Local elections benefit from having multiple contenders; a healthy democracy needs the debate of ideas and issues that contested races provide. To help give qualified, informed citizens the confidence to run for local office, I've written up a 'Local Elections 101'. I can only speak for running in Cedar Falls, Iowa, but I bet some of these insights carry over to other cities, too.
When should I declare my candidacy?
I researched a few election cycle’s worth of local announcements and found that incumbents usually declared around February-March for a November election. Declaring in the spring helps build initial support and campaign funding, and also narrows the pool a little (someone deciding not to run because your views are similar). For my first campaign in 2017, I declared in early April by writing a press release and e-mailing it to the local newspaper. You can see that the resulting article highlights different facts from what I provided...remember that the media isn't your mouthpiece, so expect significant differences. The media will report it the way they think is most suitable to their audience. Also, make sure to include high-resolution, professional headshots because those images are to be used for a long time to come.
What does a “campaign season” look like?
Here's my suggested timeline, if you're running in an election as a relative unknown, and especially if you're in a city-wide election where you need to canvas a large area. It may seem a little early to be doorknocking in June and July for a November election, I found that people are much more likely to talk with you at 7pm during the summer when it's still light and warm out than at 7pm in September or October, when it's dark and chilly! Generally speaking, this is what worked for me:
| January - February | Research the issues that matter in the community; start attending council meetings, and especially work sessions (where the council conversation is far less guarded). Study the information in the State of Iowa's online City Candidate Guide to know your responsibilities as a candidate. |
| March | Recruit your campaign manager & treasurer (who should both donate significantly to your campaign -- they need some serious skin in the game!); build your website and a donation button, and social media page (Facebook especially). File your DR-1 form with the State of Iowa (it’s easy). |
| April | Get campaign photos when the weather cooperates; announce your run publicly. Launch your website and publish your social media |
| May | Hold initial campaign events to generate interest, and funding, and to let people get to know you. One-on-one meetings with influencers; City Staff will provide a one-hour briefing to get you up to speed on city operations. |
| June | Doorknocking; participate in civic events, parades, forums, etc. Gather signatures for candidacy declaration. |
| July | Doorknocking; participate in civic events, parades, forums, etc. Gather signatures for candidacy declaration. |
| August | Doorknocking; participate in civic events, parades, forums, etc. Gather signatures for candidacy declaration. Attend City Council meetings. |
| September | Post yard signs and prep for City Candidate Forum. Early mailer to residents. Attend City Council meetings. |
| October | Release radio and television ads. Attend City Council meetings. |
| November | Get out the Vote efforts; final election on the 2nd Tuesday of November. Attend City Council meetings. |
| December | Runoff election if necessary. The victor is sworn in at the end of the month, to start January 1st. |
How much money do I need to raise and spend?
That’s a tough question…people can win even if they spend quite a bit less than their opponent, but having the funds doesn’t hurt. I’d say that rather than trying to hit a certain dollar figure, just decide, as your campaign progresses, what you need in order to get your message across effectively. I do think fundraising is an important (almost sacred) part of campaigning, and even if you CAN bankroll your own campaign, you shouldn’t. In my campaign, I sought out & received lots of small donations from residents...I didn’t want or accept large (like $500+) donations from a few well-heeled donors. That was just my philosophical choice, because I didn’t want to be (or even seem) beholden to a small group of wealthy residents. With online donation tools like PayPal, it’s very easy to solicit and obtain small donations without being pesky or pushy.
How much do I need to know about the city during my campaign?
I was actually surprised by how little I was ‘quizzed’ about the technical aspects of the city during my at-large campaign. While doorknocking and at meet-and-greet events, people didn’t ask many questions, period. They usually just wanted to tell me their stance on current hot-button city topics, and if I had posted a position on my website about that topic, I let them know where I stood. They were always friendly, even if they disagreed, and it seemed like they appreciated that I was upfront with them and not just saying what they wanted to hear. Of course, I then I usually tried to bring up an issue where I thought we’d agree!
How can I get smart on city topics for the campaign?
Even if you’re passionate about one topic that’s motivating you to run, it’s critical to not be a “one-issue candidate”. Here’s what helped me to understand how my city (Cedar Falls) works, and how I discovered areas where I thought civic changes were needed.
- Council Goals and Objectives. I found one of the best resources was the annual Council Goal Setting document that the city produces each November. It lists the City Council’s general directives to staff for the next year. I recommend printing out a copy and highlighting areas where you have concerns or disagreements with the current direction. If you have a good handle on just THIS document, you’ll be in a great position for discussions and forums.
- Capital Improvements Program (CIP). Cedar Falls lists out five years' worth of approved and/or anticipated major one-time expenditures in a BIG binder. It’s very helpful to know what these projects are, how much they’re expected to cost, and when they’re planned for completion. If you think something shouldn’t be built or bought, this can make a good campaign issue item.
- Meetings with non-governmental leaders & influencers. While I didn’t want to be beholden to any single group or special interest, I found it very helpful to connect with the various developers, union leaders, neighborhood association presidents, and other influencers, to hear about their perceptions, successes, and frustrations with government. I didn’t make them any promises, but listened intently and took notes. With developers and unions, it’s also great to talk with them before you’re actually in office, because at least in Cedar Falls, it’s more problematic for election to engage with them outside of open meetings, due to the interpretation of various laws and rules.
- Iowa Municipal Policy Leaders’ Handbook. Each year, the Iowa League of Cities and University of Iowa’s Institute for Public Affairs publishes a guide for mayors and councilors. It has all kinds of helpful general guidance for local government, mayor & council roles, council meetings, open meetings law, budgeting, HR, planning & zoning, etc….stuff that you don’t REALLY need to know until your elected, but it sure doesn’t hurt to be prepared, and to convey to the voters that you’re ready to take on the responsibility of a councilor or mayor role. It's worth spending some campaign funds on your own copy to highlight and mark up!
- Municipal Code of Ordinances. The City of Cedar Falls publishes its ordinances on MuniCode. Most cities have something similar online. You can easily search various topics and see, legally, the ‘programming’ that informs how the city operates. Refer to this if you think the city’s not doing something effectively, like code enforcement or zoning…your suggestions for changing it (or more proactively enforcing it) would make a great campaign talking point.
- Current & former elected/appointed officials and city staff. I researched who our past councilors and senior staff were (you can find past directories through City Hall, your library or historical society). I made sure to include them on my doorknocking route to introduce myself and set up a time to come back and talk with them about their experiences, concerns, and suggestions for the city. What a trove of information! I had hour-long conversations with about 30 former staff and city councilors that way, and it was super helpful to gain their perspective. Everyone I asked was happy to talk with me, and they were all appreciative that I truly cared about their opinions and advice.
Do I need a chairperson and treasurer for a local campaign?
In my campaign, I did a lot of the activities that these two positions traditionally fill, but it was a unique situation...I’d volunteered on two city council campaigns, while my chairperson and treasurer had no campaign experience. I recruited them because I greatly trust both of them, and they both have strong connections in the community. I knew they'd tell me if they thought I was getting off track or doing something wrong. It should be somebody outside of your own family, in order to show you’ve got more than just family support for your campaign! I see it as being similar to the importance of soliciting for campaign contributions...if you can’t recruit a manager or treasurer who’s not related to you, then you should probably question whether you have a realistic chance of winning. And I don’t think anyone should run unless they plan to win.
Also, for recruiting a chairperson and treasurer, you might browse past DR-2's (Campaign Disclosure Filings) to see who chaired and treasurer-ed (?) past local campaigns. If you feel comfortable reaching out to them, they may be able to recommend experienced people who can either help lead or at least consult for your campaign.
How does campaign finance work? Is it a pain?
I was a little intimidated with tracking my campaign contributions and expenditures, but the State of Iowa makes it REALLY simple through their filing website...it’s all done online, so whoever enters the info does need to be comfortable with computers!
I recommend opening a dedicated campaign checking account; I did mine through Veridian, and put my treasurer and me as the owners. We also bought a little receipt book from WalMart to keep close track of all cash and check contributions. My treasurer and I would make a deposit at the bank regularly. I didn't order checks, but did have debit cards printed for my treasurer and me, and used those for nearly all our expenditures. We only needed two checks during the campaign, so we had Veridian make up cashier's checks for a nominal fee. Simple!
For my campaign, I was really involved with the treasury stuff just because my treasurer was also new at doing this, and I happen to like entering data (was a good way to spend rainy summer afternoons when I couldn’t doorknock). The most important role my treasurer filled was the “two-person integrity” check, to verify each other’s calculations and show that we were taking our financial ethics very seriously.
How much should I budget for media, yard signs, and social media?
Media dynamics seem to change at a rapid pace. I found it helpful to review the DR-2’s (Campaign Disclosure Summaries) of other recent campaigns in my county for insight into which local/regional vendors provided what kind of service for each campaign. While I wouldn’t just replicate what another campaign did, the DR-2s give a lot of insight and ideas for what worked well and maybe didn’t work well (if that campaign wasn’t successful).
Should I seek endorsements from groups and individuals?
While it’s great to have the support of people and organizations during your campaign, I found that for various reasons (like existing business relationships or other ties), it just wasn’t realistic to get them to support me publicly (like with a yard sign) or to donate more than small anonymous amounts (usually $20). The other candidates in my race did get endorsements from various special interests, and I don't think this hurt my campaign.
You also risk your independence by soliciting and receiving official endorsements, if you’re then expected to be “their guy” after the election. Perhaps it’s a pretty naive view, but I sought out not to come across as being on anybody’s ‘side’, and instead to broadcast that I would listen to all sides objectively and make the best and wisest decisions I could, based on my core values and principles. Especially in local, non-partisan elections, I think that’s the best way to go. And along those lines, I think it's inappropriate for sitting elected officials in non-partisan races to endorse candidates...especially a "chosen successor" for an incumbent who's leaving office. So I steered clear of that, and also wouldn't endorse other candidates myself.
Any other advice?
Commit to Good Governance. Regardless of where candidates stand on various issues, I personally hope you will commit to following these seven principles of good governance: accountability, transparency, the rule of law, responsiveness, equitability/inclusion, efficiency/effectiveness, and participation. Whatever your political leanings, these standards are what we learned about democracy in high school civics; when people are angry with their government, it’s usually because the leaders in power aren’t following one or more of the above principles. Please promote the principles of good governance, for a healthy and civil democracy!
Understand the Powers and Limitations of Elected Officials. As a candidate, you may be advocating for certain changes, only to find out that state or federal law requires or prevents local leaders from doing what you want. This passage from Leaders’ Companion by Thomas Wren (1995) describes the challenge on citizen leaders:
“Broad-based and effective citizen leaders in our times are possible if - and only if - citizens develop the abilities to gain access to information of all kinds, and the skills to put such information to effective use. At the same time, citizens committed to public life, community, and leadership will need to recognize and understand certain restraining forces in the world as it is.” (p. 314)
Conversations with current and past elected officials can help you build insight into what can realistically be done in your government...and how to wisely work to bring changes about. Politics is the art of the possible, so you need to go in with your eyes wide open for what IS possible.
Remain a Civic Influencer. If you don’t win your election, that doesn’t make you a loser! Try again next time, using your hard-earned campaign experience. And in the meantime, you will have hopefully become a civic influencer and can use that to continue advocating for the positive changes you want. Don’t just shrink into the shadows -- the people who voted for you still support you, and you can still be their voice to the government. Volunteer for a city board or commission, which will help you see the inner workings of government. Make your time and experience count!
In Closing...
After reading this guide, I hope you have a better sense of what it takes to run an efficient, effective, and informed campaign for local office. And that you have the confidence now to give it a shot if you believe you're a worthy candidate for elected office. While I can't guarantee you a win, the insights above should give you the resources you need to carry out a campaign you can be proud of...one where ideas are debated, issues are scrutinized, and the most qualified and capable citizen leader wins. In short, the essence of democracy!