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Run for Office

 

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Want to run for office and don’t know where to get started? Have you identified which office you’re interested in running for?

 

Do you know how you get on the ballot, raise money, get volunteers, tell your story?

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Here’s some resources to help get you started! 

 

Fill out our 2024 March Primary Candidate Interest Form. There is also the Texas Democratic Party's signup form. They have special programs to help you out even for local elections.

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Not sure which office to run for? National Democratic Training Committee has a solution for you.

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Learn more about the Qualifications for Office

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An Example of a Campaign Strategic Plan

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How Do I File To Run? 

Information about the filing deadlines and other important dates are on this website: 

Texas Secretary of State Elections Information

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  • First Day to File: Saturday, November 11, 2023

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  • Filing deadline for candidates: Monday, December 11, 2023 at 6:00 PM

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Please note that these dates are subject to change if there are delays in district boundaries being finalized in the redistricting processes.

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Municipal Elections

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  • First Day to File: Wednesday, January 17, 2024

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  • Filing deadline for candidates: Friday, February 16, 2024 at 5:00 PM

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Forms and Additional Information for Filing

 

Find out the differences between filing at TDP vs Calhoun County Democratic Party:

  • If you are running for an office situated in only one county, you file to run for office with your local county Democratic County Chair. (see the listing on this website).

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  • If you are running for an office covering more than one county, such as a statewide office, U.S. Congress and many state legislative seats, you should file by mail or in person with the Texas Democratic Party.

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Filing Forms:

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Information to get your campaign treasurer filed and all campaign finance rules, forms and dates:

If you are on an upcoming ballot or are the treasurer of a political committee involved in an election, then...

Texas state law requires all candidates, all officeholders, and all political committees to file a campaign treasurer appointment with the appropriate filing authority. You are required to have a campaign treasurer appointment on file with your filing authority EVEN IF YOU DO NOT PLAN TO RAISE OR SPEND ANY MONEY.

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"Local" filers do not file with the Texas Ethics Commission. Please file these forms with your local filing authority.​

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Get an EIN:

An EIN, also known as a federal tax identification number, formally identifies a corporation, partnership, political committee, and other entities for tax filing and reporting purposes. An EIN is needed to open a bank account. Submit an electronic application to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Make sure to select “Political Organization” when asked for the type of organization. Consult this guide from Minnesota’s Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board for more information.

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Opening a Campaign Bank Account:​

The Texas Election code requires candidates to keep campaign and officeholder contributions in one or more accounts that are separate from any other account maintained by that person. Tex. Elec. Code §253.040(a). Violating that provision is a Class B misdemeanor. Id. at §253.040(b). A candidate knowingly accepting political contributions from a contributor of $100 or more in cash in aggregate in a reporting period is prohibited and a violation is Class A misdemeanor. Id. at §253.033(a)-(b). Also, except in limited circumstances, corporations or labor organizations may not make political contributions, id. at §253.094(a), and recently Texas politicians have come under scrutiny for accepting such prohibited contributions and signing campaign finance forms that reference the prohibition.

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When in doubt about anything regarding finances reach out to the Texas Ethics Commission. They are there to help you. ​

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Office Hours:
   Monday through Friday, 8am-5pm

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Phone Numbers:
   Main Number: 512-463-5800
   TDD: 1-800-735-2989

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Mailing Address:
   P.O. Box 12070
   Austin, TX, 78711-2070

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Physical Address:
   Sam Houston Bldg.
   201 East 14th St., 10th Floor
   Austin, TX 78701

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Federal Candidates and the IRS:

Candidates for federal office (e.g., U.S. Representative or Senator) must file personal financial disclosure reports to the IRS within 30 days after they formally become a candidate or by May 15 of the same calendar year, whichever is later. Federal regulations state that an individual becomes a candidate for federal office when he or she (or a person authorized to do so) receives political contributions or makes expenses in excess of an aggregate amount of $5,000.  See 11 C.F.R. § 100.3(a)(2).

 

For More Information:

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If you have any questions, please contact the Elections Division of the Office of the Secretary of State or by calling

1-800-252-VOTE (8683) or (512) 463-5650.

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Where Do I File?

 

Who you file with depends on the office you are running for in Texas:

  • If you are running for an office situated in only one county, you file you should file by mail or in-person to run for office with your local County Democratic Party Chair. (see the listing on this website)

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  • If you are running for an office covering more than one county, such as a statewide office, U.S. Congress and many state legislative seats, you should file by mail or in-person with the Texas Democratic Party. The appropriate addresses will be available on this page in advance of the opening of the filing period.

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Archive: Run For Office 2022

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Email Addresses:

 General Information and Legal

 

Helpline:
   reception@ethics.state.tx.us

 

Filer Documents Delivery:
   affidavits@ethics.state.tx.us
   treasappoint@ethics.state.tx.us
   formsecurity@ethics.state.tx.us

 

Technical Requests:
   support@ethics.state.tx.us (for technical support of TEC filing software)
   webmaster@ethics.state.tx.us

 

Open Records Requests:
   openrecords@ethics.state.tx.us

Additional Resources

  • The Texas Democratic Party has tons of resources for candidates and if you plan to purchase VAN (Voter Activation Network) you will need to contact them. 

    • Lone Star Rising is the Texas Democratic Party’s official, coordinated effort to recruit candidates and county chairs, and provide direct support services to county parties and candidates.

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  • For an example of a campaign strategic plan here.

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  • For Mobilize America, to set up your FREE candidate account, please visit here.

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  • For ActBlue, to set up your account for online donations, please visit here.

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Organizations That Offer Candidate Training or Resources

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  • Bluebonnet Data — "We match volunteer data teams with campaigns, nonprofits, unions, legislative causes, and other progressive organizations."

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  • Airtable — Crowdsource ideas for candidates.

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Black Candidates and Allies

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  • The Blue Institute — Bringing more young people of color to become leaders, strategists, and key staff members of progressive electoral campaigns and organizations

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Women Candidates 

 

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Vet Candidates

 

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New and 2nd Generation Citizen Candidates

 

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LGBTQIA Candidates and Activists 

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APPS that activists and candidates are using:

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  • Greenfly — Greenfly empowers organizations to automate the collection, organization and distribution of digital media assets to individuals or groups of any size. The Greenfly platform helps you harness the power of your biggest advocates to increase social media reach and engagement and attract younger audiences.

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  • Hustle — Hustle is a full-suite peer-to-peer text message marketing platform that empowers your organization to have the right conversation with the right people at the right time. 

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  • Red vs Blue — Red2Blue Texting is a grassroots, member-led organization of over 2,000 engaged volunteers living and working in 42 states across the U.S. and Washington, DC. Our active members have a wide range of personal and professional backgrounds: small business owners, programmers, writers, editors, social workers, nurses, students, and many others. We’ve built a community that we’re proud of, and we’re continuing to grow. To date, we have served over 550 candidates and organizations across 42 states, reaching over 13,400,000 voters. We look forward to helping your campaign win!

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  • Track to 22 — The Democrats are introducing Track to ’22, an eight-week virtual boot camp, to prepare you and other Democrats with the skills and resources to organize your community and to mobilize voters across the country ahead of the midterms. Sessions will be hosted virtually every Saturday and recordings will be available for those who are unable to attend in real-time. With less than 200 days from Election Day every phone call, text message, online conversation, and voter registered is critical. 

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For any questions or suggestions email info@CalhounTXDemocrats.org or call our office at (361) 238-0335.

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