Monday, January 25, 2010

Now Is The Time To Come To the Aid Of Your Party!

If you always wanted to run for office but you don’t know where to start. If you always wanted to volunteer to help your community but you don’t know how to fit in. If you like people and want to bring the people’s needs to the City and County leaders but you have no clout behind you. Then you want to run for County Committee Person.

Starting February 16, 2010 thru March 9, 2010, people registered with the Democratic and Republican Parties in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will be able to contact their County Election Departments and take out a Petition to run for County Committee Person. It takes ten (10) signatures from people of the party that you are associated with on the petition. No filing fee is needed. You would get these petitions from your election department and return them before the deadline.

Each Precinct has at least Four (4) County Committee People. The Democrats has a man and a woman and so does the Republicans. I don’t know anything about third parties. They may have the same party structure. If you belong to one, check with your State or County Chair Person. For example, I live in the Ninth Ward, Fourth Precinct. In the next Primary, I may see men and woman on the ballot running for these four committee seats. As a Democrat, I will vote for the Democratic County Committee man and Democratic County Committee Woman.

These elected volunteers are the neighborhood “go to” for the Democratic and Republican Parties in there precincts. These are the foot soldiers of the party. They will help find the people to work on the polls such as poll watchers, and greeters. They will walk with the candidates through the neighborhood to meet the voters. They will help put up yard signs and keep a supply for willing neighbors. The committee people vote for party endorsed candidates to run in the primary and work to make them the winner in the Primary and get them elected in the fall. If you want more information about this election, contact the Dauphin County Election Department, Dauphin County Administration Building (first floor), 2 South 2nd Street, Harrisburg, Pa. Phone 717-780-6360.

The State Parties also has Committee people. Here it takes 100 signatures on a petition and a filing fee of $25. You would contact the State Election Department for more details.