Judge of Elections

• Officer in charge on Primary and General Election Days and is responsible for reinforcing the rules inside the polling location
• Picks up election materials prior to Election Day
• Contacts polling location and works with a team of poll workers to set up voting room
• Assigns election administration tasks to team members on Election Day
• Issues provisional ballots
• Directs the flow of voters, answers questions, and performs general oversight of voting room
• Drops off important election materials after the closing of polls
• One Judge of Elections is elected in each precinct

This role appears on the ballot every four years (ex. 2025, 2029, etc.)

Inspector of Elections

There are 2 inspectors per precinct, a majority and minority inspector.

Both the Majority and Minority Inspectors:

• Check in voters, manage the poll books, and interpret designations that may appear
• Issue ballots to eligible voters
• Assist with setting up polling place
• Assist the team during Closing of Polls process

In addition to the above, the Minority Inspector also:

• Signs the Provisional Ballot envelope along with Judge of Elections
• Keeps B Envelope for a duration of two years after the election
• Appoints a Clerk

These roles appear on the ballot every four years (ex. 2025, 2029, etc.)

Committeeperson

Committee people are neighborhood representatives to the Democratic Committee who are elected by their fellow Democrats in their voting precinct. The role of the committee person is to get Democratic candidates elected at the local, state and national level. A committee person is the point of contact between democratic voters in a precinct and the Democratic Party.

Some committee person responsibilities include:

• Communicate with Voters
  • Share election dates and voting information. Help neighbors register, vote by mail, and find polling places.
• Boost Democratic Participation
  • Increase voter registration, inform about different voting options (in-person, drop boxes, etc), and recruit election volunteers.
• Support Democratic Candidates
  • Inform voters about endorsed candidates, circulate petitions and materials, and help canvass and phone bank.
• Attend Meetings & Vote on Party Business
  • Join committee meetings, vote on endorsements, and recruit new members.
• Be a Grassroots Organizer
  • Serve as a local voting resource and represent the Democratic Party in community outreach.

Every voting precinct can have up to 2 Democratic committee people. Committee people are elected by the Democratic voters of that precinct once every four years, in the spring Primary of a gubernatorial election year (ex. 2026, 2030 etc.)

Clerk

• May be assigned to keep the Numbered List of Voters
• Greets and directs voter to the proper stations
• Assists with setting up polling place
• Assists the team during Closing of Polls process
• Performs duties as assigned by the Judge of Elections

Student Poll Workers are eligible for this role.

Machine Operator

• Opens and closes ballot scanner(s) and ballot marking device
• Remains near ballot scanner and provides operational instructions to voters
• Assists with setting up polling place
• Assists the team during Closing of Polls process

Student Poll Workers are eligible for this role.

More information can be found in the MCDC Committeeperson Handbook.

Township Commissioner

Lower Merion Township is governed by a 14-member Board of Commissioners. The Board of Commissioners is the legislative body responsible for the overall policies and direction of the Township, enacting ordinances and resolutions within the guidelines of the First Class Township Code.

Lookup Your Ward

The Board also appoints the Township Manager, who oversees the day-to-day operation of the Township, along with the Township Secretary, the Township Solicitor and Township Engineer.

The Township organization has 12 departments, all headed by experienced career professionals selected by the Township Manager strictly on the basis of merit and ability to perform the required responsibilities.

These departments provide an extensive array of services to Township residents including:

• Police and fire protection
• Refuse and recycling collection and disposal
• Parks and park maintenance
• Recreation activities
• Building and planning services
• Community development programs
• Parking services
• Public works services
• Public Information and media services
• Access to six Public Libraries
• And more

Members are elected by ward to serve overlapping terms of four years. Odd numbered wards (wards 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13) are up for election in 2027. The even numbered wards will be on the ballot in 2029.

Township Tax Collector

The Lower Merion Township Tax Collector is an elected public official responsible for receiving and processing municipal, county, and school district revenues as mandated by the Pennsylvania First Class Township Code.

The tax collector:

• Collects current-year real estate property taxes for Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County, and the Lower Merion School District.
• Receives municipal utility and assessment payments, including township solid waste fees, sanitary sewer rental fees, and assessments from the Waste System Authority of Eastern Montgomery County.
• Issues digital or printed tax bills.
• Maintains taxpayer account files.
• Provides historical tax certifications.

Constable

A Pennsylvania State Constable is a sworn, independently elected peace officer who serves a six-year term at the local municipal level (borough, township, or city ward) with statewide authority.

The sole duty Lower Merion Constables are required to fulfill by statute is to maintain order at election polls and ensure that no qualified elector is obstructed from voting. Constables are the only peace officers permitted at the polls on election day.

Pennsylvania State Constables may choose to exercise their ability to serve the judicial system, which can include serving warrants of arrest, mental health warrants, transporting prisoners, service of summons, complaints, and subpoenas, and enforcing protection from abuse orders as well as orders of eviction and judgment.

Magisterial District Judge 

Magisterial district judges are the frontline of Pennsylvania’s judicial system.

Magisterial district judges:

• Issue arrest and search warrants, and emergency protection orders when the county courthouse is closed
• Oversee arraignments
• Set bail
• Hold criminal preliminary hearings
• Hear complaints in civil matters involving possible damages of up to $12,000
• Handle traffic cases
• Mediate landlord-tenant disputes
• Perform weddings

Lower Merion has 3 magisterial district judges, each elected to a six-year term. One of those three positions is up for re-election in 2027. One of those seats is currently vacant and will be up for a special election in 2027.

School Board Director

The Lower Merion Board of School Directors is comprised of nine members. The nine-member Board of School Directors has the authority to:

• Set the District’s fiscal and educational policies
• Approve the annual budget
• Vote on school matters in consultation with the District’s educational leaders
• Hire, evaluate and terminate the superintendent
• Levy taxes

School Directors are elected at municipal elections on odd-numbered years to serve four-year terms beginning on the first Monday in December following their election. Every 2 years, either 4 or 5 seats of the 9 seat board are up for election. In 2027, 5 seats will be up for election, plus a 6th seat will have a special election to finish the remaining 2 years of the 4-year term currently filled by the board appointee.

School board director is an unpaid elected position.

Narberth Borough Council

Narberth Borough Council is the elected governing body in Narberth composed of seven members, including a Council President, Vice President, and five additional Councilmembers.

Borough council members are responsible for:

• Setting policy
• Passing ordinances
• Approving budgets
• Guiding the overall direction of the Borough
• Hiring employees

Three of the borough council positions will be on the ballot in 2027. Each council member is elected to a four year term.

Narberth Mayor

Narberth borough Mayor is the sole elected executive and chief law enforcement officer of Narberth Borough as defined by the Pennsylvania Borough Code. The borough mayor has the authority to:

• Maintain operational control and supervision over the borough’s police department (where applicable), directing the manner, time, and place of police duties. The mayor also has the power to suspend police officers for cause until the next council meeting.
• Serve as the official face and spokesperson for Narberth, presiding over reorganization meetings, administering oaths/affirmations, and performing marriage ceremonies.
• Break council deadlocks on ordinances, appointments, and motions.
• Veto ordinances or tax resolutions. Council can override with a supermajority.
• Declare curfews, restrict access, and coordinate inter-municipal law enforcement aid during emergencies.

The mayor is elected at a municipal election held every four years in odd-numbered years. The term of office begins on the first Monday of January following the mayor’s election. The next mayoral election in Narberth will be in 2029.

Eligibility: https://paboroughmayors.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/BoroughMayorsManual_2016v2.pdf

Ten County departments are headed by an individual elected directly by the voters. All serve a term of four years. These ten officials are commonly referred to as “Row Officers,” a term that came about many years ago when the nine departments were first listed in a row on the election ballot. All ten row officer positions will be up for election in 2027.The elected position of row officer is a paid position. The salaries are set by the County Commissioners and are tied to the Consumer Price Index. There are no term limits for Montgomery County row officers.

County Commissioner

The legislative and executive arm of the Montgomery County government is the three member Board of Commissioners, with two majority members and one minority member represented. Elected at large for four year terms, the three choose one of their members to be chairman. If a vacancy occurs, the county judges appoint a replacement.

The commissioners name all department heads, as well as most members of the various boards, authorities, and committees. In addition, the commissioners appoint all county employees and, sitting as the Salary Board with the Controller, establishes salaries of all employees.

The management of county property and all phases of financial administration, except final audit, also rests with the commissioners. They are responsible for the preparation, adoption and execution of the annual budget, as well as for the taxing of all property, both real and personal, for county purposes. They have jurisdiction over County maintained roads and bridges and supervision of the Court House and other county operated facilities.

The Board also appoints the Township Manager, who oversees the day-to-day operation of the Township, along with the Township Secretary, the Township Solicitor and Township Engineer.

Clerk of Courts

The Clerk of Courts is an elected official who leads the office that is responsible for managing criminal court records in Montgomery County. The office is responsible for the collection of bail money and its return to the surety upon completion of court action, Bail Procedures, maintaining Criminal Records and Certification of Court Records / Subpoenas The office maintains miscellaneous records and dockets relating to the division of election districts, the appointment of election officials, constables, and private detectives. It is the Clerk of Courts’ duty to ensure that records are accurate, organized, and accessible, following the legal guidelines set by Pennsylvania law.

Controller

The controller is an elected row officer and has general supervision over all fiscal affairs of the county and of the accounts of all functions collecting, receiving, or disbursing county funds.

Coroner

The coroner investigates and certifies all deaths that are not caused by natural disease or cannot be properly certified by a PA licensed physician based on prior medical attendance.

District Attorney

The District Attorney is the chief law enforcement officer of the County. The Montgomery County Office of the District Attorney is dedicated to achieving justice and protecting the safety of our community. The goal is to keep Montgomery County safe by effectively working with the entire law enforcement community in fairly investigating and aggressively prosecuting criminal activity throughout our county.  Work to zealously enforce the law and, at the same time, protect the rights of crime victims, fight for justice in the courts, seek appropriate punishment for those who commit crimes, provide complete assistance to victims of crime, and offer community-based crime prevention programs to educate the public.

Prothonotary

The Prothonotary is the elected civil clerk of the Court of Common Pleas and is responsible for recording all civil procedures before the court. The Prothonotary signs and seals all writs and processes numerous other documents of the Court of Common Pleas.

Recorder of Deeds

The Recorder of Deeds is responsible for maintaining the integrity of all land records and documents recorded at the office and collecting and distributing county and state fees and real estate transfer taxes for the state, townships, boroughs, and school districts of Montgomery County. In addition, the Recorder of Deeds is also responsible for administering oaths and recording the commissions of notaries public. The Recorder of Deeds is the custodian of all records and indexes relating to land transactions and is required to archive all documents relating to land transactions in Montgomery County. The office also acts as the repository for bonds and commissions of county elected officials, common pleas judges and magisterial district judges; military discharge papers (DD214s) of all eligible service and reserve members; subdivision, state highway, and railroad plans; powers of attorney; and other miscellaneous documents.

Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans Court

The Register of Wills / Orphans’ Court office probates wills and processes intestate estates (estates without wills). The office is also agent for the commonwealth in the collection of inheritance taxes. Accounts by personal representatives of estates are filed with this office. Certificates necessary for the transfer of estate assets are also issued by this office.

The Clerk of the Orphans’ Court office issues marriage licenses and has charge of the Orphans’ Court dockets. Petitions for adoptions are filed in this office The Register of Wills keeps the records of all persons born in Montgomery County between 1893 and 1915. Birth records of persons born after 1915 are kept on file with the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Sheriff’s Office

The Sheriff of Montgomery County is the chief law enforcement officer of the County under the Pennsylvania Constitution. While most police work is done by local and state police, the Sheriff’s broad powers authorize deputies to enforce the law. The Sheriff’s Office is called upon during riots, prison breaches, strikes, and other emergencies which are or may be a breach of the peace. In those instances, the Sheriff is empowered to call upon all able-bodied adults.

The primary duties of the Sheriff’s office are to:

• Ensure safety within the Montgomery County Justice Complex.
• Enforce court orders.
• Serve all criminal and civil writs issued by the Courts.
• Transport prisoners throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and perform extraditions from other states for court proceedings.
• Assist other law enforcement agencies process DUI offenders.
• Issue licenses to carry firearms.
• Conduct sales of real and personal property.
• Assist local and regional law enforcement agencies during emergencies and apprehension

Treasurer

The Treasurer is the custodian of all County funds, the Treasurer is Chairman of the County Investment Board, Treasurer of the Employee Retirement System, and a member of the Depository Board. The Treasurer is also the Director of Tax Claim. Payments of County taxes and fees, state and federal grants, and other monies due the County are received and deposited by this office.

Jury Commissioners

The Montgomery County Jury Selection Commission is responsible for providing a qualified pool of jurors to ensure the right of all citizens to a trial by an impartial jury. Citizens who fulfill their jury service obligation are continuing a tradition established under the United States.