How To Become A Committee
Person -
The
Foundation Of Political Parties
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
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
signature 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
- 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 will 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 (you could lose to another
candidate), 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!
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