Some suggestions for running for a position on the Carbon County Democratic Committee:

Democratic Party rules provide for the election every four years of a committeeman and committeewoman from each precinct. Carbon County has 50 precincts, meaning the County Committee has 100 members. (A full list of precincts appears below.)

Duties
The duties of a precinct committeeman or woman are few, but important:
1. to meet in County Convention after the election to elect the Chair and other officers,
2. to assist in registering Democrats to vote,
3. to help elect Democrats to office, and
4. to act as the voice of the Democratic Party in your precinct.

Committeemen and women receive no salary, although they are sometimes awarded a stipend for helping to turn out voters on election day. On the other hand, they have the satisfaction of knowing that they are advancing democracy at the grassroots and making a difference in the way their government runs.

The steps to run for the position
1. Get a nominating petition at the Registrar of Voters located in Jim
Thorpe at 76 Susquehanna Street, the street as you enter Jim
Thorpe from the south. (Phone 570-325-4801). In addition to the
the petition, pick up a list of registered voters in your precinct.
2. Get 15 signatures of registered Democrats in your voting precinct.
The county only requires ten, but you should get extra signatures in
case some of the signatures are not valid. The signatures should
match the name of the voter as registered, including middle initial if
that was used. You should check your signatures against the
precinct list.
3. Take the petition to Prothonotary’s office to get it notarized. On the
back of the Petition are two areas to fill in that have to be notarized.
You can go to a Notary Public, but the Prothonotary will do it for free.
The Prothonotary‘s office is in the old Court House on the first floor.
4. Take the completed petition to the Registrar of Voters. The deadline is
March 9.
5. Tell all your Democratic friends in your precinct to vote for you.

Calendar for 2010
Mar. 9: Deadline for filing petitions with the Registrar of Voters.
Apr., 19: Last day to register before the May primary. (You may register
after this date, but you won’t be able to vote in the May primary.)
May 11: Last day to file for an absentee ballot.
May 18: Primary election

Oct., 4: Last day to register before the November election.
Oct. 26: Last day to apply for an absentee ballot.
Nov. 2: General election

ANY REGISTERED DEMOCRAT MAY RUN FOR A COMMITTEE SEAT IN ANY PRECINCT. IT IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE PEOPLE RUNNING IN PRECINCTS WHERE A VACANCY CURRENTLY EXISTS. CARBON COUNTY PRECINCTS ARE LISTED BELOW.

Key: When a borough or township has more than one precinct, the precincts are identified by number or location. BV means both positions are currently vacant, MV means the male position is vacant; FV means the female position is vacant.

Precincts in Carbon County
The County Democratic Party divides Carbon County into four areas:
Area 1: Banks Twp.; Beaver Meadows; East Side (BV); Kidder Twp. #20
(FV); #21; Lausanne Twp.; Lehigh Twp.; Packer Twp.; and
Weatherly (East and West precincts).

Area 2: Jim Thorpe (5 wards or precincts); Lansford (East, Middle, and
West (FV)); Nesquehoning (East and West precincts); Penn Forest
Twp. Southwest (MV), Northwest (BV), Middle (BV), Northeast (BV),
and East); Summit Hill (3 wards or precincts).

Area 3: East Penn Twp. #7 (BV), #8 (BV); Franklin Twp.#11, #12, #13 --
(all six positions vacant); Lehighton #28 (FV), #29, #30 (BV);
Mahoning #35, #36 (BV), #37 (BV); Parryville (BV), Weissport (BV).

Area 4: Bowmanstown BV, Lower Towamensing Twp. #32 (FV), #33 (MV),
Palmerton (East, Middle and West (MV) Towamensing Twp.
North, Southeast (BV), Southwest (MV).