2023 Local Elections
This coming November, voters in Caroline will vote for Town Supervisor, two Town Councilpersons, one Town Justice, the Town Highway Superintendent, and the Town Clerk. The incumbents and their terms are listed in the table below.
Running for office
If you are a Democrat and would like to run for one of these offices in 2023, you should meet with the Tompkins County Democratic Board of Elections Commissioner (Steve DeWitt), and/or with the Caroline Democratic Committee Chair, Emily Adams. They can advise you on the requirements, especially regarding the petitioning process and deadlines and the filing of financial reports. While anyone can run for office (assuming they meet an age requirement and the relevant residency requirement), candidates are more likely to win and go on to be successful in office if they have already served their community in other capacities, perhaps on a task force or commission or advisory board. The Caroline Democratic Committee is happy to suggest ways for people to "build their resumes" this way, and also to give other advice.
If you would like to run as a Democrat, on the Democratic Party line, and you are not currently registered as a Democrat, you have until February 14th to change your registration to Democrat. February 14th is also the deadline for voters to change their registration if they wish to vote as a Democrat in this year's elections.
If more than one candidate chooses to run for a particular office as a Democrat on the Democratic line, that would result in a Democratic primary on June 27, 2023.
The Caroline Democratic Committee may choose to endorse a candidate in any race at any time (or they may choose not to endorse anyone). An endorsement from a Democratic Committee does not nullify or replace an election. The voters will still decide the candidate (i.e. the Democratic nominee) on the primary election day, or the ultimate winner in November. An endorsement simply means that the committee has interviewed the candidates and studied their records and policy statements and so forth, and concluded that in their view certain candidates are stronger than the others.
Interviews for any potential endorsements by the Caroline Democratic Committee in 2023 will be scheduled as soon as possible. February 15th is the deadline for potential candidates to notify us that they would like to be considered for endorsement.
The Caroline Democratic Committee will organize candidate interviews (which are only open to CDC members) and also public events (in person or by zoom) where voters can also meet the candidates and ask them questions.
All candidates, whether they have a primary or not, are required to gather petition signatures to get on the ballot. The petitioning period is roughly 5 weeks long, and begins on February 28th, with the filing dates being from April 3rd to 6th. Candidates who do not collect enough signatures will not earn a place on the ballot. Committee members often assist candidates in collecting signatures, especially if a candidate has earned an endorsement. Candidates can also recruit friends and family to gather petition signatures, but the person who carries the petition (the witness) must be either a registered Democrat or a notary.
If you would like to run as a Democrat, on the Democratic Party line, and you are not currently registered as a Democrat, you have until February 14th to change your registration to Democrat. February 14th is also the deadline for voters to change their registration if they wish to vote as a Democrat in this year's elections.
If more than one candidate chooses to run for a particular office as a Democrat on the Democratic line, that would result in a Democratic primary on June 27, 2023.
The Caroline Democratic Committee may choose to endorse a candidate in any race at any time (or they may choose not to endorse anyone). An endorsement from a Democratic Committee does not nullify or replace an election. The voters will still decide the candidate (i.e. the Democratic nominee) on the primary election day, or the ultimate winner in November. An endorsement simply means that the committee has interviewed the candidates and studied their records and policy statements and so forth, and concluded that in their view certain candidates are stronger than the others.
Interviews for any potential endorsements by the Caroline Democratic Committee in 2023 will be scheduled as soon as possible. February 15th is the deadline for potential candidates to notify us that they would like to be considered for endorsement.
The Caroline Democratic Committee will organize candidate interviews (which are only open to CDC members) and also public events (in person or by zoom) where voters can also meet the candidates and ask them questions.
All candidates, whether they have a primary or not, are required to gather petition signatures to get on the ballot. The petitioning period is roughly 5 weeks long, and begins on February 28th, with the filing dates being from April 3rd to 6th. Candidates who do not collect enough signatures will not earn a place on the ballot. Committee members often assist candidates in collecting signatures, especially if a candidate has earned an endorsement. Candidates can also recruit friends and family to gather petition signatures, but the person who carries the petition (the witness) must be either a registered Democrat or a notary.