August is a busy month for unaffiliated, write-in, and judicial retention candidates intending to run in the November election. Eighteen states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands have statewide candidate filing deadlines in the next two weeks.
The map and bulleted list below show which states have candidate filing deadlines scheduled between August 1 and August 14.
- Alaska: August 1 (statewide judicial retention candidate filing deadline)
- Colorado: August 3 (statewide judicial retention candidate filing deadline)
- Connecticut: August 5 (statewide unaffiliated candidate filing deadline)
- District of Columbia: August 5 (unaffiliated candidate and public school candidate filing deadline)
- Guam: August 5 (territory-wide candidate filing deadline for candidates for attorney general, Education Board, and Consolidated Commission on Utilities)
- Kansas: August 3 (statewide judicial retention candidate and unaffiliated candidate filing deadline)
- Maryland: August 3 (statewide judicial retention candidate and unaffiliated candidate filing deadline)
- Montana: August 5 (statewide general write-in candidate filing deadline)
- Nebraska: August 3 (statewide judicial retention candidate and unaffiliated candidate filing deadline)
- New Hampshire: August 5 (statewide unaffiliated and minor party candidate filing deadline)
- North Carolina: August 5 (statewide write-in candidate filing deadline)
- Northern Mariana Islands: August 5 (territory-wide candidate filing deadline)
- Oklahoma: August 4 (statewide judicial retention candidate filing deadline)
- Pennsylvania: August 3 (statewide unaffiliated and minor party candidate filing deadline)
- South Dakota: August 4 (statewide judicial retention candidate filing deadline)
- Vermont: August 6 (statewide unaffiliated candidate filing deadline)
- Virginia: August 4 (statewide unaffiliated candidate filing deadline for the U.S. House)
- Washington: August 4 (statewide primary write-in candidate filing deadline)
- West Virginia: August 3 (statewide unaffiliated candidate filing deadline)
- Wisconsin: August 7 (statewide Fall primary write-in candidate filing deadline)
- Wyoming: August 3 (statewide judicial retention candidate filing deadline)
Looking Back
Three states had candidate filing deadlines in the past two weeks:
- Iowa: July 22 (statewide judicial retention candidate filing deadline)
- Michigan: July 24 (statewide write-in primary candidate filing deadline)
- Missouri: July 27 (statewide unaffiliated candidate filing deadline)
Candidates must meet various state-specific filing requirements and deadlines to appear on primary and general election ballots. These regulations, known as ballot access laws, determine whether and how candidates can make it onto the ballot. These laws are set at the state level and apply to candidates running for state and federal offices.
Voting in upcoming elections
There are 13 statewide or territory-wide elections taking place in the next two weeks:
- Connecticut: August 11 statewide primary election
- Guam: August 1 territory-wide primary election
- Hawaii: August 8 statewide primary election
- Kansas: August 4 statewide primary election
- Michigan: August 4 statewide primary election
- Minnesota: August 11 statewide primary election
- Missouri: August 4 statewide primary election
- Tennessee: August 6 statewide primary election
- Vermont: August 11 statewide primary election
- Virgin Islands: August 1 territory-wide primary election
- Virginia: August 4 statewide primary election
- Washington: August 4 statewide primary election
- Wisconsin: August 11 statewide primary election
Voter participation deadlines
Three states have early voting periods that start in the next two weeks:
- Alaska: Early voting begins August 3 for the August 18 primary.
- Connecticut: Early voting begins August 3 for the August 11 primary.
- Florida: Early voting begins August 8 for the August 18 primary.
Ten states have voter registration deadlines in the next two weeks:
- Connecticut: August 10 is the last day to register in person to vote in the August 11 primary.
- Hawaii: July 29 is the last day to register to vote by mail in the August 8 primary. In-person and online voter registration is available through August 8.
- Michigan: August 4 is the last day to register in person to vote in the August 4 primary.
- Minnesota: August 11 is the last day to register in person to vote in the August 11 primary.
- Rhode Island: August 10 is the last day to register to vote in the September 9 primary.
- Vermont: August 11 is the last day to register to vote in the August 11 primary.
- Virginia: August 4 is the last day to register in person to vote in the August 4 primary.
- Washington: July 27 is the last day to register to vote by mail and online in the August 4 primary. In-person voter registration is available through August 4.
- Wisconsin: August 11 is the last day to register in person to vote in the August 11 primary.
- Wyoming: August 3 is the last day to register to vote by mail in the August 18 primary. In-person voter registration is available through August 18.
Nine states have absentee/mail-in ballot request deadlines in the next two weeks:
- Alaska: August 8 is the last day to request an absentee/mail-in ballot for the August 18 primary.
- Connecticut: August 10 is the last day to request an absentee/mail-in ballot for the August 11 primary.
- Florida: August 6 is the last day to request an absentee/mail-in ballot for the August 18 primary.
- Michigan: July 31 is the last day to request an absentee/mail-in ballot by mail or online and August 3 is the last day to request a ballot in person for the August 4 primary.
- Minnesota: August 10 is the last day to request an absentee/mail-in ballot for the August 11 primary.
- Missouri: August 3 is the last day to request an absentee/mail-in ballot in person for the August 4 primary.
- Oklahoma: August 10 is the last day to request an absentee/mail-in ballot for the August 25 primary runoff.
- Vermont: August 10 is the last day to request an absentee/mail-in ballot for the August 11 primary.
- Wisconsin: August 6 is the last day to request an absentee/mail-in ballot by mail or online and August 9 is the last day to request a ballot in person for the August 11 primary.
Click here to see our list of upcoming election dates and filing deadlines.