HOW DO I GET ON THE BALLOT IN CHESTER COUNTY?

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Every candidate who wishes to run for elected office must decide how they wish to gain access to the ballot in the November election. There are two different methods to be a Republican candidate in November.

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1. Submit a nomination petition to be added to the Republicans' primary ballot. Any candidate who wins a primary election is added to the November ballot unless they decide to withdraw.

2. Pursue a write-in campaign for either the primary election or the general election. If a write-in candidate is the highest vote-getter in the primary that candidate will be listed as the Republican candidate on the November ballot. 

 

Method #1: Nomination Petitions

Individuals who wish to participate in the Republican primary must complete a nomination petition to be added to the ballot. These petitions are filed directly with Chester County Voter Services at the Government Services Center in West Chester. A petition consists of a candidate or a chosen circulator to collect signatures of registered voters of their same party. All of these voters must also reside in the same election district that the office governs. A designated circulator must be a qualified Pennsylvania voter and be of the same political party as the signer. The document along with the signatures, is formally submitted to Chester County Voter Services. Chester County Voter Services is to print their name on the ballot. The minimum number of signatures required to be added to the ballot varies based on the office. Generally, the larger the jurisdiction of the office, more signatures are required.

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Any person who wins a Primary Election is automatically added to the ballot for the November election. Candidates do have a window to withdraw from their spot on the November ballot between the Primary and General Elections. 

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Elections for party offices such as committee member are chosen by the results of the Primary election. They do not appear on the ballot in a November election. 

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Chester County Voter Services provides nominations petitions to candidates both physically and digitally. Petitions may be circulated and filed from February 17th until March 10th at 4:30pm.

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Method #2: Write-In Campaign

Individuals may also conduct a write-in campaign to either secure their name on the November ballot or win a position in the general election. Write-in candidates names are not printed on the ballot but ask their supporters to make use of the opportunity to physically write-in their name that is afforded for every position on every ballot. Candidates who win via a write-in campaign for a primary will be automatically added to the November ballot. Write-in candidates who have won a primary may withdraw from the ballot using the same procedures listed below. To be certified as a write-in winner in a primary election the vote totals for a candidate must be equal to or greater than the number of signatures required on a nomination petition for the particular office.

 

Any candidate who is running a write-in campaign is encouraged to submit to our office a Letter of Accumulation to consolidate all votes for variations of their name. Letters of Accumulation can be received no later than the Monday following the election at 9:00am.