Three candidates have filed to run for two available Democratic Committee positions in Narberth’s 3rd Precinct. None of the other 45 precincts in Lower Merion and Narberth will see contested races for either the Democratic or Republican committees.
Both parties will elect their committee members on May 17, Primary Election Day. Each precinct (voting district) can elect up to two committee people for each of the parties, however, only Democrats can vote for Democratic committee people and only Republicans can vote for their party’s committee people.
The following precincts have fewer than two candidates filed for Democratic Committee:
2-3, 4-1, 6-2 (no candidates filed for committee-person), 7-2, 8-4, 9-2, 11-1,
11-2, 14-3
The follow precincts have fewer than two candidates running for Republican Committee:
2-1, 3-2, 3-3, 4-2, 4-3, 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, 6-1, 6-3, 7-1, 7-2, 7-3, 8-1, 8-2, 8-3, 9-1 (no candidates filed for committee-person), 9-2 (no candidates filed for committee-person), 9-3 (no candidates filed for committee-person), 10-3, 11-2 (no candidates filed for committee-person), 11-3, 12-1 (no candidates filed for committee-person), 12-2 (no candidates filed for committee-person), 12-3 (no candidates filed for committee-person), 13-1 (no candidates filed for committee-person), 13-2, 14-1, 14-2 (no candidates filed for committee-person), 14-3 (no candidates filed for committee-person).
Committee-people are often elected by write-in votes.
In 2018, the last time the two parties elected committee people, almost half the candidates elected to the Republican Committee of Lower Merion (RCLMN), did not appear on the ballot, but instead were elected by as few as one vote. That same year, three candidates were also elected to the Democratic Committee of Lower Merion Narberth by write-in, but they all received in excess of thirty votes.
Montgomery County Democrats require a minimum of 10 votes.
From the Montgomery County Democratic Committee bylaws:
County Committee members elected by write-in votes are required to receive a minimum number of votes equal to the number of signatures required on nomination petitions (10) to qualify as a candidate for the County Committee on the Primary Election ballot. Write-in candidates that do not receive the minimum number of votes required shall be summarily stricken from the County Committee list after the Primary Election.
Republicans have no minimum for the number of write-in votes required in order to serve on their committee. Candidates can and have been elected to the RCLMN with only one vote.
