# When is the latest date someone can practibly stand for US President?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-the-latest-date-someone-can-practibly-stand-for-us-president/735340
**Category:** Politics & Elections
**Created:** [October 21, 2015, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-the-latest-date-someone-can-practibly-stand-for-us-president/735340 "2015-10-21T11:00:23Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2015, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-the-latest-date-someone-can-practibly-stand-for-us-president/735340/1 "2015-10-21T11:00:23Z")
It’s still a long way to the Primaries. When is the latest someone can jump in? Assuming they want to run as a R or D? How about if they were to run as independent?
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### Author:  [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2015, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-the-latest-date-someone-can-practibly-stand-for-us-president/735340/2 "2015-10-21T13:05:21Z")
[The filing deadlines](http://www.politics1.com/calendar.htm) for the various state party primaries, some of which have already passed. At some point it is no longer possible to win enough delegates to win your party’s nomination at its convention.
In practical terms, lining up major donors (by convincing them you can win and are their best choice) and setting up organizations of volunteers has to be done probably about six months earlier, preferably earlier due to competition. IOW, yes, it’s right on the edge for Biden, at best, and realistically he’s probably too late already.
All states AFAIK permit write-in votes, though, so the \*legal \*deadline would be Election Day itself.
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### Author:  [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2015, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-the-latest-date-someone-can-practibly-stand-for-us-president/735340/3 "2015-10-21T13:08:11Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#):
>
> [The filing deadlines](http://www.politics1.com/calendar.htm) for the various state party primaries, some of which have already passed.
If I’m reading that right, none of the presidential primary deadlines have already passed, right?
By the way, U.S. candidates don’t “stand,” they “run.” It’s much more strenuous that way.
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2015, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-the-latest-date-someone-can-practibly-stand-for-us-president/735340/4 "2015-10-21T13:18:02Z")
Since the candidate for the major parties can be chosen at the convention there is no need to run in any primaries at all. That would be a rarity, but this election cycle is setting up the circumstances where that is possible to happen.
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### Author:  [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2015, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-the-latest-date-someone-can-practibly-stand-for-us-president/735340/5 "2015-10-21T13:35:02Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#):
>
> If I’m reading that right, none of the presidential primary deadlines have already passed, right?
Louisiana, and Kentucky in so few days that it’s not really possible to collect enough signatures.
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### Author:  [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2015, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-the-latest-date-someone-can-practibly-stand-for-us-president/735340/6 "2015-10-21T14:10:42Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#):
>
> Louisiana, and Kentucky in so few days that it’s not really possible to collect enough signatures.
Never mind, I was confusing filing deadlines with the dates given for the primaries themselves.
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### Author:  [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2015, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-the-latest-date-someone-can-practibly-stand-for-us-president/735340/7 "2015-10-21T16:28:26Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#):
>
> All states AFAIK permit write-in votes, though, so the \*legal \*deadline would be Election Day itself.
There are some states that don’t allow write in votes. [Nevada](http://ballotpedia.org/Ballot_access_requirements_for_political_candidates_in_Nevada) doesn’t at all. ISTR recall there are some others that have the limit for President but not for every office like Nevada. That means their normal deadlines to get on the ballot apply.
[Ohio,](http://ballotpedia.org/Ballot_access_requirements_for_political_candidates_in_Ohio) and ISTR some others, requires you to file in advance to have a write in vote actually counted. For next year that deadline in Ohio is August 29th. It’s still easier than meeting all the requirements to be listed on the ballot but you can’t just have people wander in and write your name down.
Quartz - [here’s a list of filing deadlines](http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/the-real-presidential-deadlines/) by state and party (not every state handles both party events on the same especially when they use a caucus instead of a primary). There’s still some changes possible from that list in the dates of events let alone filing deadlines. States set the dates for themselves within overall party rules. By that list the first Republican date has passed. The Alaska deadline for both parties is November 6.
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### Author:  [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2015, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-the-latest-date-someone-can-practibly-stand-for-us-president/735340/8 "2015-10-21T16:54:22Z")
As always, the SDMB delivers.
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### Author:  [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2015, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-the-latest-date-someone-can-practibly-stand-for-us-president/735340/9 "2015-10-21T22:23:43Z")
Contrast the current process – where the practical deadline for announcing a candidacy is upon us, and may already have passed – with the old days, when primaries were of secondary importance to the conventions.
In 1968, Kennedy and Humphrey didn’t decide to run until after the New Hampshire primary, and LBJ dropped out. So…March, 1968 for a November election. Unimaginable, today.
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### Author:  [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2015, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-the-latest-date-someone-can-practibly-stand-for-us-president/735340/10 "2015-10-21T23:51:41Z")
> [@DinoR](#):
>
> There are some states that don’t allow write in votes. [Nevada](http://ballotpedia.org/Ballot_access_requirements_for_political_candidates_in_Nevada) doesn’t at all. ISTR recall there are some others that have the limit for President but not for every office like Nevada. That means their normal deadlines to get on the ballot apply.
Have there been court challenges against this? I understand that states need to make ballots of reasonable size, but therefore not to allow write-ins seems against all American election history.
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### Author:  [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2015, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-the-latest-date-someone-can-practibly-stand-for-us-president/735340/11 "2015-10-22T00:00:32Z")
Even if a state counts write-in votes for unregistered presidential candidates, that would be meaningless unless you were able to write in in all the electors too. Technically, when you vote for a presidential candidate, there’s fine print saying that you’re actually not voting for that person but instead for that candidate’s slate of electors.
If you write in Bob Smith, and Bob hasn’t registered with the requisite number of electors, your vote is meaningless because there’s no way to translate it into a meaningful result. Even if the state pretends to count it.
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### Author:  [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2015, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-the-latest-date-someone-can-practibly-stand-for-us-president/735340/12 "2015-10-22T01:10:28Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#):
>
> Have there been court challenges against this? I understand that states need to make ballots of reasonable size, but therefore not to allow write-ins seems against all American election history.
In a quick look, not that I see and the laws are in place so they weren’t overturned. Nevada does make it pretty easy to get on the ballot as an independent which might help their argument. Statewide office takes a petition with 200 registered voters. It’s 100 for other offices. A petition with 1% of the total of votes cast in the last election for that position also works so you can be listed with less than 100 signatures for small local offices.
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### Author:  [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2015, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-the-latest-date-someone-can-practibly-stand-for-us-president/735340/13 "2015-10-22T02:22:39Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#):
>
> Even if a state counts write-in votes for unregistered presidential candidates, that would be meaningless unless you were able to write in in all the electors too. Technically, when you vote for a presidential candidate, there’s fine print saying that you’re actually not voting for that person but instead for that candidate’s slate of electors.
>
> If you write in Bob Smith, and Bob hasn’t registered with the requisite number of electors, your vote is meaningless because there’s no way to translate it into a meaningful result. Even if the state pretends to count it.
Since Nevada doesn’t allow any write-in votes for any offices, that’s true and entirely irrelevant. And most states do in fact allow people to write in names for President irregardless.\*
\*It’s a pun.
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### Author:  [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2015, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-the-latest-date-someone-can-practibly-stand-for-us-president/735340/14 "2015-10-22T04:24:28Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#):
>
> And most states do in fact allow people to write in names for President irregardless.\*
Most states don’t count them…whether the write in candidate is Irregardless or Tom Brady. Cite for the write in rules for this election cycle:
> [@](#):
>
> An individual can run as a write-in candidate. In 35 states, a write-in candidate must file some paperwork in advance of the election. In seven states, write-in voting for presidential candidates is not permitted. The remaining states do not require write-in candidates to file paperwork in advance of the election.
Most seem to be guided by the general principle of needing to know the list of electors in advance. That still doesn’t cover Nevada since they don’t let you run a write-in campaign for Dog Catcher either.