Municiple Elections are happening in Pennsylvania 2025

The local election season has officially begun as the circulation for nomination petitions started Feb. 18th and will end on March 11th. This season has both primary elections (May 20th) and municipal elections (Nov. 4th), and both will decide important local officials for your area. Of course, there are well known elections happening during the primary, such as the mayoral elections that are happening in a few Pennsylvania cities, like Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, but there are also smaller, less known, positions up for grabs that are just as important. Some of these positions are for judges in the court of common pleas and the Superior court. These positions matter to you as these are the judges that citizens will be actively interacting with when dealing with civil and criminal cases. This is your opportunity to elect fair and deserving judges to these positions. Other local titles such as sheriff and city/county council members are also going to be on some ballots, and these roles directly influence and enforce laws. There are so many other important races that you have power in, such as deciding your mayors, school board, tax collectors, county board of commissioners, clerk of court, and so much more. In this election season make the decision to be an active participant in your community and help elect someone you know will be just and lead with equality!

If you are someone interested in running for a local office for the first time, some beginning steps are:

1. Check your eligibility for running

1. Have you lived in the area you wish to serve for over a year as well as a registered voter?

2. Receive petition signatures

1. Each position has a different number of minimum signatures, so be sure to check in with your county election office. These signatures usually must be people who are registered for the area, as well as match your political party.

3. Fill out and file required paperwork, as well as pay needed fees, to your county election office. 

1. Some such paperwork is the Statement of Financial Interests form, the Nomination Petitions (for primary ballot), and the Nomination Papers (for minor political parties). These must be filed by March 11th. 

For a more outlined calendar of important dates, go to the Pennsylvania’s official website here: Upcoming Elections | Voting & Election Information | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania