Interested in Running for Office? Here's How.
The Yankee National Party encourages anyone and everyone who supports our core values of Independence, Democracy, Empathy, and Sustainability to run for office - even if you choose to do so without seeking the YNP endorsement. Here are some items you should consider as you decide how to best run for office.
Interested in running with the YNP? Click here to sign up for email updates, and click here to fill out an endorsement form.
Interested in running with the YNP? Click here to sign up for email updates, and click here to fill out an endorsement form.
1. To Run, or Not to Run? That is the question!
First, you need to consider: why do you want to run? What kind of change do you want to make, or are you trying to stop some change from occurring? Understanding your motivation will help you decide which office you should pursue and help you make decisions about how to market yourself and your campaign down the road.
Depending on what you want to do when in office, you will get an idea of which office you wish to run for. Someone interested in helping support their town's public schools will find more fulfillment and success running for Board of Education than Zoning Board, but someone who wants to focus on their town's local economy may find the Zoning Board to be the perfect spot. Remember that not every town, district, and state are the same - in some towns there are elected First Selectmen and in others there are hired Town Managers. Understanding the government you want to serve is an important step in your learning process.
Don't forget that elections do not happen in a vacuum - at any moment in time there may be dozens of individuals hoping to seek the same office you're thinking of. It's important to get involved with your community and with a political party or parties of your choice to better understand what you may be up against. You may find that you really like the incumbent for a given office and don't want to run against them, or you may find that there is an uncontested race that you could easily win. The more you know about community happenings, the more likely your chances of success.
Once you've identified your "why" and chosen your office, you're off and running!
Depending on what you want to do when in office, you will get an idea of which office you wish to run for. Someone interested in helping support their town's public schools will find more fulfillment and success running for Board of Education than Zoning Board, but someone who wants to focus on their town's local economy may find the Zoning Board to be the perfect spot. Remember that not every town, district, and state are the same - in some towns there are elected First Selectmen and in others there are hired Town Managers. Understanding the government you want to serve is an important step in your learning process.
Don't forget that elections do not happen in a vacuum - at any moment in time there may be dozens of individuals hoping to seek the same office you're thinking of. It's important to get involved with your community and with a political party or parties of your choice to better understand what you may be up against. You may find that you really like the incumbent for a given office and don't want to run against them, or you may find that there is an uncontested race that you could easily win. The more you know about community happenings, the more likely your chances of success.
Once you've identified your "why" and chosen your office, you're off and running!
2. Eligibility & Legal Requirements
Eligibility for each office and the legal requirements imposed on a candidate and candidate committee or Party change greatly depending on which state or municipality you are in. For starters, it's important to get a clear picture of age and residency requirements - if you cannot meet those requirements, your candidacy cannot continue for your desired office.
Legally, there are many factors to consider, such as:
Legally, there are many factors to consider, such as:
- What are the rules around collecting and spending money on a campaign in your state/district/town?
- Do you have to register your candidacy with your town? County? State?
- What financial reports do you have to file, and how often?
- Do you have ballot access with your desired Party?
3. Party Endorsements & Ballot Access Petitions
In most states, you appear on the ballot as a member of a political party, or as an "unaffiliated" or "petitioning" candidate if you are not associated with a party. In other states like CT and NY, you can appear on a ballot multiple times by being endorsed by more than one party. However you plan to proceed, make sure that you contact the party or parties you hope to be endorsed by as soon as possible, as they may have filing requirements that you are not aware of or they may have other candidates interested in running for the same office. The sooner they are aware of your intent and the more active and involved with that political party, the more likely you are to succeed in your bid to obtain that party's endorsement.
To seek the Yankee National Party endorsement for office, click here.
In some states, minor parties do not have ballot access for every elected office, and some petitioning may have to occur in order to secure ballot access. This is another reason to reach out to your preferred party or parties sooner rather than later, as petitioning can take a significant amount of time.
To seek the Yankee National Party endorsement for office, click here.
In some states, minor parties do not have ballot access for every elected office, and some petitioning may have to occur in order to secure ballot access. This is another reason to reach out to your preferred party or parties sooner rather than later, as petitioning can take a significant amount of time.
4. Building Your Team
Depending on what you're running for, you may be able to succeed on your own - or you may find yourself way over your head by going alone. In most cases, town elections are winnable with no to a handful of volunteers, while county, state, and federal elections require much more help and effort. Make sure you recruit people who are supportive of you, but who are willing to challenge you and encourage you to think outside the box on items related to your campaign. If you are running with a slate of other candidates from the same political party, see what you can do to help each other and eliminate redundant efforts. If you are running a large campaign, you will need to find people who are willing to:
- Knock on Doors
- Help craft messages, social media posts, and printed materials
- Help you prepare for debates
- Possibly manage your campaign's finances and/or volunteer teams
5. Messaging & Platform
If you are running with a political party, you may be able to simply use talking points from that party's platform - but you should know what issues are most important to you and make sure they are highlighted on all the materials you publish that are visible to the public. You may want to even create your own platform, perhaps based off your party's platform, but with more nuance surrounding how the issues you care about impact the community you're seeking to serve. You may need to conduct some research on what issues matter most to the people who live around you, too!
6. Spread the Word
This may sound easy, but it's the hardest part of any campaign: you have to make sure people hear about you! It's not as easy as setting up a Facebook page or putting a lawn sign in front of your house. To build real name recognition and to ignite a dialogue about your campaign and positions on the issues, you need to meet people where they are. We recommend:
- Knocking on every (yes, EVERY) door in your district (and leaving them some literature about you and your campaign).
- Creating a social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky at least - maybe some other sites - and keeping them REGULARLY updated. We recommend posting to ALL accounts no less than once every two days.
- Creating a website.
- Paying to "boost" posts and otherwise advertise online.
- Issue regular press releases to local media outlets to document major campaign milestones and talking points.
- Advocating for debates against your opponents - as many debates as they will agree to engage in.
- Placing lawn signs in visible locations around your district.
- Hosting meet-and-greet events that are well advertised - not just online, but in the newspaper and via printed fliers if possible.
- Depending on how large the campaign is, you may want to consider video ads, radio ads, and billboards.
What's Next?
There's SO much more to running for office - from making connections, to fundraising, to getting out the vote. We have experienced candidates and campaign workers running for office within the YNP - join us today and learn more about how you can run for office and make a real difference for the northeast!