Candidate Petitions

Candidates who wish to qualify by petition must secure the required number of valid signatures in order to be placed on an upcoming election ballot.

A person who seeks to qualify as a candidate for any office (excluding Municipal candidates) and who meets the petition requirements is not required to pay the qualifying fee, party assessment, or election assessment.

Signatures may not be obtained until the candidate has filed the Appointment of Treasurer and Designation of Campaign Depository, DS-DE 9, with the filing officer.

• Candidates must use the Candidate Petition form, DS-DE 104, to obtain signatures of registered voters.
• The format of the petition is prescribed by the Division of Elections and shall be used by all candidates.
• Candidates are responsible for printing enough petitions.
• A candidate must obtain the valid number of signatures, equal to at least 1% of the total number of registered voters of that geographical area as of the last General Election.
• Only signatures of voters registered in the county/district represented by the office sought are valid.
• It is recommended that a candidate submit at least 10% more petitions than the required number to account for the possibility of invalid petitions.
• No petitions are accepted after the due date.

For petition guidelines, refer to the Candidate Petition Handbook provided by the Division of Elections and Rule 1S-2.045.

Pursuant to Florida Statute 99.097, a cost of $.10 for each petition verified shall be paid in advance to the Supervisor of Elections unless the candidate has filed an oath stating that such charges impose an undue burden on their personal resources.