Candidate Qualifications
To run for a state legislative seat, a potential candidate must meet certain qualifications. These qualifications generally fall into five categories: age, district residency, state residency, how long the potential candidate has been a U.S. citizen, and whether or not the potential candidate is a registered voter. These vary state-by-state. Generally, states define age and residency requirements for anyone who will serve in the legislature. These then govern who may run.
Additionally, some states prohibit people who have been convicted of certain crimes from serving as a legislator. Some other states do not prohibit candidates with certain convictions from serving, but they do require that these candidates disclose this information when they file to become a candidate For more information on candicacy and convictions, visit the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
This page and the information contained within is not intended to be a guide for potential candidates. In order to obtain information of the qualifications required to run for office, please consult your local or state election officials, state election regulation authority, and an attorney.
Below is a chart detailing the candidate qualification for state legislators in all 50 states.
qualification for state legislators in all 50 states.
|
State
|
Office
|
Age
|
District Resident
|
State Resident
|
U.S. Citizen
|
Registered Voter
|
|
Alabama
|
Senate
|
25
|
1 year
|
3 years
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
House
|
21
|
1 year
|
3 years
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Alaska
|
Senate
|
25
|
1 year
|
3 years
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
House
|
21
|
1 year
|
3 years
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Arizona
|
Senate
|
25
|
1 year
|
3 years
|
Yes
|
-
|
|
House
|
25
|
1 year
|
3years
|
Yes
|
-
|
|
Arkansas
|
Senate
|
25
|
1 year
|
2 years
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
House
|
21
|
1 year
|
2 years
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
California
|
Senate
|
18
|
1 year
|
3 years
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
House
|
18
|
1 year
|
3 years
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Colorado
|
Senate
|
25
|
1 year
|
-
|
Yes
|
-
|
|
House
|
25
|
1 year
|
-
|
Yes
|
-
|
|
Connecticut
|
Senate
|
21
|
Yes
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
House
|
21
|
Yes
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Delaware
|
Senate
|
27
|
1 year
|
3 years
|
Yes
|
-
|
|
House
|
24
|
1 year
|
3 years
|
Yes
|
-
|
|
Florida
|
Senate
|
21
|
-
|
2 years
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
House
|
21
|
-
|
2 years
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Georgia
|
Senate
|
25
|
-
|
2 years
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
House
|
21
|
-
|
2 years
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Hawaii
|
Senate
|
18
|
Yes
|
3 years
|
-
|
-
|
|
House
|
18
|
Yes
|
3 years
|
-
|
-
|
|
Idaho
|
Senate
|
21
|
-
|
1 year
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
House
|
21
|
-
|
1 year
|
-
|
-
|
|
Illinois
|
Senate
|
21
|
2 years
|
2 years
|
Yes
|
-
|
|
House
|
21
|
2 years
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Indiana
|
Senate
|
25
|
1 year
|
2 years
|
Yes
|
-
|
|
House
|
21
|
1 year
|
2 years
|
Yes
|
-
|
|
Iowa
|
Senate
|
25
|
60 days
|
1 year
|
Yes
|
-
|
|
House
|
21
|
60 days
|
1 year
|
Yes
|
-
|
|
Kansas
|
Senate
|
18
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
House
|
18
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Kentucky
|
Senate
|
30
|
1 year
|
6 years
|
-
|
-
|
|
House
|
24
|
1 year
|
2 years
|
-
|
-
|
|
Louisiana
|
Senate
|
18
|
1 year
|
2 years
|
-
|
-
|
|
House
|
18
|
1 year
|
2 years
|
-
|
-
|
|
Maine
|
Senate
|
25
|
3 months
|
1 year
|
Yes
|
-
|
|
House
|
21
|
3 months
|
1 year
|
Yes
|
-
|
|
Maryland
|
Senate
|
25
|
6 months
|
1 year
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
House
|
21
|
6 months
|
1 year
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Massachusetts
|
Senate
|
18
|
At election
|
5 years
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
House
|
18
|
1 year
|
-
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Michigan
|
Senate
|
21
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
-
|
|
House
|
21
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
-
|
|
Minnesota
|
Senate
|
21
|
6 months
|
1 year
|
Yes
|
-
|
|
House
|
21
|
6 months
|
1 year
|
Yes
|
-
|
|
Mississippi
|
Senate
|
25
|
2 years
|
4 years
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
House
|
21
|
2 years
|
4 years
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Missouri
|
Senate
|
30
|
1 year
|
-
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
House
|
24
|
1 year
|
-
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Montana
|
Senate
|
18
|
6 months
|
1 year
|
-
|
-
|
|
House
|
18
|
6 months
|
1 year
|
-
|
-
|
|
Nebraska
|
Senate
|
21
|
1 year
|
1 year
|
-
|
-
|
| - |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Nevada
|
Senate
|
21
|
30 days
|
1 year
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
House
|
21
|
30 days
|
1 year
|
-
|
-
|
|
New Hampshire
|
Senate
|
30
|
At election
|
7 years
|
-
|
-
|
|
House
|
18
|
At election
|
2 years
|
-
|
-
|
|
New Jersey
|
Senate
|
30
|
At election
|
4 years
|
-
|
-
|
|
House
|
21
|
2 years
|
-
|
Yes
|
-
|
|
New Mexico
|
Senate
|
25
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
-
|
|
House
|
21
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
-
|
|
New York
|
Senate
|
18
|
1 year
|
5 years
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
House
|
18
|
1 year
|
5 years
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
North Carolina
|
Senate
|
25
|
1 year
|
2 years
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
House
|
-
|
1 year
|
-
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
North Dakota
|
Senate
|
-
|
At election
|
1 year
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
House
|
-
|
At election
|
1 year
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Ohio
|
Senate
|
-
|
1 year
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
House
|
-
|
1 year
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Oklahoma
|
Senate
|
25
|
Yes
|
-
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
House
|
21
|
Yes
|
-
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Oregon
|
Senate
|
21
|
1 year
|
-
|
Yes
|
-
|
|
House
|
21
|
1 year
|
-
|
Yes
|
-
|
|
Pennsylvania
|
Senate
|
25
|
1 year
|
-
|
Yes
|
-
|
|
House
|
21
|
1 year
|
-
|
Yes
|
-
|
|
Rhode Island
|
Senate
|
18
|
-
|
30 days
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
House
|
18
|
-
|
30 days
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
South Carolina
|
Senate
|
21
|
Yes
|
-
|
Yes
|
-
|
|
House
|
21
|
Yes
|
-
|
Yes
|
-
|
|
South Dakota
|
Senate
|
21
|
-
|
2 years
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
House
|
21
|
-
|
2 years
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Tennessee
|
Senate
|
30
|
1 year
|
3 years
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
House
|
21
|
1 year
|
3 years
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Texas
|
Senate
|
26
|
1 year
|
5 years
|
Yes
|
-
|
|
House
|
21
|
1 year
|
2 years
|
Yes
|
-
|
|
Utah
|
Senate
|
25
|
6 months
|
3 years
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
House
|
25
|
6 months
|
3 years
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Vermont
|
Senate
|
-
|
1 year
|
2 years
|
-
|
-
|
|
House
|
-
|
1 year
|
2 years
|
-
|
-
|
|
Virginia
|
Senate
|
21
|
At election
|
1 year
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
House
|
21
|
At election
|
1 year
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Washington
|
Senate
|
18
|
-
|
-
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
House
|
18
|
-
|
-
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
West Virginia
|
Senate
|
25
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
House
|
18
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Wisconsin
|
Senate
|
18
|
At election
|
1 year
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
House
|
18
|
At election
|
1 year
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Wyoming
|
Senate
|
25
|
1 year
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
-
|
|
House
|
21
|
1 year
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
-
|
Becoming a Party Candidate
Candidates typically choose from three choices when deciding how to run for office. They choose to be a major party candidate, a minor party candidate or an independent candidate. This choice defines not only how the public views the candidate, but also the regulations that govern the campaign. For example, the number of signatures that each candidate must file with his or her petition varies depending on what type of candidate is using the petition.
It is not always as simple as just picking what type of candidate one wants to be. States also have regulations that determine when one can run as a party candidate and when one can run as a different type of candidate than the party in which the candidate is registered. For example, in some states one must be a registered party member for up to six months before running as a party candidate in that party. In other states, a potential independent candidate must be unaffiliated from a party for a specified number of months before registering as an independent candidate.
Ballot access as a major party candidate also differs from ballot access as a minor party candidate. Each choice brings with it its own set of regulations and rules.
Ballot access and the varying requirements for the different types of candidates are decisions made by state legislatures. The following is a short list of the major topics that legislation may address:
- Differences in petition signature requirements between major party candidates and minor party candidates. Some states require a higher number of petition signatures from minor party candidates than from major party candidates.
- The required procedures for establishing a minor party.
- Differences in ballot access requirements for independent candidates compared to those for candidates from minor and major parties.
- State funding of party primaries.
About This NCSL Project
NCSL tracks election and campaign issues in four major categories: election laws and procedures, campaign finance, initiative and referendum, and election results and analysis. We provide comprehensive 50-state research and analysis on a wide variety of topics related to these issues.
For redistricting, NCSL provides similar data that covers redistricting laws, commissions and litigation.
Additionally, NCSL's Redistricting and Elections Standing Committee works on issues that affect all states, including voting technology and redistricting systems and technology.
If you don't find the information you need, please contact our elections team at 303-364-7700 or elections-info@ncsl.org. NCSL staff can do specialized searches for legislators and legislative staff.