How to Run for County Committee

The information contained in this site is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter.

 

Petition Dates for 2023 Primary

**Calendar is subject to change by the Legislature and should be used advisedly.**

* Feb 28 First day for signing designating petitions. §6-134(4)

* Apr 3-6 Dates for filing designating petitions. §6-158(1)

* Apr 10 Last day to authorize designations. §6-120(3)

* Apr 10 Last day to accept or decline designations. §6-158(2)

* Apr 14 Last day to fill a vacancy after a declination. §6-158(3)

* Apr 18 Last day to file authorization of substitution after declination of a designation. §6-120(3)

Source: BOE Political Calendar

 

Step 1 — Check your eligibility

County Committee members are "party" positions which means that the members need to be registered to that particular political party to run.

  • You are a registered voter of your party? Check your registration here.
  • You live and are registered to vote in the assembly district in which you want to run.

 

Step 2 — Pick an Election District to Run For:

You don't necessarily need to live in the election district to run for its county committee seat. You actually can run if you live in the same assembly district.

Over half the county committee seats in NY state go unfilled, which means that you do not need to run against someone if your ED seat is already filled.

Find vacant seat in your assembly district by looking up your address here.

 

Step 3 — Petition to Run in Petition Season

Check the BOE calendar for the next petitioning season.

You will need to collect signatures within a specific date range in order to be valid. (See "DESIGNATING PETITIONS FOR STATE/LOCAL PRIMARY" table. NOT the federal primary)

A county committee term is two years and different counties have elections on different years, so check that your county committee is having an election.

These are the important dates you should mark on your calendar.

  • First day for signing designating petitions for state/local offices. §6-134(4) — March
  • Dates for filing designating petitions for state/local offices. §6-158(1) — Early April
  • State Primary: Late June

 

LOOKUP PAGE UPDATED WITH NEW SIGNATURE COUNTS

Once petition season starts, it's time to hit the pavement.

Signature requirements 5% of the active enrolled voters of the political party in the political unit.

Download the petitioning form here.

Each petition signer needs to be the following:

  • Registered to vote in the election district.
  • A registered member for the party you are petitioning for.
  • Signed within the petition season dates. 

 

Step 4 — Submit Your Petition in the Submission Window

There are only a few days in which petitions can be submitted to the Board of Elections. You need to postmark your submission or submit in person to your county BOE. You can find your county BOE board address here.

Tips for Submitting Petitions

If you are working with a club they will likely do this for you. Otherwise, please see the tips below.

 

Where:

DO: Submit your petition to 32 Broadway in Manhattan if you are petitioning in NYC. You can also mail in your petition.

DON'T: submit to the borough BOEs

 

"Securely Fastening"

All petitions must be securely fastened to be accepted.

DO: Use a hole puncher.

DON'T: Tear a hole through the pages.

 

DO: Use one of these fasteners

Round Head Fastener

2 Piece Prong Fastener at Staples

DON'T: Use a stapler.

 

Cover Sheets

You should not use a cover sheet if you have 10 pages or less. Cover sheets can get your entire petition rejected so you should definitely for minor technicalities so you should not use one if possible. 

DO: Use a cover sheet if you have over 10 pages

DON'T: Use a cover sheet if you have 10 pages or less. 

 

 

 

In New York City you submit your petition to:

New York City Board of Elections

32 Broadway, 7th Floor

New York, NY 10004

Phone: 212-487-5300

 

Step 5 — Get Out the Vote

There is a good chance your seat will be uncontested in which case, you already will be on the next county committee, and you will not be on the ballot.

If you are running against someone, now is the time to contact the people in your election district so they know to vote on election day.

 

Additional Information:

NY State Political Calendar

NY State Statute on Designating Petitions

Designating Petition Form

Address and Contact Info of All NY State Election Boards

What is a Committee?

Run Kit

Ben Yee Goes Over the Ins & Outs of the County Committee System

Ben Yee, Secretary of the Manhattan Democratic County Committee sat down with CC Sunlight's David Moore give an overview of how the county committee works.