To run for office, choose a specific office, confirm you meet its age and residency requirements, file the paperwork and any fee or petition signatures by the deadline, register your campaign if required, raise money within the limits, and reach voters. Deadlines, fees and signature rules differ by state and county, so verify each with your elections office.
Which office should you run for first?
Run for the office where your time, your neighbors and your knowledge of the issues give you the best chance of winning and doing the job well. For most first-time candidates, that is a local seat.
The ladder runs roughly like this:
- Local and special-district seats: school board, city or town council, county commission, water or fire districts, library boards. Some counties also elect officials such as the clerk, the assessor or the sheriff.
- Mayor: a larger commitment than a council seat, with a citywide race.
- State legislature: state house and state senate seats, which usually cover districts of many thousands of residents.
- Statewide offices: governor, attorney general, secretary of state and others, depending on the state.
- Federal offices: U.S. House, U.S. Senate and president.
Lower rungs have smaller districts, so you can reach a meaningful share of voters on foot, and the decisions they make (zoning, school budgets, local taxes, road repairs) touch residents directly.
They are also where the work of running is easiest to learn. Many of these races are nonpartisan, meaning no party label appears on the ballot, though that varies by state and by city.
Before choosing, read the meeting minutes and budgets of the body you are considering. Our guide on how to audit local government walks through that process. Sit through a few meetings first.
A seat that looks interesting from the outside can turn out to meet twice a week or to control very little of what you care about.
Are you eligible, and how do you get on the ballot?
Eligibility depends on the office, and the requirements are written into the Constitution, state law, city charters and local ordinances. Confirm them in writing before you spend a dollar.
For federal office, the Constitution sets the minimums:
- U.S. House: at least 25 years old, a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and an inhabitant of the state you represent.
- U.S. Senate: at least 30 years old, a citizen for at least nine years, and an inhabitant of the state.
- President: at least 35 years old, a natural-born citizen, and a resident of the United States for at least 14 years.
State and local offices set their own rules. Common requirements include being a registered voter, living in the district for a minimum period before the election or before filing, and not holding a conflicting job.
Some offices bar people with certain criminal convictions, and some require a particular license or qualification. Your city charter or county code will say.
Getting on the ballot usually means filing a declaration or statement of candidacy with the elections office, plus one or both of the following: a filing fee, or a petition with a required number of valid signatures from registered voters.
In some places a petition can replace the fee. The number of signatures, the window for collecting them and the filing deadline all vary, and some deadlines fall many months before the election.
Start with your county elections office or your state’s secretary of state. Ask for the candidate filing guide for the exact office, and get the deadline in writing.
If you need signatures, collect more than the minimum, because some will be rejected for unregistered signers, duplicates or addresses outside the district.
What campaign registration and finance rules apply to you?
Once you raise or spend money, you will probably need to register a campaign committee and follow disclosure rules, and the threshold for doing so depends on which government regulates your race.
For federal races, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) requires you to register as a candidate once you raise or spend more than $5,000.
You then designate a principal campaign committee and file regular reports. State and local races are governed by your state’s campaign finance agency or, in some places, by the county or city clerk.
Thresholds, forms, contribution limits and reporting schedules differ widely.
The basics are similar almost everywhere:
- Open a bank account used only for the campaign. Do not mix it with personal money.
- Name a treasurer, who is often legally responsible for the accuracy of reports. Choose someone careful and trustworthy.
- Record every contribution and expense, with the donor’s name and details where the law requires them.
- File reports on time. Late or missing reports can bring fines and, worse, a news story.
- Put the required “paid for by” disclaimer on signs, mailers and online ads.
- Never use campaign money for personal expenses.
Contribution limits are adjusted periodically and differ by jurisdiction, so check the current figures with the agency instead of relying on a number you saw online.
Corporate and foreign-national contributions are barred in federal races, and states have their own rules on who may give.
If the paperwork feels unclear, call the agency’s help line. Most have staff whose job is to answer candidates’ questions.
How do you raise money without being owned by it?
You stay independent by knowing who is giving, why, and what they might expect, and by refusing money you could not explain to a voter.
Money is the first test of a candidate’s independence, because the first checks you accept are the first public record of whom you will answer to.
A few habits keep this manageable:
- Set a policy before you ask for money. Decide what you will not accept, contributions from a particular industry, from people with business before the body you want to join, or above a size you consider reasonable. Write the policy down and publish it.
- Start with people who know you. Friends, neighbors and local supporters give smaller amounts, but a long list of small local donors shows that people in the district back you.
- Track your donors against the body’s agenda. A donor with a rezoning request or a contract pending before your future board creates a conflict. Public records will make that connection visible to opponents and reporters, so look for it first.
- Spend carefully and keep receipts. Every expense will appear in a public report.
Fundraising also takes time away from talking to voters, so set a modest budget tied to a plan. In a small local race, the costs are often yard signs, printed literature, a website, filing fees and some mail or digital advertising. Work backward from what you need to reach your voters, then raise that amount.
Disclosure runs in both directions. Once you hold office, journalists and citizens can follow the money that flows toward your votes. Our guide on how to trace lobbying money to a bill shows the same tools your future constituents will use, and learning them as a candidate lets you see how your own record will look.
How do you build a message and a team with no staff?
Build the message first, and keep it to a short statement of why you are running and what you would do, then recruit a small team around specific jobs.
Voters at the door give you roughly the length of one breath to explain yourself, so the message must be brief.
A workable first message answers four questions in plain language:
- Why are you running for this office?
- What are the two or three issues you would work on, and what specifically would you do about each?
- What in your background or knowledge bears on the job?
- Why should voters choose you over the other candidates?
Base the issues on research, not guesses. Read the budget, the recent votes and the agendas of the body you want to join.
Talk to residents before you decide what matters to them. A candidate who can say what a specific line in the county budget pays for will sound credible next to one who speaks in generalities.
For the team, a small campaign needs these roles filled:
- A treasurer, who handles the finance filings.
- A campaign manager, even an informal one, who keeps the calendar of deadlines, events and canvassing shifts.
- A handful of volunteers who can knock on doors, staff a table or deliver literature.
- Someone comfortable with a website and social media, though a simple page with your message, a way to contact you and a donation link is enough.
Give volunteers clear, small tasks with start and end times. People will say yes to “knock on 40 doors on Saturday morning” more readily than to “help with the campaign.”
How do you find voters and win them over?
Find your likely voters in the public voter file and speak to them directly, starting with a plan based on how many votes it takes to win.
Look at past results for the same office in the county elections office’s records, see how many votes the winner received, and set your target from that.
Your elections office or party organization can usually provide a voter list showing who is registered and, in many states, who voted in past elections.
Rules on access, cost and permitted uses vary by state. This list shows you where to spend your limited hours.
The methods that work in small races are the ones that put you in direct contact:
- Door-to-door canvassing: the most reliable method in local contests. Introduce yourself, ask what matters to the resident, listen, and note the answers.
- Phone calls and text messages: useful when doors are impractical, subject to the rules on automated and bulk messages.
- Local events: candidate forums, civic association meetings, farmers markets and neighborhood gatherings.
- Local press and endorsements: a community newspaper, a local newsletter or a respected neighborhood organization can reach voters you cannot.
- Mail and digital ads: best used late and sparingly, aimed at voters you have identified.
Know the election calendar as well as you know your message. Voter registration deadlines, early voting dates, mail ballot request deadlines and return deadlines all vary by state, and each is an opportunity to contact voters.
Remind supporters to confirm their registration, and send them to the voter registration guide so they avoid third-party sites that collect their data.
What mistakes do first-time candidates make most often?
The most common mistakes are missed deadlines, mixed-up money and a message too vague to persuade anyone. Most are avoidable with a calendar and a short checklist.
- Missing a filing deadline or signature requirement. Nothing else you do matters if you are not on the ballot. Put every date on a calendar the day you learn it, and file early.
- Misreading eligibility. A residency or registration requirement you overlooked can end a campaign after you have already spent money.
- Mixing campaign and personal funds. It violates the rules in most places and gives opponents an easy attack.
- Late or inaccurate finance reports. These are public and checked.
- Having no vote target. A candidate who has not worked out how many votes win the race cannot plan canvassing, mail or time.
- Running on national talking points in a local race. School board and council voters want to know about class sizes, zoning and road repairs.
- Waiting too long to talk to voters. Many first-time candidates spend months on logos and slogans before they knock on a door.
- Ignoring the opposition’s record. Read what incumbents and rivals have voted for and said so you can describe the real differences.
- Doing everything alone. Candidates who try to handle the finances, the field work and the message at once burn out or make errors.
Where can first-time candidates find training and support?
Training and support groups exist across the political spectrum, and most first-time candidates benefit from using at least one. Programs change, so check each group’s current offerings, eligibility and cost before applying.
Some well-known examples, grouped by orientation:
- Nonpartisan: the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University runs Ready to Run, a campaign training program for women of all parties. Your county or state elections office also offers free candidate guides and, in many places, workshops.
- Democratic-leaning: Run for Something recruits and supports young progressive candidates for down-ballot offices. Emerge trains Democratic women to run for office.
- Republican and conservative-leaning: the Leadership Institute offers campaign and political training to conservatives. Maggie’s List supports conservative Republican women running for federal office.
- Party organizations: county and state committees of the Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, Green and other parties often offer candidate trainings, voter files and endorsements. Reach out to the one that matches your views and ask what they provide.
Each group has its own priorities and may expect your positions to match its own. Talk to a few, compare what they offer and ask former participants how helpful the training was.
Remember that accepting a group’s help can also come with expectations about endorsements and fundraising, so apply the same independence test you use for donors.
Beyond formal programs, find people who have run before. Former candidates for your office can tell you which filing steps trip people up, how many doors they knocked and what they would do differently.
Where do you keep checking the rules once you have filed?
Keep checking your state or local elections office and campaign finance agency, because rules, forms and deadlines can change, and your filing is only the start of ongoing obligations.
Treat the official sources as the final word and anything else, including this guide, as a starting point.
Build a short routine around these sources:
- Your county elections office: for candidate filing guides, ballot order, voter lists, polling places and early voting information.
- Your secretary of state or state elections board: for state-level filing rules, forms and election calendars.
- Your state or local campaign finance agency: for contribution limits, reporting schedules and disclaimer requirements.
- The FEC at fec.gov: for federal candidates, with its candidate guides and reporting calendars.
- Your city clerk or county clerk: for local ordinances and charters that govern eligibility and conduct in office.
Also watch for notices from these agencies. Many send deadline reminders by email to registered committees.
Put the next report date on your calendar before you leave the filing office. If you are running for a federal seat, the Govvy app review covers research tools for following the Congress you hope to join.
Bookmark the Observer’s Lounge Resources page, which collects the research tools behind each step here, and come back to it as your filing deadlines, finance reports and voter outreach move forward.