Tuesday, February 18. First day on which Nomination Petitions may be circulated and signatures obtained.

Tuesday, March 11. Last day on which Nomination Petitions may be circulated and signatures obtained. Petitions and all other required documents and fees must be filed with Voter Services before 5:00pm in order for a candidate’s name to appear on the primary ballot. The deadline is set by state law; it is not negotiable and there are no exceptions. Candidates are strongly advised to file their petitions early. Candidates who wait to file their petitions at the end of the circulation period may experience long lines at Voter Services, and if there is a problem with the petitions there is no time to correct the error.

Wednesday, March 19. Where multiple candidates have filed petitions to run for the same office on the same party primary ballot, a casting of lots will be held to determine ballot position. The casting of lots will occur at 12:00pm at the Commissioners Public Meeting Room, third floor of Third Street Plaza, 33 West 3rd Street, Williamsport. The date and time is set by state law. Affected candidates will be notified by mail.

The filing instructions and documents provided by Voter Services are intended as introductory information and do not constitute legal advice. Voter Services cannot provide legal, tax, or accounting advice. Additionally, all information provided about running for local offices is subject to change at any time by new state or federal laws or court rulings. Candidates and circulators who download, print, reproduce, circulate, and/or file the instructions and documents provided herein assume responsibility for the correctness and completeness of filed documents; Voter Services is not responsible for errors and omissions in filed documents. Candidates and circulators are strongly advised to solicit advice from a licensed professional in the appropriate field in advance of statutory deadlines and before filing documents.

The filing instructions and documents provided by Voter Services are only usable by candidates who are running for local offices in Lycoming County. If you are running for office in a different county, you must contact that county's Board of Elections to obtain filing instructions and documents.

Candidates running for local offices in Lycoming County are strongly advised against using any filing instructions or documents obtained from outside sources. Voter Services cannot guarantee that documents obtained from outside sources are current or accurate.

Filing instructions for all local offices that will appear on the primary ballot are provided below. The instructions vary by office, so be sure to download the correct set of instructions. Always use the current instructions for the current municipal election year; do not re-use instructions from previous years, because the requirements for filing petitions are subject to legislative changes and court rulings.

Candidates for state judicial offices (including Judge of the Court of Common Pleas) do not file Nomination Petitions with Voter Services; they must contact the Pennsylvania Department of State to obtain Nomination Petitions and filing instructions.

Instructions specific to running for Magisterial District Judge, county, city, School Director, borough, township, and poll worker offices will become available for download on Monday, February 10.

The Nomination Petition must be printed two-sided (front-and-back) on plain white, 8.5” x 11” letter-sized paper. Voter Services will not accept Nomination Petitions that have been re-sized or modified in any way, or that have been improperly printed or reproduced. If you are unable to correctly print or reproduce the Nomination Petition, you must contact Voter Services to obtain hard copies.

Candidates are strongly advised to contact Voter Services to obtain a list of registered voters who are eligible to sign their Nomination Petition(s).

The Candidate’s Affidavit and Waiver of Expense Account Reporting Affidavit must be printed on plain white, 8.5” x 11” letter-sized paper. They may be printed single-sided, or they may be printed back-to-back on a single sheet. Voter Services will not accept Affidavits that have been re-sized or modified in any way, or that have been improperly printed or reproduced. If you are unable to correctly print or reproduce the Affidavits, you must contact Voter Services to obtain hard copies.

All candidates must complete the Candidate’s Affidavit, sign the document in the presence of a Notary Public, and attach it to the Nomination Petition when filing with Voter Services.

All candidates who do not intend to form a political committee or receive contributions or make expenditures in excess of $250.00 during their campaigns are strongly advised to complete the Waiver of Expense Account Reporting Affidavit, commonly referred to as a Campaign Finance Waiver. Candidates who complete the Waiver are exempt from filing regular campaign finance reports during the election cycle. Candidates who receive contributions or make expenditures in excess of $250.00 must file regular campaign finance reports and should review the contents of the Campaign Finance Reporting section of the Voter Services website.

All candidates must complete a Statement of Financial Interests. The candidate must file the original Statement with the municipality or school district and attach a copy to the Nomination Petition. See petition filing instructions (above) and the instructions included with the Statement for details.