How To Become A Committee
Person -
The
Foundation Of Political Parties
URGENT!
For the May 19th Primary Election: The
Republican Party has over 3,000 vacancies for committeeperson positions,
because only about 300 got enough signatures to get on the ballot!
If there is a vacancy on your ballot for committeeperson, please
consider writing-in your name and get other Republicans at your poll to
do the same. Just wear a sign and ask voters at your polling place to
write-in your name! The more write-ins you get, the better your chances
are to win. Try to get at least 10, because how many you'll need is
currently in the courts being decided! See Article /
Write-In Instructions / Check
CommitteePerson Election
Results (to see who is already on the ballot).
Join the Battle for a Better Philadelphia!
THE
BASICS
The Committee
Person is the foundation of any political party.
Think about the American Revolution's
"Minute Men". They constituted a vital network any upon which our
Revolution's leaders depended for their eventual success. The same
fundamentals are at work today. A robust committee person network is
invaluable to the success of any party. And that's why Committee
Persons are important.
What is the role of a GOP
committeeperson? It depends on you and your Ward Leader. Below
is
a list of possibilities.
Also see
The Committee Person Handbook
- Committee
Persons vote for their Ward leader, who then votes for the Party
Chair
- Help get out
the vote for Election Day
- Work the polls
on Election Day
- Help collect
signatures on petitions for candidates running for office
- Report any
errors on the Voters Street List to do with people who have moved,
died, changed parties, etc..
- Keep their
divisions informed about local political issues
- Attend monthly
meetings, usually zoom. (Although many GOP Wards do not hold monthly
meetings, you can always join our
MEETUP
and attend our monthly meetings!)
- Can be even
more politically engaged by working on
specific issues, attending and/or speaking at City Council meetings,
joining Committees, etc.
You don't need
anyone's permission or the party's endorsement to run for Committee Person.
However,
candidates may want to check with
PhillyGOP.com and/or your local
Ward
Leader.
All candidates need to meet the
Deadlines.
They will also want to obtain a "street list" of registered voters and their party
affiliation, which you can request from the
Commissioners
Office, so that you know who (in your party, ward & division) to contact for their signature
on your petition.
Philadelphia is divided into 66
wards, each of which is divided into from 11 to 51 divisions – 1,703
in all. Each division can have 2 committee-people for each party.
Committeepersons are elected by the voters to 4-year
terms in the Division.
Or, the party chair or ward leaders
can appoint committeepersons, but they can also remove the
committeeperson at will.
So, it is best for committeepersons to go
through the election process,
which requires getting a petition and
collecting 10 signatures of Republican voters in their division to get
on the ballot for the primary election in the spring. There are
deadlines associated with that process.
That said, candidates can skip
that step and simply "write-in" their name (and ask their supporters
in their divisions do
the same).
It's a riskier strategy, but it's an option.
After
the election, your last option is to contact
PhillyGop.com and/or your
Ward
Leader and request to be appointed.
Good
luck! And
E-MAIL US IF YOU NEED HELP!
HELPFUL LINKS:
