Run for Office

NOTE: Nominating petition circulation is delayed. On February 9, 2022, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court temporarily suspended the General Primary Election calendar – related to the time of circulating and filing nomination petitions. This is pending further order of the Court as it considers redistricting cases.

Thinking about running for office?

There are many programs, people and places that can help you get ready to run!


THE BASICS

Running for Federal Office in the USA – Quick answers to questions provided by the Federal Election Commission. Additional resources for candidates for federal office:

General Information about Running for Office – A general guide from the PA Dept. of State about running for state-wide office in Pennsylvania.

Running for State-wide Office in Pennsylvania – For detailed information contact the Pennsylvania Division of Elections at (717) 787-5280 or RA-elections@pa.gov.

Running for Local Office in Allegheny County – a general overview of running for office in the county at local levels. For details information and official forms and instructions, contact the Allegheny County Elections Division at (412) 350-4528.

Running for School Board in Pennsylvania – How to Run information from the Pennsylvania School Boards Association.


WOMEN IN POLITICS

Ready to Run Pittsburgh provides bi-partisan political training to encourage women to run for government leadership positions. These day-long programs are held periodically at Chatham University through the Pennsylvania Center for Women & Politics.

emergePennsylvania is changing the face of PA politics by identifying, training and encouraging Democratic women to run for office, get elected and to seek higher office.

NEW Leadership Pennsylvania is an intensive, week-long, residential leadership and public policy institute designed to education and empower young women for future political participation and leadership.

The Pennsylvania Center for Women & Politics is a non-partisan center devoted to fostering women’s public leadership through education, empowerment, and action.

Emily’s List is launching Run to Win is a national recruitment campaign aimed at recruiting and helping pro-choice Democratic women around the country run for office and win.

IGNITE is building a movement of young women who are ready to own their fair share of political power.

VoteRunLead supports the aspirations of women who want to transform our country and democracy through their participation as leaders.


SUPPORT FOR DIVERSE CANDIDATES

Congressional Black Caucus Institute’s Boot Camp is a highly-acclaimed intensive leadership development program designed to help participants who want to become leaders, strategists, and key staff members.

Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund – electing LGBT leaders to change America’s politics.

Latino Victory is a unique training program by the Latino Victory Fund which is open to all but specifically aimed at Latinos aspiring to political office.

Young People For (YP4) is taking a stand for progressive values and investing in young adults to become powerful advocates for social change in their communities.


THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY

National Democratic Training Committee – free campaign training for every Democratic candidate. Everywhere.

Best Practices Institute -The Best Practices Institute (BPI) is the shared training department of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the ASDC. The BPI delivers trainings to activists and volunteers, Party leaders and staff, students and youth organizers, candidates and campaign staff, constituency caucus members and community leaders, and so many more!


Not ready to run? Then CITIZEN! Listen to an engaging podcast by Baratunde, a writer, activist, and comedian, that reimagines “citizen” as a verb and is a very insightful resource to help us reclaim our collective power.

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