                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

PETITION REQUIRED TO ACCOMPANY DECLARATION; NUMBER OF SIGNATURES REQUIRED (§
24.2-521)

A. A candidate for nomination by primary for any office shall be required to
file with his declaration of candidacy a petition for his name to be printed on
the official primary ballot, on a form prescribed by the State Board, signed by
the number of qualified voters specified in this section on and after January 1
of the year in which the election is held, and listing the residence address of
each such voter. Each signature on the petition shall have been witnessed by a
person who is not a minor or a felon whose voting rights have not been restored
and whose affidavit to that effect appears on each page of the petition. Each
such person circulating a petition who is not a legal resident of the
Commonwealth shall sign a statement on the affidavit that he consents to the
jurisdiction of the courts of Virginia in resolving any disputes concerning the
circulation of petitions, or signatures contained therein, by that person. The
signatures of qualified voters collected by a nonresident petition circulator
who fails to sign such statement, or who later fails to appear or produce
documents when properly served with a subpoena to do so, shall not be counted
towards the minimum number of signatures required pursuant to subsection B.
			Each voter signing the petition may provide on the petition the last four
digits of his social security number, if any; however, noncompliance with this
requirement shall not be cause to invalidate the voter&#8217;s signature on the
petition.

B. The minimum number of signatures of qualified voters required for primary
candidate petitions shall be as follows:

   1. For a candidate for the United States Senate, Governor, Lieutenant
   Governor, or Attorney General, 10,000 signatures, including the signatures of
   at least 400 qualified voters from each congressional district in the
   Commonwealth;

   2. For a candidate for the United States House of Representatives, 1,000
   signatures;

   3. For a candidate for the Senate of Virginia, 250 signatures;

   4. For a candidate for the House of Delegates or for a constitutional office,
   125 signatures;

   5. For a candidate for membership on the governing body of any county or city,
   125 signatures; or if from an election district not at large containing 1,000
   or fewer registered voters, 50 signatures;

   6. For a candidate for membership on the governing body of any town that has
   more than 3,500 registered voters, 125 signatures; or if from a ward or other
   district not at large, 25 signatures;

   7. For a candidate for membership on the governing body of any town that has
   at least 1,500 but not more than 3,500 registered voters, 50 signatures; or if
   from a ward or other district not at large, 25 signatures;

   8. For a candidate for membership on the governing body of any town that has
   fewer than 1,500 registered voters, no petition shall be required; and

   9. For any other candidate, 50 signatures.

HISTORY: Code 1950, § 24-373; 1952, c. 523; 1970, c. 462, § 24.1-185; 1971,
Ex. Sess., cc. 119, 247; 1972, c. 620; 1978, c. 778; 1980, c. 639; 1982, c. 650;
1983, c. 188; 1989, c. 141; 1992, c. 855; 1993, cc. 407, 641; 1998, cc. 152,
246; 2000, cc. 232, 252; 2003, c. 477; 2010, c. 215; 2012, cc. 166, 538; 2017,
c. 355; 2020, c. 501; 2024, c. 498.