How do I get Elected????

Presidential ElectionsFederal Congress People

Local Elections

General Rules of Thumb

• Everyone has requirements to be on the ballot like:– Age – Location– Police records– Time of request– Term limits

• You must meet all of the requirements or the only way you will be elected is a right in vote (long shot to success)

Presidential Election

• Requirements– 35 years old– Natural born citizen– Live in the U.S. for at least 14 years

• Expectations– Like public life– No criminal background – it will be found out– Willing to compromise

1. Getting on the Primary Ballot– Will vary from state to state as to the process– You must circulate a petition that says you have a certain

number of people who are willing to vote for you.

2. Primary (Pennsylvania)– People with similar political views are part of the same

political party– You can only vote for the candidates in your registered

political party– Candidates will campaign to win the position to represent

their political party– Caucus is used in some states and that is a similar method,

but it is in a group format– The goal is to narrow the field to one candidate from each

political party

3. National Convention– After the states have held their primary’s each

political party will decide their candidate based on majority wins.

– Running mates announced if not already done so– National platform established– Campaign nation wide for votes

4. November General Election – First Tuesday following the First Monday of the month – Citizen, 18 years old can vote for any political party– When you cast your vote you are actually deciding

electors who will go and vote in December

5. Electoral College– Electors are chosen by popular vote in each state– Report to state capital to vote in December– Each state is assigned a number of electoral votes

based on population• Number will be adjusted with the census every 10 years

– It takes 270 electoral votes to win the election

6. President and Vice President are inaugurated in January

Elected to Congress in Washington D.C. to Represent PA

• Check with your local Board of Elections for qualifications and the forms required– Requirements for other PA Positions• Governor = 30 years old, 7 years inhabit PA, U.S. Citizen• Senator = 25 years old, 4 years inhabit PA, 1 year

inhabit district representing, 4 years U.S. Citizen• Representative = 21 years old, 4 years inhabit PA, 1 year

inhabit district representing, 4 years U.S. Citizen• Judge – member of the bar for 1 year prior to running,

live in the state represent

Getting on the Ballot Locally

1. Candidate completes Affidavit – residency, election district, and office running for

2. Statement of Financial Interest – lists sources of income

3. Nomination Petitions or Papers – with signatures of registered voters

4. Create a Political Committee for some offices1. Chairperson2. Treasurer3. When campaign spends over $250.00 then it must be

reported to the campaign finance officials for inspections