This site has been created to help and encourage potential candidates. Local competetive elections are healthy and necessary for a thriving local democracy. Running for office can be rewarding and enjoyable. More people should do it!
Basic Information
Petitions
Candidates for Princeton Council must file a candidate petition with the Municipal Clerk at 400 Witherspoon Street by March 23, 2026. The number of signatures required is determined by the County Clerk (not yet available) but it’s usually around 50.
Residents who are Democrats or Unaffiliated voters can sign the petition. Signers can only sign the number of petitions equal to the number of positions on the ballot. Signers pledge that they endorse you as a candidate, but it is not a pledge to vote for you.
Election Paperwork
Before spending any money, candidates have to file a form with the NJ Election Law Enforcement Commission indicating a treasurer and a bank. This requirement includes candidates engaging in “pre-candidacy” activity. This is not as complicated as it sounds and there are step by step instruction on the ELEC website.
Endorsements by The Establishment
There are two local Democratic organizations in Princeton that hold endorsement votes. It is possible for newcomers to win their endorsements and it’s worth trying.
The Princeton Community Democratic Organization (PCDO) is a club that’s open to any Democrat. Usually in February or March it holds an endorsement meeting where candidates answer questions and an a vote by members is taken. This vote can be impactful, although disillusionment with the party system in New Jersey has grown, which may affect the power and impact of this endorsement. Nevertheless, it has been the common practice for candidates to recruit members to join the organization ahead of the vote. There is no membership fee or other obligation involved in joining, but in order to vote members should join by the deadline, 2 weeks ahead of the vote (date not yet available). If you’re considering running, contact the organization to learn the date if it’s not on the website.
The Princeton Democratic Municipal Committee is the official party organization. It consists of 2 residents from each of 20 election districts. Whereas the PCDO is more of a “small d” organization, the PDMC is a statutory party organization under the County Committee structure and is run accordingly. The PDMC vote is held in a closed meeting. The local committee has never had legal authority in primary elections although it traditionally makes recommendations to the Mercer County party chair about ballot placement. However, while ongoing litigation may change things, ballot position is no longer determined by the party chair. Any power over ballot slogans is still held by the County Chair. (Note: this info may be out of date at of January 2026)
What it Takes to Win
Candidates who are willing to put in the time and have at least a few people who will work to help them get elected have a very good chance. The Princeton primary universe is relatively small. In the 2024 presidential primary, about 3,500 people voted. In 2020, the last contested local primary, which was also a presidential primary, Princeton had about 8700 people voting.
The first steps include obtaining the candidate petition and starting to get signatures, and finding a person to serve as your treasurer. Before spending any money, including any snail-mailing, you have to file the forms with the NJ Election Law Enforcement Commission. You probably want to send out a mailing to PCDO members because that’s a traditional part of its process.
Financial support is important, although the amount of money spent has not historically correlated with the number of votes received — in the past, big spenders have lost. What is more likely to matter is door-to-door outreach, well-written letters to the editor, social media posts and other low-cost publicity methods. Most candidates spend money on lawn signs and at least one mailing to voters. Many also take out ads in the Town Topics and some have used paid social media ads. But if a candidate has two or three supporters who are committed at the beginning, they’re ahead of the game. Once a campaign announcement is made and positions outlined, support and volunteers will follow. People in Princeton care about local issues.