Friday, June 29, 2012, is the deadline to file a Declaration of Intent to seek nomination by petition or to seek nomination from a non-principal political party. An individual must file a Declaration of Intent if s/he intends to be a candidate in the 2012 General Election and:
- Is affiliated with a recognized non-principal political party and intends to seek that political party’s nomination
- Is affiliated with a non-recognized political party and intends to seek that political party’s nomination by petition
- Is unaffiliated with any political party and intends to submit a candidacy petition
Under State law, an individual must file a Declaration of Intent by 5:00 pm on July 1st in the year in which the President of the United States is elected. For the 2012 Presidential General Election, the filing date is Friday, June 29, 2012, because July 1st is a Sunday.
The location where the individual files depends on the office sought. All federal and State candidates file a Declaration of Intent at the State Board of Elections, located at 151 West Street, Annapolis, MD.
Local candidates file at the local board of elections.
A candidate who files a timely Declaration of Intent has until Monday, August 6, 2012, to complete his or her filing. By this date, the individual must file a:
- Certificate of Candidacy; and
- Certificate of Nomination if the candidate is seeking nomination from a recognized non-principal political party or a political party that has submitted a petition for recognition; or
- Candidacy petition if the candidate is affiliated with a non-recognized political party or is unaffiliated with any political party. The petition must have signatures representing 1% of the total number of registered voters in the district for the office sought.
Additionally, the candidate must pay the filing fee and if a candidate for State or local office, provide evidence that the candidate has filed a financial disclosure statement and establish a candidate committee at the State Board of Elections.
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