All Politics is Local: Why You Should Run for Local Office
When you think about elected office, what pops into your head? For many, it immediately conjures the image of the halls of Congress, the White House, or the Governor’s mansion. However, the vast majority of elected officials in the United States aren’t at the federal or even the state level–they’re local.
Out of the over 500,000 elected officials in this country, over 493,000 of them are local elected officials. Among the hundreds of thousands of local elected officials in the country are city council members and mayors, but there are many elected positions beyond that, including trial court judges, prosecutors, comptrollers, school board members, coroners, city or county clerks, and sheriffs. While some of these positions require specific educational and professional qualifications, others are open to all candidates.
Local elected officials are decision makers who impact the day-to-day operations of our local governments, including everything from our courts, to election administration, to local planning and zoning. If you’re thinking about running for office, especially if you haven’t run for office before, running for local office is a great place to start. Your role in local government can influence policy that can better your community.
Local Government’s Role in the Community
Local government has an immediate and significant impact on local communities. Local officials craft city and county budgets, administer elections, direct public K-12 education, make zoning decisions, enact local laws and programs, and manage city or county services and programs.
These local officials can effect change that greatly impacts the lives of community members. For example, the city council of Alexandria, Virginia (where Disability Victory’s mailing office is located) voted to use funds from the American Rescue Plan Act to pilot ARISE, a guaranteed income program for low-income families, which provides $500 monthly, no strings attached payments to 170 participants. Additionally, they helped DASH, the local bus system, eliminate fares, which boosted ridership levels to a record high and particularly benefited low-income residents who are dependent on local transit. The government is monitoring the impact of these changes to document how they help local families and the surrounding community, and using that data to build a case for continuing to fund these programs.
Local Government: A Battleground for Values
While local government is often perceived as calm compared to the intense politics of the halls of Congress, local elections have become battlegrounds on a number of important issues. For example, in many states, voters elect the officials who administer elections, such as county or city clerks. These election administrators are responsible for certifying election results; however, after the 2022 elections, some of these local officials refused to certify results based on conspiratorial beliefs that the election was stolen or rigged in favor of certain candidates. The very foundation of our electoral system is at risk when local officials refuse to certify election results. As misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation surrounding elections grow, voters must pay attention to whether local election officials are capable of performing their duties in an unbiased manner. This includes electing candidates to local and state election administration positions that don’t buy into election misinformation.
School boards have also become a battleground for values. There has been a push from conservative groups to ban books on race and gender diversity in classrooms, the participation of transgender youth in sports, and the use of a child’s preferred name and gender pronouns in the classroom. In Florida, these efforts to ban books combine with state-level changes to the educational curriculum that downplays the traumatic history of chattel slavery and contends that enslaved people derived “personal benefit” from their enslavement. In response to these policies, progressive groups have focused on supporting candidates who believe in protecting the rights of LGBTQIA+ students, combating book bans, and supporting an infrastructure that vastly improves public education.
Community leaders around the country who are passionate about creating safe and inclusive community spaces have the opportunity to run for local office. As local government leaders, they can fight for equitable policies that protect the rights and improve the lives of marginalized people in their communities, including those who experience racism, sexism, queerphobia, transphobia, and ableism.
Build Your Track Record as a Leader
If you want to run for a higher level office, running for local office is a good way to build rapport with constituents and a track record of serving your community. However, it is important that candidates not view local office as simply a stepping stone to higher offices that they perceive as more influential. Local government plays an important role in thriving communities, and it needs local officials who take their role seriously and believe in directly supporting their communities where they are. Running for local government is one place where you can start to serve your community through leadership, although being a candidate on the ballot isn’t the only option. There are many other ways you can serve your local community, such as seeking appointment to a local government board or commission, joining a nonprofit board, becoming a trustee of your local public library, or participating in mutual aid work.
If you’re interested in running for local office, start by researching what local offices are elected in your area. A great tool for starting this research is Run for Something’s RunForWhat.net, which lists some of the offices that are up for election in the next two years. However, you should also conduct independent research to find out what other positions may be up for election in your area. You can do this by visiting your local government’s website and looking at sample ballots, election calendars, and other election information. While researching local positions, pay close attention to the election years of those positions because vacancies are always possible.
If you’d like to learn more about running for local office as a disabled person, join us next Wednesday, August 16th at 8 p.m. Eastern for Claim Your Seat with Run for Something. You’ll hear from our co-founder Neal Carter and from Run for Something-endorsed candidates about the realities of running for office as disabled, chronically ill, and neurodivergent candidates. RSVP for Claim Your Seat on 8/16.
Disability Victory is able to create resources like #MakeAccessAPractice thanks to generous supporters. Please support our work.