In the primary election this May, Republican and Democratic voters will elect committeemen and women to their respective county committees. These officials register voters, work on campaigns, and drive people to the polls. They also elect the county party chairs and may endorse candidates. They receive no pay.

In a famous study of citizen participation, political scientist Lester Milbrath divided the population into four groups, using the analogy of Roman games. The “apathetics," whom he said were about one third of the population, are the politically inert. They hear the roar of the crowd, but they aren’t inside the colosseum.

The “spectators” vote, watch the news, and may discuss politics. They are the people in the seats who point their thumbs up or down come election time.

Milbrath labeled a more active group as “transitionals.” They might attend a rally, contribute money to a candidate, or contact an elected official.

Finally, there are the “gladiators.” These are the people who solicit funds, contribute time, or run for public office. Milbrath estimated about one percent of the population was in this category.

Democracies need gladiators. Running for a seat on the county committee of your party is one way to unbuckle your sword and mix it up down there in the arena.

The basics
First, you pick up a petition at the Carbon County Voter Registration Office located at 76 Susquehanna Street in Jim Thorpe. There is no filing fee. If you aren’t sure of your precinct number, staff will look it up. (The Voter Registration office, incidentally, is one of the most efficient offices in Carbon County.) A minimum of ten party members in your precinct must sign the petition. It has space for 15 signatures, and you should get 15 in case some signatures are invalid.

You can pick up the petition any time, but you can’t circulate the petition until February 16. You take the completed petition to a notary public to have it signed and stamped. You could also take it to the prothonotary’s office in the old Courthouse, where the staff will perform that function free of charge. The deadline for completing the petition is March 9.

To run you must to be a registered member of the party. That’s it.

We should note that Democrats and Republicans do differ slightly in the way they assign committee seats. Carbon Democrats elect a committeeman and committeewoman from each of the county’s 50 precincts. The number of seats for the Republicans may vary from precinct to precinct, depending on the number of Republican Party voters, and there is no gender requirement.

To find out how many Republican committee members are assigned to your precinct, check the Carbon County Republican Party website, which has links to party officials who can tell you.

Once your petition is filed, tell friends and neighbors in your party to vote for you. Pennsylvania has a closed primary, which means that party members can’t vote in the other party’s primary. This makes sense; the primary is where a party selects its nominees and its committee members.

By the way, if you live in another county, the rules are basically the same, but check with your county’s office of voter registration.

In conclusion, you’ll be running for an office that does not pay a salary or receive widespread recognition, and involves a good deal of work at the precinct level. On the other hand, you will be in the arena, brandishing your petition.

Roy Christman,
Committeeman
Precinct # 56,
Towamensing North