The short version
Delaware holds a September primary, and major parties nominate some offices at convention. You get on the ballot by filing a notice of candidacy with the Department of Elections and paying a filing fee.
- Offices you can run for
- Federal (U.S. House and Senate); statewide offices (Governor and other state officials); the Delaware Senate and House; county offices; and some municipal offices.
- How to get on the ballot
- File a notice of candidacy with the Department of Elections by the deadline (on or before noon the second Tuesday in July) and pay the filing fee. Filing fees are set by the parties and capped at 1% of the office's total salary for the term; party fee checks are made payable to the candidate's state party. Candidates also file a financial disclosure with the Public Integrity Commission within 14 days of filing.
- Who runs candidate filing
- Delaware Department of Elections
This is a plain-language overview, not legal advice. Filing deadlines and fees change every election cycle and vary by office — the official Delaware resources below are the final word. When in doubt, the elections authority is right and we're wrong.
Official Delaware candidate resources
Start here for the exact deadlines, fees, forms, and signature counts for your office and cycle.
Once you're on the ballot, Motion51 runs your field game.
Get your district's voter file loaded, cut into walkable turf, and onto an app your volunteers use at the door. Delaware is fully available — see how to get your voter file.
Talk to us about your Delaware race
Tell us what you're running for and we'll help you go from "qualified" to "knocking doors" — voter file loaded, turf cut, volunteers set up.