The 2020 general election may be more than a year away, but the first deadline for federal candidates to file to run is just around the corner. The following seven states have their filing deadlines before the end of the year:
- Alabama: November 8
- Arkansas: November 12
- Illinois: December 2
- California: December 6
- Texas: December 9
- Ohio: December 18
- North Carolina: December 20
The remaining 43 states all have their filing deadlines in 2020.
During the last presidential election year, five states—Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Texas, and Ohio—had federal candidate filing deadlines in 2015, the year before the election. California and North Carolina have earlier filing deadlines in 2020 because both are holding federal primaries in March for the first time. In 2016, both states held their primaries in June.
From November 2019 to July 2020, Ballotpedia will cover an average of six statewide filing deadlines each month. November 2019 and July 2020 are tied for the fewest with two each. Sixteen states have statewide filing deadlines in March 2020, making it the busiest month for candidate ballot access deadlines for the 2020 elections.