2009 Important Dates
| Event | Date |
| First day to circulate and file nominations petitions | February 17 |
| Last day to circulate and file nomination petitions | March 10 |
First day to circulate and file nomination papers
(independent candidates) | March 11 |
| Last day for withdrawal by candidates who filed nomination petitions | March 25 |
| Last day to Register to Vote before the primary | April 20 |
| Last day to apply for a civilian absentee ballot | May 12 |
| Last day for County Boards of Elections to receive voted civilian absentee ballots | May 15 |
| Municipal Primary | May 19 |
| First day to Register to Vote after primary election | May 20 |
Last day for County Boards of Elections to receive voted military and overseas absentee ballots
(must be postmarked no later than May 18) | May 26 |
| Last day to circulate and file nomination papers | August 3 |
| Last day for withdrawal by political body candidates who filed nomination papers | August 10 |
| Last day for withdrawal by candidates nominated by a political party | August 10 |
| Last day to Register to Vote before the Municipal Election | October 5 |
| Last day to apply for a civilian absentee ballot | October 27 |
| Last day for County Boards of Elections to receive voted civilian absentee ballots | October 30 |
| Municipal Election | November 3 |
| First day to Register to Vote after the Municipal Election | November 4 |
Last day for County Boards of Elections to receive vote military and overseas absentee ballots
(must be postmarked no later than November 2) | November 10 |
All dates are subject to change without notice.
Signature Requirements/Filing fees
| Office | Number of Signatures | Filing Fee |
| President of the United States* | 2000 | $200.00 |
| United States Senator* | 2000 | $200.00 |
| Attorney General* | 2000 | $200.00 |
| Auditor General* | 2000 | $200.00 |
| State Treasurer* | 2000 | $200.00 |
| Representative in Congress* | 1000 | $150.00 |
| Senator in the General Assembly* | 500 | $100.00 |
| Representative in the General Assembly* | 300 | $100.00 |
| Delegate/Alternate Delegate to National Convention* | 250 | $25.00 |
| State Committee* | 100 | $25.00 |
| Judge of Court of Common Pleas (may cross file)* | 250 | $100.00 |
| County Commissioner | 100 | $100.00 |
| County Controller | 100 | $100.00 |
| County Coroner | 100 | $100.00 |
| County District Attorney | 100 | $100.00 |
| County Jury Commissioner | 100 | $100.00 |
| Prothonotary & Clerk of Courts | 100 | $100.00 |
| Register & Recorder & Clerk of Orphans Court | 100 | $100.00 |
| County Sheriff | 100 | $100.00 |
| County Treasurer | 100 | $100.00 |
| District Justice (may cross file) | 100 | $ 50.00 |
| School Director (may cross file) | 10 | NONE |
| Committeeperson | 10 | NONE |
| Assessor | 10 | NONE |
| Auditor | 10 | NONE |
| Constable | 10 | $ 10.00 |
| Councilmember | 10 | NONE |
| Mayor | 10 | NONE |
| Supervisor | 10 | NONE |
| Tax Collector | 10 | NONE |
| Judge of Election | 10 | NONE |
| Inspector of Election | 10 | NONE |
| * File Petitions with the Department of State | | |
General Instructions
Each signer may sign petitions for as many candidates for each office as he/she is permitted to vote for and no more.
No nominating petition requiring a filing fee will be accepted for filing unless it is accompanied by the filing fee.
The top portion of the petition must be filled out prior to obtaining any signatures.
Type or print the name of the candidate on the face of the petitions exactly as you wish it to appear on the official ballot. If a married woman is proposed as a candidate her first name must be used on the petition; e.g., Mary Jones and not Mrs. John Jones. Nicknames are allowed only if they are a derivative of the legal name given. If you wish to have your name printed on the ballot other than your given name, you must have completed an Affidavit for Ballot Name Change Request, have it notarized and attached to your petition.
Make certain that each signer and circulator of a petition is a Registered and Enrolled Member of the Party Referred to in the Petition.
Each signer must personally insert the information concerning residence and date of signing. Each signer should list his/her address exactly as it appears on his/her registration affidavit. In the case of those electors having a rural route or RD number, the township must be listed. The date of signing may be expressed in numbers or words; e.g., February 17, 2009 or 2/17/2009. The given name of a married woman must be used by signer; e.g., Mary Jones not Mrs. John Jones. A candidate may sign his own petition.
No ditto marks are permitted on petitions. Any signature containing ditto marks will be disallowed.
Be sure the proper office title is set forth in your petition, including the term of office.
The candidate's affidavits that appear on the back of the petition must be signed and notarized. The circulator's affidavit must not be signed and notarized until after the petition has been circulated. A candidate may circulate his own petition.
Candidates for School Director who choose to cross file cannot have the same person circulate both party petitions. The circulator must be an enrolled member of the party indicated on the front of the petition.
Different petitions must be used for signers who reside in different counties.
Petitions are to be filed with the County Board of Elections by 4:30 pm on March 10, 2009 unless otherwise noted.
A petition for offices requiring a statement of financial interest will not be accepted unless a copy has been attached to the petition. A copy of this form must also be filed with the governing authority of the political subdivision in which his/she is a candidate on or before March 10, 2009.
Questions about nomination petitions or elections should be directed to 724-548-3222, 8 am-4:30 pm, Monday-Friday.
