(1) Any person desiring to have his name placed on the presidential preference primary ballot shall pay a qualifying fee and file the petition or petitions as described in this section.

(2) The amount of the qualifying fee shall be Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500.00). Each independent candidate shall pay the qualifying fee to the Secretary of State. Each political party candidate shall pay the qualifying fee to the state executive committee of the appropriate political party.

(3) A candidate shall file a petition or petitions in support of his candidacy with the state executive committee of the appropriate political party or the Secretary of State, whichever is applicable, after January 1 of the year in which the presidential preference primary is to be held and before January 15 of that same year. To comply with this section, a candidate may file a petition or petitions signed by a total of not less than five hundred (500) qualified electors of the state, or petitions signed by not less than one hundred (100) qualified electors of each congressional district of the state, in which case there shall be a separate petition for each congressional district. The petitions shall be in such form as prescribed by the state executive committee or Secretary of State, whichever is applicable; provided, that there shall be a space for the county of residence of each signer next to the space provided for his signature. No signature may be counted as valid unless the county of residence of the signer is provided. Each petition shall contain an affirmation under the penalties of perjury that each signer is a qualified elector in his congressional district or in the state, as appropriate.