Now more than ever we need the voices of women at all levels of government. This is especially the case in PA where abortion rights are in danger.
Not everyone is in a position to run for public office and furthermore the number of seats in congress, on state and local legislatures, is limited. However, there are many other ways to influence politics in PA.
One opportunity which comes up every 4 years is running for a seat on PA Democratic State Committee, occurring in the Spring Primary Election in the year the Governor is elected.
State Committee persons have a vote on endorsements in primary elections for US Senate, statewide PA offices (Governor, Attorney General, Treasurer, and Auditor General) as well as statewide judicial races (for PA Supreme Court, Commonwealth Court, and Superior Court). They can also introduce and vote on public policy resolutions at State Committee meetings.
For women who would like at some point to run for office, membership on State Committee provides an opportunity to meet elected officials and activists who might be helpful in a future campaign. Also, those who are working on the campaign of a particular candidate have the opportunity to build support for her at State Committee meetings.
The number of State Committee members which each county is entitled to elect is based on the Democratic Party registration in that county as of the last General Election immediately preceding that year. ( Rule III lays it out in detail – https://www.padems.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/2021-Bylaws-State-4.pdf) There shall be an equal number of women and men elected if the county has more than one member.
In each county electing twenty (20) or more State Committee members, those members are apportioned by Senatorial District. Running for State Committee is much easier than running for a legislative seat. These are low-profile races and candidates do not need to raise large sums of money to be competitive. Candidates should however try to get political support from ward leaders and elected officials in the district and thus get on as many sample ballots as possible.
Pennsylvania Department of State: Nomination Paper Forms
Pennsylvania Department Of State: General Information About Running For Public Office
Candidates must get a minimum of 100 signatures and pay a filing fee of $25 to get on the ballot. It is advisable to get significantly more than the minimum number of signatures to deter petition challenges. Please make sure petition signatures collected are from the county/District you are running in.
Petitions must be circulated between Feb 15th and March 8th. These dates may be subject to change due to redistricting challenges.
All information for getting on the ballot for State Committee is available here:
Please note: Nomination petitions for state and federal offices must be filed with the Secretary of the Commonwealth in Harrisburg. Nomination petitions must be received no later than 5:00 PM on the tenth Tuesday prior to the primary.
Please let us know if you are going to run for State Committee-we will love to highlight our NOW members! Please reach out if you need help navigating this process: PennsylvaniaNOW@gmail.com
GOOD LUCK!!
