Running for Office in Virginia? Petition Signatures, Explained

Every cycle, candidates ask the same question close to the deadline: how many petition signatures do I need? Here's the plain-English answer, and why you never want to be the candidate asking it late.

If you're only now wondering how many signatures you need, you're already behind. Deadlines don't sneak up, and a good consultant flags them months out. The good news: the requirements aren't complicated once you know them.

What petition signatures are

Petition signatures get you onto the ballot in Virginia. They are not votes. They're simply confirmation from registered voters in your district that you should be allowed to run. You, your team, or your volunteers can collect them by going door-to-door, working community events and fairs, and showing up where voters gather. Start at political events, the people there are the most likely to sign.

How many you need, by office

For a primary, Virginia sets the minimums in Va. Code § 24.2-521. For a candidate who is not a party nominee, Va. Code § 24.2-506 uses the same figures for statewide office, the State Senate, and the House of Delegates:

• Statewide office (Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and U.S. Senate): 10,000 signatures, including at least 400 qualified voters from each of Virginia's congressional districts.
• State Senate: 250 signatures of qualified voters. Va. Code § 24.2-521(B)(3).
• House of Delegates: 125 valid signatures from registered voters in your district.
• Local and constitutional offices (school board, sheriff, commissioner of revenue, and similar): typically 125 valid signatures from voters in your locality. Smaller localities can differ, so confirm with the Virginia Department of Elections.

Collect at least 20% more than the minimum

Always over-collect. Some signatures will be invalid: wrong district, unregistered voter, duplicate, or missing information. You need a cushion. If you need 125, gather 150 to 160. If you need 250, gather 300 to 320. If you need 10,000, gather 12,000. Turning in exactly the minimum is how serious candidates end up off the ballot.

Mind the deadlines, they change each cycle

Signature counts are stable, but the calendar is not. Filing windows and deadlines shift every election year, and they differ for primary candidates versus independent or convention candidates. Don't rely on last cycle's dates. Pull the current "Candidate Bulletins" from the Virginia Department of Elections, confirm your specific office and path to the ballot, and back-plan your signature collection from the due date. Bookmark them, read them, use them.

Adapted from Andrew Loposser's newsletter, The Political Playbook (March 2025). The State Senate minimum of 250 signatures is in Va. Code § 24.2-521(B)(3) for primary petitions, and the same number is in § 24.2-506 for candidates who are not party nominees, as published on November 9, 2026. A party convention can follow different rules. Always confirm current-cycle deadlines with the Virginia Department of Elections.