A new bill being introduced in the City Council aims to make it easier for candidates to get on the ballot without the backing of party machines — scrapping requirements to gather hundreds of thousands of petition signatures.

Under the legislation by Councilman Ben Kallos (D-Manhattan), a candidate could instead qualify by raising enough donations to earn public matching funds — from $5,000 for City Council to $250,000 for mayor.

Under the current rules, candidates have to get between 450 and 3,750 signatures — but upstart office-seekers often face petition challenges seeking to knock them off the ballot.