Missouri law (RSMo 115.357) requires candidates for partisan office to pay a filing fee to the treasurer of the state or county committee of the political party whose nomination they seek. The committee (not the county clerk) is the entity that determines whether the candidate may appear on the ballot under the party label. The fee is set by statute (e.g., $100 for county offices) and goes to the party committee. This structure has existed for decades and gives party committees authority over their own nomination process — including the ability to accept or reject the fee based on party rules and vetting.