For candidates to appear on the Primary Ballot in Pennsylvania, each candidate must secure the specified number of valid signatures on nomination petition forms, from voters registered in the same party as the candidate and residing in the district which the candidate will represent.
Pennsylvania requires specific numbers of petition signatures for each candidate for elected office.
• United States President – 2,000 signatures are required from all over the state
• United States Senator – 2,000 signatures are required from all over the state
• United States Representative – 1,000 signatures are required from within the Congressional District
• Governor– 2,000 signatures are required from all over the state
• Lieutenant Governor– 1,000 signatures are required from all over the state
• State Attorney General – 1,000 signatures are required from all over the state
• State Auditor General – 1,000 signatures are required from all over the state
• State Treasurer– 1,000 signatures are required from all over the state
• State Senator – 500 signatures from within the state Senate District
• State Representative – 300 signatures from within the state House District
• State Supreme Court Justice – 1,000 signatures are required from all over the state
• Superior Court Judge – 1,000 signatures are required from all over the state
• Commonwealth Court Judge – 1,000 signatures are required from all over the state
• Common Pleas Court Judge – 250 signatures
• County Commissioner – 250 signatures
• Magisterial District Judge – 100 signatures
• Borough Offices – 10 signatures
• School Board Members – 10 signatures
• Judge of Elections – 10 signatures
• Inspector of Elections – 5 signatures
• Local Party Committee Members – 10 signatures
To sign a candidate’s nomination petition, you must be a registered Democrat and reside in the district which the candidate will represent.
On the petition, you must provide the following…
• Your first and last name, which should match your voter registration information
• Your signature, which should match your voter registration signature
• The street number and street name where you reside (not a post office box)
• The municipality where you pay taxes (may be different from your mailing address)
• The date of signing, as d-m-y, d/m/y, or Month Day, Year.
You may sign only one petition per candidate, but you may sign petitions for multiple candidates if there are multiple openings for the position.