The Philadelphia Chapter of the National Organization for Women(NOW) and the Philadelphia Chapter of the Coalition of Labor Union Women(CLUW) will hold a non-partisan workshop on:

HOW TO RUN FOR ELECTION BOARD IN 2013

HOW TO RUN FOR COMMITTEEPERSON IN 2014

When: Monday, January 14, 2013 from 5:30-7:30 pm
Where: 1606 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA

Speakers:

Stephanie Singer, City Commissioner

Norman Matlock, Esq., Judge of Elections, 9th ward, 2nd division

Nan Myers, Majority Inspector, 9th ward, 2nd division

Although NOW and CLUW are focusing on recruiting their members, the workshop is open to any woman or man interested in running for any of these positions. Both NOW and CLUW have male members who are committed to gender equality and share our outrage that women make up only 17% of the PA legislature, one of the lowest rates in the country.

Running for committeeperson is a very easy entry point into electoral politics. You don’t need to raise money; you just need the time and willingness to talk to your neighbors. Running for committeeperson is a way to learn grassroots organizing skills, gain leadership experience, and learn how the political system works.

The Voter ID law (slated to be implemented in 2013) has drawn attention to what has been a very low profile position—-the Judge of Elections. In each division, the Judge of Elections resolves disputes and makes determinations about voter eligibility in areas where the law is ambiguous. This has been an under the radar position with very few citizens actually running for the job. The Majority and Minority Inspectors also play an important role in ensuring fair, well-run elections. With the enactment of the Voter ID law, having a fair, knowledgeable Election Board matters more than ever.

Thanks to a grant from Bread and Roses Community Fund, Philadelphia NOW did this in the past. Once again supported by Bread and Roses, we are running the January 14 workshop which will focus primarily on the Election Board and a later one which will focus on running for committeeperson. We should be more successful this time. We are working in partnership with CLUW and we are also part of a broader movement, which will encourage civic and community groups to run workshops for their members to encourage them to run for Election Board and committeeperson.

A link to the handbook we prepared is available at http://www.phillynow.org/ Hard copies will be available at the January 14 workshop.

Any community or civic organization is welcome to post the handbook on their website or cut and paste from this document and adapt it to their needs. Let’s spread the word about running for these positions!