Forward Starts with a New Direction
Florida State House & Senate Candidate Filing Information
Florida Voter Registration
You must be a registered voter in Florida.
Age Requirement
You must be at least 21 years old.
Residency Requirements
You must have resided in Florida for at least two years prior to the general election.
You must reside in the district at the time you assume office. District residency is not required at qualifying but must be established before taking office if elected.
Residency Guidelines (see Florida Constitution Article III, Section 15)
# Party Affiliation (for partisan candidates)
You must be registered with your party for 365 days prior to the beginning of the qualifying period.
See party affiliation rules:
Campaign Bank Account
Open a campaign depository account with a bank authorized to operate in Florida.
Basic Documents to Complete
DS-DE 9: Appointment of Campaign Treasurer and Designation of Campaign Depository
Download Form DS-DE 9
https://dos.fl.gov/elections/forms-publications/forms/
DS-DE 301A: Candidate Oath – State and Local Partisan Office
Download Form DS-DE 301A
https://dos.fl.gov/elections/forms-publications/forms/
DS-DE 84: Statement of Candidate
Download Form DS-DE 84https://dos.fl.gov/elections/forms-publications/forms/
Form 6: Full and Public Disclosure of Financial Interests
Filed electronically with the Florida Commission on Ethics
[https://ethics.state.fl.us/](https://ethics.state.fl.us/)
Qualifying Fee OR Petition Signatures
Qualify by fee:
• Party Affiliation: 6 percent of the annual salary for the office you are seeking
• No Party Affiliation: 4 percent of the annual salary
Contact the Florida Division of Elections to confirm the current salary and calculate your fee.
OR qualify by collecting valid petition signatures equal to 1 percent of registered voters in your district.
Petition Form DS-DE 104
Available at:
Filing Steps for Florida State House or Senate Candidates
Step 1: File Form DS-DE 9
Submit the Appointment of Campaign Treasurer and Designation of Campaign Depository.
This must be filed before collecting contributions or making expenditures.
File DS-DE 9
https://dos.fl.gov/elections/forms-publications/forms/
Step 2: Open Campaign Bank Account
Open a campaign depository account in your candidate name using your EIN if required by your bank.
Step 3: Collect Petition Signatures (optional)
Instead of paying a qualifying fee, you may qualify by petition.
Petitions must be submitted to the Supervisor of Elections in your district by the deadline for verification.
Step 4: Prepare Qualifying Forms
DS-DE 301A Candidate Oath
DS-DE 84 Statement of Candidate
Form 6 Financial Disclosure
Campaign check for qualifying fee unless qualifying by petition
Step 5: Submit Qualifying Documents
Candidates must submit their qualifying documents between noon on Monday, June 8, 2026, and noon on Friday, June 12, 2026.
Pre-qualifying submissions begin May 25, 2026.
Documents may be mailed or delivered in person to:
Florida Department of State
Division of Elections
R.A. Gray Building
500 South Bronough Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0250
Phone: 850-245-6200
https://dos.fl.gov/elections/](https://dos.fl.gov/elections/
Documents must be received by noon on the final day of qualifying. Postmarks do not count.
Step 6: Begin Filing Campaign Finance Reports
All candidates are required to report contributions and expenditures electronically.
Access the Electronic Filing System:
Access the Electronic Filing System (EFS)
Official Resources
Division of Elections – Candidate Information
https://dos.fl.gov/elections/for-candidates/
Candidate and Campaign Treasurer Handbook
State Qualifying Handbook
For help, contact the Florida Division of Elections at (850) 245-6200 or visit
Official Florida Division of Elections Forms Page
All state candidate forms are located here:
Division of Elections Forms:
https://dos.fl.gov/elections/forms-publications/forms
From that page you can download:
DS-DE 9 Appointment of Campaign Treasurer
DS-DE 301A Candidate Oath
DS-DE 84 Statement of Candidate
DS-DE 104 Candidate Petition
Other campaign finance forms
There is not a separate link for each form. They are all housed on that master forms page.
Can You File These Forms Electronically?
For state legislative candidates (House and Senate):
You cannot electronically file qualifying documents.
The following must be physically submitted:
DS-DE 301A Candidate Oath
DS-DE 84 Statement of Candidate
Qualifying fee check or petition certification
Any required notarized documents
These must be mailed or hand delivered to the Division of Elections and received by the deadline.
What Can Be Filed Electronically?
Form 6 Financial Disclosure
Filed electronically with the Florida Commission on Ethics:
Campaign Finance Reports
Filed electronically through the Electronic Filing System after you become a candidate:
https://dos.fl.gov/elections/candidates-committees/campaign-finance/electronic-filing-system/
***It is your responsibility as a candidate to read and understand the Florida Election Code in the Florida Statutes, including candidate qualifying requirements in Chapter 99 of the Florida Statutes, which governs qualifying, fees, petition processes, residency, oath requirements, and other election law obligations. You can review the full text of Chapter 99 at the official Florida Legislature website:
https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0000-0099/0099/0099.html