The deadline for petition candidates to file for the November 8, 2016 General Election is noon, Friday, July 15, 2016.

Petition candidates for countywide or less-than-countywide offices file with the county voter registration and elections office. Petition candidates for federal offices, statewide offices, multi-county offices, State Senate, State House of Representatives, and Solicitor file with the State Election Commission. To be nominated by petition, a candidate must file a nominating petition containing the valid signatures of at least 5% of the active, registered voters in the geographical area the office represents. The 5% is based on the total number of registered voters in the geographical area 120 days prior to the election. No petition requires more than 10,000 signatures. (Petitions for some local offices may have specific requirements set by state law that are different from the 5% requirement.)

For more information, please contact the County Board of Voter Registration and Elections at (803) 914-2080.