ↑ Nevada Secretary of State Website, "Campaign Finance Reporting Dates," accessed February 11, 2014
  7. ↑ Nevada Secretary of State, "Campaign Guide 2014," accessed February 11, 2014
  8. ↑ Nevada Revised Statutes, "Title 24, Chapter 293, Section 270," accessed February 11, 2014
  9. ↑ Nevada Revised Statutes, "Title 24, Chapter 293, Section 176," accessed February 11, 2014
  10. ↑ Nevada Revised Statutes, "Title 24, Chapter 293, Section 175," accessed February 11, 2014
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Nevada Revised Statutes, "Title 24, Chapter 293, Section 177," accessed February 11, 2014
  12. ↑ Nevada Secretary of State Website, "Filing for Non-Judicial Office," accessed February 11, 2014
  13. ↑ Nevada Secretary of State, "Election Information Guide 2013-2014," accessed November 18, 2013
  14. ↑ Nevada Revised Statutes, "Title 24, Chapter 293, Section 193," accessed February 11, 2014
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Nevada Revised Statutes, "Title 24, Chapter 293, Section 185," accessed February 11, 2014
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Nevada Revised Statutes, "Title 24, Chapter 293, Section 1725," accessed February 10, 2014
  17. ↑ Nevada Revised Statutes, "Title 24, Chapter 293, Section 1715," accessed February 10, 2014
  18. ↑ Ballot Access News, "Nevada Governor Signs Bill Improving Petition Deadline for New Parties and Non-Presidential Independent Candidates," June 3, 2015
  19. ↑ Nevada State Legislature, "Senate Bill No. 499," accessed June 4, 2015
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Nevada Revised Statutes, "Title 24, Chapter 293, Section 200," accessed February 10, 2014
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 Nevada Secretary of State, "Minor Party Qualification Guide 2013-2014," accessed February 10, 2014
  22. ↑ Nevada Secretary of State, "Independent Candidate Guide 2014," accessed February 10, 2014
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Nevada Revised Statutes, "Title 24, Chapter 293, Section 172," accessed February 10, 2014
  24. ↑ Nevada Constitution, "Article V, Sections 3, 17 and 19," accessed November 18, 2013
  25. ↑ Nevada Constitution, "Article IV, Sections 3 and 4," accessed November 18, 2013
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