Precinct Committeepersons – Who is Eligible to Run?

Last week we encouraged you to step outside your comfort zone and consider running for one of the two “building blocks” of the two-party political system:  Precinct Committeeperson, and State Convention Delegate. 

Anyone who wants to run for Precinct Committeeperson in this May’s Democratic Primary election (note:  Republicans elect new PCs in 2028) can go to their County Clerk’s office between January 7 and NOON on FRIDAY FEBRUARY 6, and fill out a short form called a CAN-37.  Typically, candidates fill out the form there in the Clerk’s office and have a Notary Public witness their signature at the time.

You can certainly take the form with you and fill it out somewhere else.  Just make sure you don’t sign it until you are with your Notary Public! 

Anyone can file to run for PC in either party.  However, your candidacy can be challenged if you haven’t voted in that party’s primary in your last two primaries.  That is, the last two primaries in which you voted!  It doesn’t mean you have to have voted in the Democratic municipal primary in 2023 and the Democratic Presidential primary in 2024; you just must have voted in any two Democratic primaries without having voted in a Republican primary in between or since.

This rule is followed by both parties to prevent people from “infiltrating” the “other” party with cynical or malicious intent.  If you meet this two-straight-primary qualification, your candidacy cannot be challenged.  Your name will be on the ballot in May, along with any other eligible candidates who file.  If no one else in your precinct files, you will be sure to be elected. 

Now, having voted in a recent Republican primary does not necessarily disqualify you from running.  It only allows the county chair to challenge your candidacy.   Here in Indiana in 2024, thousands of Democrats voted in the Republican primary because there were no competitive local Democratic races, and they wanted to vote against Trump or Braun.  If that’s the case for you, contact your Democratic County chair and introduce yourself and persuade him or her of your interest in helping the local party.   Most county chairs, particularly in surrounding counties, have multiple vacant precincts to fill, and would welcome a genuine committed candidate even with a mixed voting history.   If you haven’t been voting consistently Democratic, and you don’t introduce yourself to the county chair, don’t be surprised if you are notified by the County Clerk that your candidacy was rejected after the filing deadline has passed.

(And the same thing will be true for Republican PC candidates in 2028.  We are just using Democratic examples here because that is the only party electing PCs in 2026).

Another note:  Elected Precinct Committeepersons have 21 days to appoint their own Vice PC.  (After that, the appointing authority reverts to the county chair.)  At one time, the Democratic party required that PCs and Vice PCs not be of the same gender.  That requirement has been removed!  You can appoint anyone as your Right Hand Man or Woman! 

What if someone else is running in my precinct?  That is a good question.  Some county parties make available lists of which precincts that are “vacant,” and some don’t.  And not everyone currently serving as a PC is going to want to run for another four-year term.

If you are interested in getting involved, but don’t want to invest the effort in filing and campaigning if you are duplicating effort, call your county chair and ask.  You may find yourself appointed as a Vice-PC or appointed to a neighboring vacant precinct after the February 6 filing deadline.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Or, if you meet the “requirements” of having voted in two Democratic primaries without a Republican primary in between, you can Just Do It.  Just go ahead and file, and plan on running, including introducing yourself to your neighbors between February and May, whether there is another candidate or not.  As the chant goes, This Is What Democracy Looks Like.   Indivisible Central Indiana’s position is that contested primaries are healthy things.  Having at least two people in each neighborhood knocking on doors or making calls and introducing themselves to the neighbors of their chosen party is one of the best things that could happen for voter turnout and civic engagement.

If you’re interested in more information on being a PC, you can attend an orientation session at Northwood Christian Church, 4550 North Central, at 1 PM on Saturday, January 3, (Progressive Precinct Project 2026 Kickoff · Progressive Democrats of America) or email us at info@indivisiblecentralindiana.org.  Or complete this form:  https://forms.gle/bM3h6aaozqfQNQYH6.

And next week, watch this space for more information about being a Delegate to the State Convention of either party.