So You Want to Get Involved in Local Politics Part 3: Get Elected!

One of the core philosophies of the ASP is the importance of localism. While national politics gets increasingly goofy, it will be up to local governments to pick up the slack. In response, you may be wondering how to get involved at the local level, and I’m here to tell you that it’s actually shockingly easy! Despite being just some 32-year-old who moved to Illinois less than two years ago, I’m already on my local city council and I’m here to tell you that you can do the same! In my previous posts, I discussed getting informed and getting involved. This post will discuss the third step: Get Elected!

So you’ve been reading that city website, watching those council meetings, and talking with other rabble rousers in town. And lately you’ve started to notice a dark urge begin to overtake you. Sure, your elected officials seem nice enough, and I’m sure they’re doing a fine job, but what if there’s more that could be done? Now that you know what’s going on in town, isn’t it obvious and clear what needs to be done, if only those in power could see it? Maybe it’s time to become one of them. Good news, you’re now ready to metamorphize into your final, hideous form. A politician. 

Okay, so how does one do that exactly, and what does it entail? Do you need big budget donors, a closet of fancy suits, a team of expert spin doctors, and the fakest smile that modern dentistry can provide? Nope! Fortunately, this is local politics! Disturbingly few people actually care, so just simple name recognition goes a long way!

The first thing you will need is ballot access. Unlike state and national politics, this absolutely doesn’t require a pre-existing party affiliation. In fact, all you really need is just a few pages of paperwork and a few signatures. And I do mean just a few. In Illinois, for a local office, you need to collect enough signatures from folks in your district or ward equivalent to 1% of the voter turnout in that district/ward in the last election. For my ward, that comes out to about 5 signatures. Do you have neighbors? Do they even remotely tolerate you? Congrats, you’re now on the ballot! Of course, results may vary depending on your own town. If the district you’re running for has a lot of people, or if you’re in somewhere like downtown Chicago, any spot you run for will be harder to get into and more competitive. But in general, running for public office is shockingly accessible.

But what about the election itself? Well, it’s almost a given that you’re running unopposed, if your former elected official is no longer running. Otherwise, it’s mostly just down to name recognition. While funding helps, for signs and posters and the like, all you really need is time to go around and meet your constituents. Typically, voter turnout for local elections is dismally low (which is why ballot access is so easy), so energizing just a handful of voters in your direction is all it really takes.

And that’s if you even need to be elected. Vacancies on elected boards are surprisingly common, and some other groups, like commissions, aren’t even elected positions, but instead simply appointed. In cases like this, just showing up to meetings and having a rapport with your elected officials goes a long way. I got on city council by filling in a vacancy opened up when my former alderman moved out of the ward. All I had to do was apply for the position and be interviewed by the council, who then voted between me and one other candidate. Being recognized for attending some of the meetings and having a good working knowledge of the issues facing the city essentially clinched my nomination.

So okay, let’s say you make it. What does an elected official actually do? What responsibilities does the job entail? Surprisingly, that’s broadly up to you. As a baseline, you’ll be expected to attend the meetings and vote on stuff, and maybe attend a few HR training sessions on legal requirements (like any job), but those are the only real obligations. 

Past that, you pretty much get what you put into it. Ideally, if you really intend to be involved, you’ll be spending the rest of your time answering constituents, getting to know your local residents and business owners, attending public events, staying informed on voting matters, proposing local legislation and projects, and just generally being a pillar of the community. But depending on what you're passionate about, what time you can afford to dedicate to it, and just what kind of efforts you are best cut out for, it’s all very freeform and up to your own judgment. Public office can be a very frustrating position, but also a very rewarding one, and ultimately, you are there to serve the people and the common good. It’s a lot of work, and often a lot of heartache, but it’s by far the best way to truly get involved and to also better understand and appreciate our system of governance. 

And if that’s too much for you, that’s okay too. Simply taking the first steps outlined above can be just as important. Local government is a vital part of any thriving society, and one that is all too often taken for granted, so every little bit helps. So please, if you can, do your best to get out there and take part in the experiments of the labs of democracy that are found in local government! It’ll make you a better citizen, and for all of us, it will hopefully make us a better nation.