How to Run for Local Office: Getting Started

If you’re wondering how to run for local office, you’re in the right place. Local races are one of the most direct ways to shape what happens where you live, from housing and public safety to school funding, infrastructure, and taxes.

The challenge is that local offices are diverse, and getting involved in local government can take many forms. You might be fired up to serve, but still unsure which seat fits you, what the process looks like, or how to get started.

This guide breaks down the basics of how to run for local office step by step, from choosing the right role to filing, planning, campaigning, and getting voters to the polls.

Why Run for Local Office?

Local officials make decisions that affect daily life more than most national headlines, such as:

• Housing and zoning regulations

• School budgets and district policies

• Road repairs and infrastructure

• Local taxes and spending priorities

• Public safety and community services

• Parks, libraries, and local quality-of-life issues

If you’ve ever thought, “Someone should do something about this,” running for local office is a way to become that someone with real power to make change.

What Counts As a Local Office?

Before you decide what to run for, it helps to understand what local offices are. Depending on where you live, local elections can cover city, town, township, school district, or county-level roles.

Common local offices include:

• City Council: Sometimes called a town council, village council, or town board, this body of local government handles local laws, budgets, zoning, and services.

• Mayor: Often oversees a city’s operations, budgets, and department leadership.

• School Board: Manages district budgets, superintendent oversight, and school policy.

• County Commissioner: Handles county budgets and services like public health, roads, courts, and sometimes elections.

• Clerks, Treasurers, and Comptrollers: Manage local administration and financial oversight.

Some communities also elect roles like sheriff, prosecutor, judge, or coroner, which often have extra eligibility rules and unique campaign dynamics. If you’re interested in a more part-time position, you might also be able to run for a special district board, like your local library board or fire board.

If you’re not sure what a role does where you live, your best sources are your city or county website, recent meeting agendas, and your local clerk’s office. You can also use our free election look-up tool to see what roles are up for election soon in your area. 

LEARN MORE: Check out every elected office you can run for in the United States. 

How to Run for Local Office, Step by Step

Running for local office doesn’t require insider connections. But it does require a clear plan, especially because every state and municipality has its own rules, deadlines, and election structures.

Step #1: Decide Why You’re Running and What You Want to Change

Before you pick a title, get clear on why you want to run. 

Ask yourself:

• What problem do I want to solve, or what do I want to protect?

• Who is being affected right now and how?

• What’s one change I’d want to make in my first year in office?

Then draft a simple starter message you can repeat consistently.

You’ll refine it later, but clarity early makes everything else easier, from meeting voters to fundraising to building a team.

LEARN MORE: Learn how to write a winning campaign message. 

Step #2: Choose the Right Local Office for Your Goals and Skills

Some first-time candidates choose an office based on name recognition alone and then realize later that the job doesn’t match what they actually want to work on.

As you compare options, consider:

• Impact: What issues do you care most about? Where do you have the most leverage to effect change?

• Fit: Do you have specialized skills that could make an impact in a specific area? If you have experience in finance, a comptroller or treasurer role could be a strong fit. If you’re a former educator, school board service may let you apply your expertise directly.

• Lifestyle: Is it part-time, full-time, paid, unpaid, or meeting-heavy?

• Electorate: Is it a district or ward-based role, or is the position elected at-large? This changes your voter universe a lot.

• Timing: When is the next election? How soon is the filing deadline?

A practical shortcut is to attend one meeting for each body you’re considering, like city council, school board, or county commission. You’ll quickly learn where and how decisions get made and what kind of leader the role requires.

Step #3: Learn the Rules, Requirements, and Deadlines in Your Area

This is where running for local office gets real: eligibility, ballot access, and filing.

Even for small local races, confirm:

• Eligibility requirements, like age, residency, voter registration, or citizenship

• Election type, like whether it’s nonpartisan or partisan

• Seat structure, such as district or ward vs. at-large

• Filing deadline, which is often months before election day

• Signature requirements 

• Filing fees and disclosures

If you’re unsure where to start, call your local election office or clerk. They can usually point you to a candidate packet, calendar, and the exact forms you’ll need.

LEARN MORE: Filing and paperwork are where a lot of first-time candidates can mess up. See how to get your candidacy filed and get on the ballot. 

Step #4: Build a Simple Campaign Plan You Can Actually Follow

You don’t need a massive operation. You need a plan that matches your capacity and keeps you focused on trust, visibility, and voter contact – the things that win local races.

At the highest level, most local campaigns come down to five lanes:

• Message: Your reason for running and what you’ll deliver.

• Voter Outreach: How you’ll meet voters consistently through door knocking, events, calls, texts, and community visibility.

• Fundraising: How you’ll raise what you need without losing your values.

• Compliance: How you’ll track spending, report donations, and follow local rules.

• Get Out the Vote (GOTV): How you’ll turn support into votes in a low-turnout environment.

Community-first outreach is the foundation of most successful local campaigns. 

That usually means showing up where people already are, like town hall meetings, local events, libraries, small businesses, schools, and neighborhood gatherings. In many local races, meeting voters face-to-face and following up consistently matters far more than flashy messaging.

At the same time, fundraising doesn’t have to mean big donors or big checks. Many local candidates rely on small-dollar support from friends, neighbors, and early believers. A few simple goals, like covering filing fees, yard signs, basic printing, or a small digital budget, can keep your campaign sustainable without selling out your values.

If you can outline how you’ll communicate, how you’ll fund it, and how you’ll stay organized, you’re already ahead of most first-time candidates.

LEARN MORE: Use our free campaign checklist to start building your plan to local victory. 

Step #5: Use Digital Tools to Save Time and Reach More Voters

Digital tools don’t replace face-to-face outreach, but they make local campaigns far easier to run, especially if you’re balancing a job, family, or limited volunteer support.

At a minimum, most local candidates benefit from:

• A simple campaign website with your bio, priorities, and ways to get involved

• A few social media platforms your community already uses

• An email list to keep supporters informed

• Texting for reminders, updates, and turnout

Digital outreach helps you stay visible between in-person moments and makes it easier for supporters to donate, volunteer, and share your campaign with others.

This is also where civic technology and campaign tools can make a real difference. Platforms like GoodParty.org help Independent and nonpartisan candidates manage messaging, voter outreach, and content creation without needing a full staff or expensive consultants.

LEARN MORE: Explore how you can use social media to reach more voters. 

Start Where You Are and Build from There

If you’re asking how to run for local office, chances are you already care deeply about your community. The next step isn’t having all the answers. It’s starting with the basics and building momentum over time.

Focus on what matters most:

• Choose a local office where you can make a real impact

• Learn the rules, deadlines, and requirements in your area

• Build a simple, realistic plan for outreach and fundraising

• Show up consistently, in person and online, and listen to voters

• Be ready to turn support into votes when election day arrives

Local elections are often decided by small margins and low turnout, which means committed, community-rooted candidates really can win, even without party backing or big money.

And you don’t have to figure it out alone. GoodParty.org is here to empower Independent and nonpartisan candidates to run serious, people-powered local campaigns, with free and low-cost tools for planning, messaging, voter outreach, and content creation.

Photo by Land O'Lakes, Inc. on Unsplash