Become an Open Wards Philly Member!

Join the citywide movement to strengthen democracy and transparency within Philadelphia’s political parties by becoming a member of Open Wards Philly.

Whether you love them or hate them, or something in between, Philadelphia’s political parties aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, and we have the power to make them work better and be more representative of the people they serve. When the parties are at their best, they have a strong connection to the voters and grassroots politics, and strengthening that connection is what Open Wards Philly is all about.

Open Wards Philly is an effort by both newly-elected and veteran committee people, and some of the ward leaders they helped elect, to create a more democratically-rooted, better-functioning ward system across Philadelphia. To help make it happen, we have developed a set of foundational principles based on democratic processes, direct representation, and the notion that elected committee people should be empowered in their efforts to support and represent their constituents.

Whether you’re a current committee person or ward leader, or you’re someone who’s active in local politics, or someone just learning about this area of politics for the first time, everyone is welcome to become a member who supports the Open Ward Principles spelled out on our website. There’s a lot more to it—and don’t worry if it doesn’t all click just yet!—but OWP’s core beliefs are these:

We believe that wards should be governed by clear procedures that are rooted in democratic principles.

We believe that committee people, who are the direct representatives of their constituents, have the right to hear from all candidates and vote on the ward’s endorsements.

And we believe that in a primary election committee people should be able to personally support any candidate of their party free from retribution and retaliation.

Learn more about our campaign for change and why this matters at OpenWardsPhilly.com, and then sign up below to endorse our platform and join our fight!

Members will be listed on our website unless they request otherwise. Get in touch with us at openwardsphilly@gmail.com.