The number of signatures needed to get on the Pennsylvania ballot in 2008 for statewide office equals 2% of the highest vote-getter’s total in the November 7, 2007 statewide judicial races.

At the November 7, 2007 election, the highest vote was received by Seamus McCaffery, one of the Democratic nominees for Supreme Court Justice. Unofficial totals give him 1,205,930 votes. 99.4% of the precincts had been counted when that figure was released. Therefore, it is likely that the 2008 requirement will be slightly less than 25,000 signatures.

In 2004, the Pennsylvania requirement was 25,697 signatures. In 2006 it was unusually high (67,070) because there had been no judicial election in 2005, and the formula defaulted back to the 2004 election, when turnout is far higher than in odd years.