What Offices Can You Run For?

  • The Democratic Party is governed by committees of registered Democrats, from the national level down to state and community-level.

    County is the most local level of party governance in New York.

    Within every State Assembly district are smaller Election Districts (“ED”) made up of a small number of city blocks. Each ED has 2 to 4 seats in the general membership of the county committee; so when all the seats are filled, there are approximately 5000 members.

    What is the County Committee supposed to do?

    • Choose local judicial candidates

    • Choose the Democratic Party's nominee in some special elections

      • This one is particularly important, since 1 in 3 current New York state legislators was chosen in a special election!

    • Help create the Democratic party platform

    • Organize local neighborhoods

    • And more! 

    What has the County Committee actually done?

    • Up until recently? Nothing much besides hand over power to the party boss. That’s why we need to fill these seats with new forward-thinking reformers.

  • Every 2 years, each Assembly District elects 2 District Leaders; one male and one female. The District Leaders pick our County Party’s Chair (otherwise known as the “Party Boss”).

    The District Leaders and Party Chair make up the Executive Committee. There are currently 18 Assembly Districts in Queens. When every seat is filled, the Executive Committee has 54 members.

    Besides selecting the Party Boss, District Leaders also nominate judges for Supreme Court judgeships to the Judicial Convention and nominate one of 10 commissioners to the Board of Elections to City Council for a vote.

  • Judicial Delegates are elected every year in Queens. Their job is to evaluate NY State Supreme Court Justice Candidates (NYSSCJC) who will be presented on the Democratic Party Line in the November Elections.

    All of Queens falls into Judicial District 11.

    Slates of candidates run together to become Judicial Delegates in each Assembly District. Each slate (as a whole group) need a minimum of 500 signatures from people who reside in the designated Assembly District during petitioning to qualify for the ballot. he number of Judicial Delegates in each Assembly District in Queens varies from 6 to 15 and alternates are also elected. Individuals may run on their own but it is often helpful to run with others; you will still need to get 500 signatures.

    1. New York State Supreme Court Justice

      Elected by voters within their Judicial District. All of Queens falls into Judicial District 11. These judges sit on the trial court of general jurisdiction.

      To be eligible to run, you must be a resident on New York State, be a licensed attorney in New York in Good Standing with at least 10 years of legal or judicial practice and be between 18-70 years old. 70 is the mandatory retirement age.

    2. New York City Civil Court Judge

      Judges are elected either countywide to 10-year terms. These judges handle civil cases involving amounts up to $25,000, landlord-tenant disputes, and small claims.

      To be eligible to run, you must reside in the borough or district where you’re seeking office (depending on the seat), be a licensed attorney in NYS, have 10 years of legal practice and be between 18-70 years old.

    3. Surrogate’s Court Judge

      Elected countywide to 14-year terms. Handle Oversees probate and estate matters.

      To be eligible to run, you must reside in the County you are running in, a licensed attorney in NYS with 10 years of legal practice and under 70 years old.

  • New York’s legislature is composed of the Senate and Assembly. Queens has 18 Assembly Districts and 10 Senate Districts. Senate Districts contain roughly 320,000 residents, while Assembly Districts contain about 135,000 residents.

    To run for either chamber, you must be at least 18 years-old, have lived in New York State for at least 5 years, must have lived in the district in which you seek to represent for at least the past 12 months and be registered to vote in New York.

  • Each borough elect’s their own District Attorney, who will serve a 4-year term.

    The District Attorney is the chief prosecutor for County and oversees what and how criminal cases are handled within the County.