Filing instructions and documents provided by the Union County Elections Office do not constitute legal advice. Candidates seeking public office can acquire nomination petitions and other documents by visiting the Union County Elections Office located in the:  Union County Government Center, 155 N. 15th Street, Lewisburg, PA 17837

Some candidates must file their paperwork with the PA Department of State, rather than the Union County Elections Office. These elections to a public office that are not listed in the SIGNATURES AND FILING FEES TABLE and instead will need to obtain a petition from the Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation, PA Department of State in Harrisburg at 210 North Office Building, Harrisburg, PA 17120-0029.

All blank spaces, which appear at the top of each petition, must be completed before signatures are obtained. 

Should a candidate circulate a multi-page petition, for the same office of choice, each page of the multi-page petition should be assembled together and filed at one time.  While it is not a requirement that all of the pages of a multiple page petition be filed on the same date, the candidate should be aware that the petition will not be officially recorded until the last page of the multi-page petition is received in the Elections Office.

The Union County Elections Office suggests that Petitioners acquire more than the required number of signatures on their petition, due to the possibility that some of the voters who have signed the petition may not be qualified voters of the particular party and/or district in which the candidate seeks office.  Any voter's signature on a petition who has not recorded their change of address with the Voter Registration Office prior to signing a petition must be deemed an unqualified signature and will not be counted.

The first day to circulate and file a petition for the 2025 Municipal Primary is Tuesday, February 18, 2025.  All petitions must be filed in the Union County Elections Office no later than 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Petitions will not be accepted in the Union County Elections Office unless it is accompanied with a properly filled out “Statement of Financial Interest” and the appropriate filing fee.

All information provided about running for local offices is subject to change at any time by new state or federal Laws or court rulings.

PRINTING PETITIONS

When printing petitions from home please take note that the county will also not accept them if they are on different sized papers. The current petitions that are available to be picked up in the office are sizes:

• County and MDJ 14" x 8.5"

• General Petition 17" x 8.5" 

All printed at home petitions must match the above sizes.  If you wish to print from home and have any questions please call the office (570) 524-8681 we will gladly answer any and all questions.

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL INTEREST

 A “Statement of Financial Interest” must be completed by the following candidates and filed along with their petition:

MAGISTERIAL DISTRICT JUDGES

SECOND CLASS TOWNSHIP OFFICES

COUNTYWIDE OFFICES

BOROUGH OFFICES

SCHOOL DIRECTORS

CONSTABLES  (file with the Department of State)

Please refer to the instructions on the back of the “Statement of Financial Interest” form, as to where and when to file this report. A candidate for any countywide office would file the “Statement of Financial Interest” with the Union County Elections Office.

On the “Statement of Financial Interest” it will be necessary to mark Section 03 “Status” as CANDIDATE and any of the other boxes which may apply.

The form can be picked up at the office or can be printed off at home, please refer to 2023 Petition Guide below. 

CANDIDATE FORMS A POLITICAL COMMITTEE

If you (the candidate) decide to form a political committee and appoint a treasurer, it will be necessary for you (the candidate) to complete additional forms which need to be filed with the Elections Office. Also, please be aware that when you (as a candidate) decide to form a political committee and appoint a treasurer, that no money may be accepted by a candidate or a committee until the proper forms (listed below and included in this information packet) have been filed/registered with the Elections Office.

Form - “Political Committee Registration Statement”

Form - “Authorization for a Political Committee to Receive Funds on Behalf of a Candidate”

CANDIDATE INITIALLY DECIDES NOT TO FORM A POLITICAL COMMITTEE

If you (the candidate) initially decide to sign the “Waiver of Expense Account Reporting Affidavit” but later you decide to authorize the formation of a committee, you (the candidate) must now file campaign expense reports.  Authorizing the formation of a committee or making expenditures in excess of $250.00 overrides the “Waiver of Expense Account Report Affidavit” you initially signed.  This makes you (the candidate) responsible for completing and filing an individual expense form/report and your committee responsible for completing and filing a separate expense form/report for the committee. The Union County Elections Office will provide campaign expense forms to anyone wishing to receive them.

Please refer to the  Campaign Expense Reporting Dates. The Union County Elections Office cannot provide legal, tax or accounting advice.

SIGNATURE REQUIREMENTS AND FILING FEES 

It is the suggestion of this office that Petitioners include a few more signatures on the petition(s) than are required.

A money order or cashier’s check made payable to the Union County Treasurer may be used to pay for filing fees. Cash is also acceptable.  This fee must be turned in along with the petition(s) and “Statement of Financial Interest” to the Union County Elections Office.  Refer to the 2025 Municipal Petition Guide  to see the Signatures and Filing Fees Table.

CROSS-FILING

 Those running for Magisterial District Judge may cross-file and may circulate both parties’ petitions.

** An incumbent MDJ will not be required to file a petition(s) but rather will file an Incumbent Magisterial District Judge Nomination Certificate (1 certificate for each party) and denote the Political Party Nomination(s) sought.

A candidate seeking the office of School Director may cross-file and would need to be a resident of the School District, but can only circulate a petition for the party in which he/she is registered. The candidate would need to find a registered Democratic or Republican to circulate a proper petition for the other party.  Please note:  School Board Directors in the Mifflinburg, Milton and Warrior Run School Districts are elected and serve a specific geographical region within the school districts wider geographical boundaries. Therefore, when a candidate is cross-filing for the office of School Director in the School Districts of Mifflinburg, Milton or Warrior Run, both the candidate who is circulating a petition for the party that he/she is registered under and the registered Democratic or Republican circulator, who is circulating a petition for the other party, should be a resident of the school district and reside within the defined geographical region of the School District for which the candidate is seeking the office of School Board Director.

DRAWING FOR BALLOT POSITION

The drawing for ballot position for the 2025 Municipal Primary will be held on Wednesday, March 19, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. in the Union County Elections Office, 155 N. 15th St., Lewisburg PA.   Candidates are welcome to attend the meeting and to draw for their position on the ballot.  Ballot positions will be drawn for those candidates not present.

TAX COLLECTOR

All candidates for the office of Tax Collector must file a background check (obtained from the Pennsylvania State Police) with their petition or nominating papers.  However, individuals filing a nominating petition or papers for a second or subsequent term for the office of tax collector, are exempt from having to file a background check.  The background check must be obtained within one year prior to filing the petition or papers.  The petition and background check must be submitted together.

You can find information on obtaining your background check from the PA State Police here.

CANDIDATE NAME

The Union County Board of Elections recommends that all write-in candidates provide information to voters with the candidate’s name clearly printed. It is also recommended that the candidate ask the voter to print the name on the ballot exactly as it appears. The use of stickers is prohibited by Act 77 of 2019.

NUMBER OF VOTES NEEDED 

The number of votes a write-in candidate receives in a primary election must be equal to or exceed the number of signatures required to get on the general election ballot. Refer to the SIGNATURES AND FILING FEES TABLE. 

ACCUMULATING WRITE-IN VOTES

Please be aware that, if you run a write-in campaign, it can take several days to accumulate write-in votes.

Once an election is concluded, the Board of Elections must certify the election results. For write-in candidates, PA Election Code 25 P.S. § 3155 requires that the Board must compute and certify votes exactly as the names were written on the ballot. The Board of Elections will render a determination on any unclear spellings of a write-in vote. Similar names will not be grouped together by the Board of Elections. All votes will be counted. All votes will be presented as they are written. The candidate will be responsible for cumulating any varieties of write-in votes that the candidate believes were for a singular candidate (discussed below).

Election results will be available in the Election office after the Board certifies the election.

PETITION TO CUMULATE WRITE-IN VOTES

The preparation and filing of a petition is a legal process. The Board of Elections strongly encourages you to seek legal counsel should you have any legal questions. The Union County Board of Elections will not provide legal advice.

Under PA Election Code 25 P.S. § 3156, a write-in candidate may petition the Prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas, Civil Division to cumulate votes of similar names in certain circumstances. The petition must be filed at a time not later than five days after the Board certifies the election. Please note there will be filing fees assessed by the Prothonotary.

The write-in candidate must notify the Board of Elections that a petition has been filed, contemporaneous with filing his or her petition with the Court of Common Pleas.

If the petition is granted, the Court will schedule a hearing. It is up to the Court, based upon a preponderance of the evidence, to determine if any variations of the name of the petitioner are to be cumulated for the petitioner. The Court may issue an order directing the Board of Elections to revise its returns accordingly.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORTING/FEES

All write-in candidates must abide by the Campaign Finance Reporting Law. If a write-in candidate is in receipt of or is spending $250 or more for the campaign, the candidate must file Campaign Finance Statements and Reports. Please be aware that all advertising and signage must clearly state who is paying for that advertising and signage.

Successful write-in candidates will be required to file paperwork and pay a filing fee, if applicable, depending on the office in question. If you fail to complete these post-nomination requirements, your name will not appear on the general election ballot.

Please be advised that the Union County Board of Elections and Elections Office cannot provide legal or financial advice. Candidates for public office should seek advice from a licensed professional before filing any documents. Filers are responsible for correctness and completeness of all documents. The Elections Office is not responsible for errors or omissions.