You’re interested in running for office! 

First steps

  • This resource is applicable to most political campaigns, and we encourage you to reach out to your local County party for additional and more specific information.

Choosing the Right Office

We need you now more than ever to bring your lived experience to complex conversations, and to be inside the rooms that make decisions directly impacting your community. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be a millionaire lawyer or have a specific set of experiences to run for office. If you have grit, integrity, enthusiasm, and a desire for change, you can learn the rest along the way.

Every even-numbered year, seats in the State Legislature are elected, while local elections are in every odd-numbered year. And occasionally there are special elections that occur outside of this predictable cycle due to unplanned retirements, resignations, or deaths of previously elected members. This means that regardless of when you choose to jump in, there will be offices you can run for!

  • At some point, you will be taking inventory of what drives you, who supports you already, and what you have to bring to the table – but first, ask yourself:

    What office should I run for?

    To figure out which office, think about your background, the issues you are most passionate about, the time commitment you are prepared to make, and whether or not the position is paid a salary or stipend.

    While there are three levels of government, LEAD PA focuses primarily on these two: legislature at the state level, and local governments. To get started, research your municipalities and districts as well as who is already representing you and your neighbors in your community.

  • State office eligibility

    • The General Assembly is composed of the State House and the State Senate. Members of these chambers pass or deny bills that apply to the whole Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 

    • Pennsylvania has 50 State Senatorial districts, and 203 State Legislative districts. There are residency requirements to qualify to run for a seat in the General Assembly. Candidates for state legislature must have lived in Pennsylvania for 4 years, and have lived in “their respective districts” for ‘one year before the next election’. They must also reside in their districts during their term of service, and be of requisite established age (25 for the State Senate and 21 for the State House of Representatives). See P.A. Cons. art. II, sec. 5.

    • To be deemed an ineligible candidate for the General Assembly, a person may have failed to meet the residency requirement; or may be disqualified due to a previous conviction of a specific nature. No person convicted of embezzlement of public moneys, bribery, perjury or other infamous crime shall be eligible to the General Assembly, or capable of holding any office of trust or profit in this Commonwealth.  P.A. Cons. art. II, sec. 7.

    Local office eligibility

    Alongside office-specific requirements, in order to hold local elected office in Pennsylvania, you must first meet these eligibility requirements:

    • At least eighteen (18) years of age as of the date of the November municipal election;

    • U.S. citizen domiciled in Pennsylvania - Resident of the county / municipality / district for at least one (1) uninterrupted year prior to the date of the November municipal election (or prior to appointment if appointed);

    • Exceptions are District Attorney and statewide Judges, who also must have a Juris Doctor degree and be a member of the local bar association in good standing.

LEAD PA Institute: Local & Countywide Elected Office Descriptions

Commonwealth Resources

National Resources

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