How to Run for President in 2024
Qualifications
The qualifications for President of the United States are listed in the U.S. Constitution. To run for President, you:
- Must be 35 years old.
- Must be a natural born citizen of the United States.
- Must have been a resident of the United States for at least 14 years.
Non-Party General Election Candidates
The 2024 State Election will be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024.
If you want to run for president as a non-party candidate, you can run in the state election. Your name and the name of your candidate for vice president will appear on the ballot, along with the political party nominees.
Nomination papers will be available no later than Tuesday, February 7, 2024. You can pick them up at One Ashburton Place, Room 1705, in Boston. If you would rather receive your nomination papers by mail, you can request them in writing or by phone.
To qualify for the ballot, you will need to submit to the Elections Division at least 10,000 certified signatures by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, August 27, 2024.
Signatures must be collected from registered voters and certified by the local election offices in each city and town where you gathered the signatures. Before you can gather any signatures, your nomination papers must be completed with the names of your running mate and 11 qualified electors. Elector candidates must be registered voters of Massachusetts who are not enrolled in a political party.
Your nomination papers will come with a detailed candidate’s guide, which you should read thoroughly before circulating any nomination papers.
Pay close attention to the deadlines in the calendar of events below, and any other deadlines listed in your candidate’s guide. All deadlines are at 5 p.m., unless otherwise noted.
General Election Calendar of Events
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Nomination papers available for general election candidates | Tuesday, February 7, 2024 |
| Deadline to submit nomination papers to local election offices for certification | Tuesday, July 30, 2024 |
| Deadline for local registrars to complete certification of signatures | Tuesday, August 20, 2024 |
| Deadline to submit certified signatures to Elections Division | Tuesday, August 27, 2024 |
| Deadline to file objections to non-party presidential candidates’ nomination papers with the Elections Division | Friday, August 30, 2024 |
| Deadline for non-party presidential candidates to file notarized withdrawal from general election ballot | Friday, August 30, 2024 |
| General Election | Tuesday, November 5, 2024 |
Write-in Candidates
If you have not been able to get your name on the ballot as a candidate, you may run as a write-in candidate. Voters will be able to vote for you by writing your name and your running mate’s name in the blank space provided on the ballot.
To run as a write-in candidate in the general election, you will need to file a Presidential Write-in Certification Form with the Elections Division by 5 p.m. on Friday, September 6, 2024.
The certification form will need to be signed by you, your candidate for vice president, and your 11 Massachusetts electors. You will also need to file certificates of voter registration for each of your 11 electors, to show that they are registered voters of Massachusetts. Certificates of voter registration are available from the local election official in the city or town where each elector is registered to vote.
The form for presidential write-in candidates will be available from the Elections Division no earlier than February 13, 2024. You may contact the Elections Division to request the form.