Ready? Here are a few tips:
1. If you know and care about the issues – Don’t Wait!
2. Determine what office you want to run for. It really depends on what issues you want to work on. If you want to have a direct impact on growth and development, sidewalks and real quality of life issues, you should run for county or city commission. If you want to focus strictly on local education issues, you should run for school board. If you want to focus on healthcare, education or other issues that have a statewide impact (and don’t mind being a part of a slower process in passing legislation) you should run for state legislative seats or Congress. In my opinion, you should not run for school board if you really want to be a county commissioner or a state legislator. I think people that run for several different offices tend to look like they just want to hold any office. It does not send a positive message to voters. Go where your heart is and where you truly want to make the difference.
3. See your youth as an asset and utilize it. You are young, energetic, you can work hard, and you have new ideas and fresh insight. Let people see you as someone who is a breath of fresh air and unwilling to go along with business as usual.
4. Have a record of substantive involvement in the community you run in. That doesn’t mean you have to have 20 years of community service, but you should be able to point to some tangible achievements.
5. Find people who believe in you as a candidate and keep them close. (They make great volunteers and supporters.)
6. Don’t assume your team has to consist only of long time experts.
7. Find good, local consultants who understand your prospective district.
8. Begin making contacts with your party operatives. Find out when and where your local party meets, attend the meetings, meet with the leadership and other active members. Also, get to know Political Action Committees and other organizations that are likely to support the same issues as you.
9. Don’t feel that you have to represent all people in everything that you do.
10. Do your homework. Understand the demographics in your voting participation, pressing issues, key players, and what it would take to win.
11. Constantly research and track current bills and pressing issues. Depending on which level of office you run for, stay abreast of the issues that particular body has been dealing with. Decide both how you would vote on the issue and how you would talk about it.
