The short version
Pennsylvania holds partisan primaries. Major-party candidates get on the spring primary ballot by filing nomination petitions; minor-party and independent candidates use nomination papers to reach the November general election. Primary winners advance to the general.
- Offices you can run for
- Federal (U.S. House and Senate); statewide row offices (Governor and other state officials) and appellate judgeships; the State Senate and House of Representatives; and county, municipal, school-board, and judicial seats.
- How to get on the ballot
- File nomination petitions carrying the required number of voter signatures during the petition window — statewide offices run into the thousands of signatures, while local offices need far fewer (the exact count depends on the office). Statewide candidates file with the Secretary of the Commonwealth; others file with their county board of elections. A few statewide judicial filings also carry a filing fee.
- Who runs candidate filing
- Pennsylvania Department of State — Bureau of Elections1-877-868-3772
This is a plain-language overview, not legal advice. Filing deadlines and fees change every election cycle and vary by office — the official Pennsylvania resources below are the final word. When in doubt, the elections authority is right and we're wrong.
Official Pennsylvania 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. Pennsylvania is fully available — see how to get your voter file.
Talk to us about your Pennsylvania 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.