How to Run for Political Office: A Campaign Manual for Pennsylvania Candidates
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Chapter 3: Deciding How to Run - Three Options Available to Candidates
Any citizen who makes the decision to become a candidate for elected office must next choose the form of candidacy he or she will pursue. This chapter describes the various methods of conducting a campaign. Candidates for public office (i.e., local, city, state office) have three options: (1) party nomination in a primary election; (2) independent petition for a November election; or (3) write-in candidacy for either the primary or November election. Candidates for party office have two alternatives: (1) ballot, or (2) write-in. This chapter explains the advantages and disadvantages of each option.
Public Office: The Triple Option
As noted above, the three methods for pursuing public office are (1) competing for a party's nomination in the primary election; (2) bypassing the primary (and political parties) and petitioning to enter one's name on the final election ballot; or (3) conducting a write-in campaign in the primary or final election.
An individual deciding to pursue public office should bear in mind that these ballot options are somewhat exclusive. For example, an unsuccessful primary candidate may not enter his or her name as an independent candidate on the November ballot for any office, but may seek election for that office110 (or any other) in November as a write-in candidate.111
The most commonly practiced strategy is to enter the primary and place one's name on the ballot in an attempt to capture a party nomination for the final election. A candidate (other than a candidate for party office) does not need to be a registered voter in the party whose nomination he or she seeks.112 The winner in the primary election appears on the November ballot as the only official candidate of that party for that office. This is how nominations are won for every public office but those of U.S. President and Vice President. The President and Vice President are chosen by the delegates of the national conventions.
By choosing to run in the primary election, candidates realize a few clear advantages. Specifically, a candidate who wins the primary nomination secures the support of the party and usually gains access to the party's financial resources to help achieve victory in November. The individual will also gain public recognition as the candidate of a major party, an important factor that enables candidates of the two major parties to prevail in most elections.
An important disadvantage of running in the primary, however, is that party primaries are not necessarily open cons. Usually, one candidate will receive the endorsement of the party organization prior to the primary. Other candidates for the party nomination may find it very difficult to overcome this advantage. However, there are many examples of outsiders defeating endorsed candidates in party primaries on the local and state level. In many cases, a candidate's assessment of his or her chances for success is more accurate than that of the party professionals. In this respect, candidates should not be deterred from this option simply because party "regulars" support another candidate.
A candidate may also decide to avoid party politics and affiliations and enter the final election in November as an independent candidate. Utilizing this option, candidates are guaranteed a spot on the November ballot without having to compete in the primary.
Again, there are certain disadvantages to this option. First, a candidate may not enter an election as an independent if he or she is a registered member of a political party. Additionally, a candidate must withdraw his or her membership from the party at least thirty (30) days before the primary election and must remain unaffiliated until after the November election.113
The main disadvantage to the "independent" option is that within our two-party system, most elections are won by Democratic or Republican Party nominees. In the November election, an independent candidate will confront two official party nominees backed by the entire support, financial and otherwise, of these political organizations. An independent may find it to his or her advantage to assemble a similar organization, rather than rely exclusively on public recognition and approval of his or her candidacy. An independent candidate must also remember that other independent candidates may also enter, and thus, complicate the race. Finally, independent candidates must collect a significantly greater number of signatures to appear on the November ballot than party candidates seeking a ballot position for the primary.
The principle advantages of the independent option are the following: (1) avoidance of a depletion of campaign resources in the primary con; (2) knowledge of the primary results before entering the election (the deadline for filing as an independent is August 1);114 and (3) the assurance that, with the required number of signatures, one's name will appear on the November ballot, an extremely important consideration should an individual feel that he or she will not gain party support by winning the primary election.
Write-In Campaigns
The final possibility is for candidates to conduct a "write-in" campaign in the primary or November election, or both. In this option, the candidate's name does not appear on the official ballot, but voters write the candidate's name on the paper ballot portion of the voting machine. This option provides a candidate with "two bites of the apple," that is, opportunities for success in the primary, and if necessary, the final election. Administratively, a candidate who runs a write-in campaign is not required to file nomination documents before the election -- a distinct benefit.
However, there are major disadvantages to conducting a write-in campaign. First, a write-in candidate faces the overwhelming task of garnering enough political recognition to convince voters to ignore the names printed on the ballot. Second, write-in candidates face a daunting task in educating voters about how to "write-in" their votes. Operating the voting machine buttons confuses many voters; to write-in a vote, voters must push the write in button for the office for which they want to write-in a vote, and then press the red write-in button at the top of the machine, which will cause the write-in window to open, and the voter can then write or stamp the candidate’s name on the exposed paper and finally pull the window shut to record the vote. A potential write-in candidate should also note that to succeed in a write-in primary campaign, he or she must not only outpoll all opponents, but also receive a number of votes at least equal to the number of signatures required on a nominating petition for that office. 115
Party Office: The Double Option
The two options available to candidates for party office are the following: (1) placing one's name on the primary ballot; or (2) conducting a write-in campaign in the primary election. Since party officers are always elected in primaries, the third alternative of entering the November election as an independent, does not apply.
The difference between campaigning for public office and campaigning for party office highlights the dual purpose of primary elections. With respect to public offices (for example, the Mayor and State Representatives), primaries allow the voters of each party to nominate a candidate to represent their party in the final November election. By contrast, primary elections for party offices are the sole opportunity for parties to elect their internal officials. In short, primaries represent one step in the election of public officials, but are the only step for electing party officials.
Since party officials are elected only in the primary, candidates may either enter their names on the ballot or conduct write-in campaigns. In general, there are no advantages to the write-in alternative, and as noted previously, the disadvantages are numerous. Of course, if one decides to run only after the deadline for getting on the ballot has passed, the write-in alternative is all that remains.
A Final Note on Campaign Options
Success in public or party elections through any of the discussed methods depends primarily on public recognition of a candidate and his or her reputation. Similarly, candidates should realize that public recognition will be maximized in small, local elections. In this case, even a write-in candidacy, usually a poor alternative for pursuing office, may result in a victory. Regardless of the conditions, however, individuals should not be deterred from pursuing public or party office.
110 25 P.S. §§ 2911(e)(5), 2936; See also Baronett v. Tucker, 26 Pa. Commw. 559,
111 365 A.2d 179 (1976).
112 25 P.S. § 2911(e)(5). There is no statutory prohibition against write-in candidates who have been unsuccessful in a primary running again in the general election as write-in candidates.
Only candidates running for party office need to be registered and enrolled members of the designated party. 25 P.S. § 2870(g).
113 25 P.S. § § 2911(e)(6), 2911.1.
114Although 25 P.S. § 2913(c) provides: “All nomination papers must be filed on or before the second Friday subsequent to the primary”, the deadline for nomination papers has been extended to August 1 or the Monday immediately following August 1st when it falls on a Saturday or Sunday. This date is not contained in the Election Code, it comes from two consent decrees signed by the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Hall v. Davis, No. 84-1057 (E.D. Pa. 1984) and Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania v. Davis, No. 84-0262 (M.D. Pa. 1984).
11525 P.S. § 3155.
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