STATE COLLEGE — As DuBois and neighboring Sandy Township prepare to consolidate into a new city in January 2026, all of the seats on its fresh seven-person council are up for election this year.
This rare occurrence is highly anticipated by residents and driving more interest than usual in running for local office, Clearfield County Commissioner Dave Glass told Spotlight PA.
It’s good to see competition in municipal races, rather than empty ballots, Glass added.
About 50% of 673 elected municipal officials said they ran unopposed in both the primary and general elections that got them in office, according to their response to a 2021 survey by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, a legislative agency.
Pennsylvania’s more than 2,500 municipalities require almost 13,000 elected officials to operate, according to the center’s survey.
Many public roles, including judicial positions, school board seats, and municipal board members, are on the ballot this year.
With the nomination petition window opening Feb. 18, here are the basics of running for local public office in Pennsylvania.
Who is eligible?
Adult residents who have lived in their municipality for at least one year and are registered as voters there can run for county, borough, and township offices. While special qualifications might apply to specific positions, this eligibility rule generally applies.
An unofficial list by the Centre County Election Office shows more than 150 vacant seats are open there.
What’s the first step?
Potential candidates can begin gathering signatures for their nomination petition today. Petition packets — paperwork including instructions for candidates — can be found at county election offices. The Department of State also provides resources online.
Depending on the office, candidates have to obtain a required amount of signatures — 250 for county offices, for example, and 10 to be on school boards.
Filling out the petition paperwork properly is crucial, Centre County Director of Elections Melanie Bailey told Spotlight PA in an email. The candidate’s name and office they seek should be legibly written, correct, and consistent throughout the paperwork, Bailey said.
Special attention should be paid to the people who sign the nomination petition too, she added. Signers must be registered to vote and belong to the same political party as the candidate, Bailey wrote. She recommends getting more signatures than what is required.
Filing the paperwork
Once nomination petitions have the necessary signatures, petitioners submit the paperwork along with any applicable filing fees to their county election office. They have until March 11 to complete this crucial step to appear on the ballot in the primary election.
The state published a detailed calendar for additional deadlines of this process.
The Pennsylvania municipal primary is May 20. The General Election is Nov. 4.
Help is available
Bailey’s office can answer basic questions, she said, although candidates might want to seek independent, professional help for their campaigns.
Elected officials on the local level are more likely amateurs in public affairs rather than career politicians. Running for office, especially for the first time, can be a daunting task.
“It can be a little overwhelming for people who haven’t done it before,” Glass said. In two recent sessions in Clearfield and DuBois, respectively, he prepared slides that explained the petition process, gave out paperwork packets, and answered questions from attendees.
Glass said the effort by the Clearfield County Board of Elections aims to make it as easy as possible for people “to throw their hat in the ring.”
“Let the voters see a conversation and make a choice,” he said.
