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DANVILLE Washingtons nasty political fights between Democrats and Republicans dominate the daily news, making many people turn away and tune out.

Active involvement is needed now, more than ever, according to local committee chairs.

Democracy works only with participation, said Betsy Finn, chair of the Montour County Democratic Committee. That is why, to serve the common good, people need to step forward.

Janet Comrey, who heads the Montour County Republican Committee, took on her position because of a strong feeling of civic responsibility. She is hoping that more people feel that responsibility to get involved and help bring order to government.

She said she also feels, its important to understand your values and find and promote those candidates with like values.

Petitioning in Pennsylvania is temporarily halted due to disputes over redistricted voting maps.

The state Supreme Court is expected to hear oral arguments on the case Friday and likely make a ruling shortly after. The three-week petitioning period is likely to start soon after that.

Most people are unaware that it takes just 10 signatures to get on their precincts ballot in May and be elected as representative to their partys committee. County committees work mainly to promote candidates and to get out the vote.

Since local geography includes two counties, with Danville and surrounding townships in Montour County and Riverside and Rush Township in Northumberland County, it is a bit complicated. Each county is allowed two representatives from each precinct on each partys county committee. Montour County has 15 precincts, while much larger Northumberland County has 74. All of these committees are in need of more members.

At present, Montours Republicans have just ten (out of 30 possible) and the Democrats even fewer.

Le Paliulis, chair of the Democratic Committee in Northumberland County, has a group of about 35 elected members but could have 148.

We especially need people from Riverside, Rush Township, and Ralpho Townships, she said. Being part of politics is the most important form of activism, and its exciting to get involved.

She began as a volunteer in 2017, was elected to the committee in 2018, and became chair in 2021.

Deb Betz, Republican chair in Northumberland County, is equally enthusiastic, and has made a pact that there be no confrontation between parties. Her goal is for people to inform themselves about what is true and what is not and to help educate others. When she became head of the Republican committee a year and a half ago, there were 30 members. By latest count, she now has 89. But she, too, has a need for people from Riverside and Rush Township.

Finn said she understands why people may be hesitant to volunteer.

Its hard to ask people to step up and serve their community in a public way, she said, but thats what democracy requires. Everything is so contentious nationally, but thats not true locally.

The first step, according to Darlis Dyer, assistant director of elections in Montour County, is for candidates to pick up an official petition and gather signatures from neighbors and friends who are registered voters in their party once the Supreme Court allows it.

For Republican committee persons, signatures can come from throughout the county, even though they will represent a particular precinct. Democrats add a few more rules. Each precinct elects one man and one woman to the committee, and all signatures must come from the precinct where the candidate resides. For both parties, Dyer recommends getting a few extra signatures beyond the 10 required.

Those who wish to run must bring the petition and signatures in to be certified by the countys notary. Their name will then be put on the May ballot. No fee is required to file. Committee members are elected during the primary, and the committees reorganized in June. Terms last four years.

To run for governor or senator requires 2,000 signatures statewide. Other state offices, like attorney general or treasurer or representative to the U.S. Congress, require 1,000 signatures distributed among counties throughout the state or district. Local party committees do their best to help in collecting those.

All four chairs agree that the committee workload is light to moderate, depending on the season. All hold a monthly meeting where they discuss candidates and issues and plan future outreach events.

We provide information to voters, but dont endorse anyone, said Paliulis. The decision is left to the voters.

The week before an election is the busiest time, as committee members and volunteers walk around their neighborhoods placing door hangers that give information on candidates and encourage everyone to vote. They also help place candidates signs and staff party headquarters to get the word out. In 2020, both the Montour Dems and GOP had offices in place on Mill Street in Danville during the month of October. The Montour GOP also sets up regularly at the Lewisburg Market House to reach voters.

All the current chairs have held their positions mostly during the time of COVID, which makes everything harder, according to Finn. People are hesitant to get together in person, and yet not all are comfortable enough with computers to meet remotely.

The Montour Republicans always had a spring dinner, a summer picnic, and a fall banquet, Comrey said, but these have been on hold since COVID began.

She is pleased at the return of the Lincoln Day Gala this year, at the Montour Delong Fairgrounds on March 5. The theme of this years dinner is to support law enforcement, and keynote speaker is David Sunday, who will address the opioid epidemic. Candidates for office are invited, too, and proceeds go toward the Montour County Republican Committee. To attend this event, people should contact Janet Comrey at 570-490-0821.

Before COVID, county committees also staged petition nights, to collect signatures not only for local candidates but also statewide offices. COVID put a damper on that, said Dyer.

Montour and Northumberland counties party chairs are particularly proud of how well their groups work together. In Danville, the Democrats and Republicans joined to organize a debate night for school board candidates in Fall 2021. Finn and Marlene Gunther, of the Montour Republicans, hope to put together an information session in the near future about why and how to run for local offices.

Betz laments that people think politics are who we are, but we are more than that. She said she has made it a priority to work closely with Paliulis on common goals.

Democrats and Republicans get along very well now in this area, she said. Whats most important is to be both involved and respectful of each other.

Most people in this area are in the middle, even though politics plays to the extremes, Finn said.

The great danger, all agree, is for voters to cede their responsibility to other people.

If we dont get involved with elections they will happen without us, said Paliulis.

She said she hopes to get a lot of people to join the party committees this year.

If you want to be heard, you need to support candidates and help to get people out to vote, Paliulis said.

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