Public Comment Portal: Petition Rules
Comment on Proposed Rules
The State Board of Elections invites the public to comment on a series of proposed rules to govern the conduct of petitions and to ensure transparency in the process for petitioners, the county boards of elections, and the State Board.
The rules comprise a new Chapter 22 of Title 8 in the administrative code for the agency’s rules. Read the full text PDF of the proposed rules. This link includes the entire proposed Chapter 22, because some rules refer back to other rules in the proposed chapter. These rules have been divided into sections based on subject matter, as described below, and can also be read on a section-by-section basis using the links below. Descriptions of each individual rule can be read on the State Board’s Rulemaking webpage.
- Section .0100 — General Rules for Petitions (PDF): The rules in this section are general rules for all petitions and are mostly geared toward establishing a process for petitioners to follow when initiating and filing their petition.
- Section .0200 — Verification of Petitions (PDF): The rules in this section are general rules for all petitions and are mostly geared toward the county boards and their processing of petitions, including signature verification.
- Section .0300 — New Political Party Petitions (PDF): The rules in this section are specific to new party petitions only and are mostly geared toward the new party’s requirements for their petition and the State Board’s processing and review of these petitions.
- Section .0400 — Unaffiliated Candidate Petitions (PDF): The rules in this section are specific to petitions where a voter wants to be listed on the ballot as an unaffiliated candidate.
- Section .0500 — Write-in Candidate Petitions (PDF): The rules in this section are specific to petitions where a voter wants write-in votes for them to be counted in an election.
- Section .0600 — Petitions to be a Candidate on the Ballot Without Paying a Filing Fee (PDF): The rule in this section is specific to petitions that are known as an “in lieu of filing fee” petition.
The public comment period opens March 17, 2025, and closes at 11:59 p.m. on May 16, 2025. Submitted comments will be compiled and provided to the State Board for its review before its final consideration of the proposed rules.