Elections happen every year in Pennsylvania. Actually, if you vote in the spring primary, there are two but have you ever wondered how the names get on the ballot? In 2025 there will be a dizzying array of elections from township to borough, from school board to county offices and even for judges. It can be a very confusing time and there can be dozens of names to choose from.
The people you’re choosing for office get on the ballot because nominating petitions have been circulated. In other words, people from each party carry petitions around and ask for voters to sign for somebody to get on the ballot. When you sign your name for someone your signature means that a certain candidate deserves a chance to be on the ballot come primary election day. Depending upon the election, a potential candidate needs a certain amount of signatures. For instance, in this year’s races, a school board candidate will need a minimum of ten signatures. However, if someone wants to run for a county office, such as prothonotary or register of wills, then they will need 250 signatures.
Petition signing comes with a deadline. The window opened on February 18 and ends March 11th so many candidates need assistance from volunteers from their party. What else makes this election different is that some offices allow you to run on other party ballots. An individual running for school board may have their name on ballots for Democrats and Republicans. This nominating process makes politics complicated and might discourage people from participating. These off year elections are vitally important for local communities but they also generally have very low voter turnout sometimes with just 25% of the electorate showing up.
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