Join The Fight
Are you interested in making real change in your community? The best way to do that is to run for office!
Me? Where would I even begin?
The first step is understanding what you’re getting into. Running for office should not be undertaken without careful consideration and planning. This course is a good resource to help you make that decision. We recommend it to anyone considering running.
What qualifications do I need?
Qualifications vary depending on the office. Visit the Texas Secretary of State website for a breakdown of every position
I’m in, what now?
Thank you for your interest in running for office. The next steps are to fill out the Candidate Interest Survey linked below and review campaign finance information.
Campaign Finance
Before accepting contributions or making expenditures, you should file a campaign treasurer. By statute, after you raise or spend $500, you must have a campaign treasurer on file. You can do this at any time. You should contact the Texas Ethics Commission for any rules and laws regarding donations, expenditures, reporting, and other items.
FAQs About Campaign Finance
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Anytime! And this should be the first thing you do if you plan on running for office.
-If you're running at the County Level (Justice of the Peace, District and County Clerk, County Court at Law, County Judge, Commissioners), in that case, you will file your campaign treasurer report with the Denton County Elections Department.
-If you're running for a State level office (State District Judge, State Representative, State Senator), you will file with the Texas Ethics Commission.
-For federal candidates, you will need to contact the Federal Election Commission.
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Yes.
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Yes! By statute, you must keep any political money separate from your personal or business bank accounts. Because of this, you will have to create an EIN number with the IRS to open an account.
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There are no campaign contribution limits except for federal and judicial candidates (for which you should contact the Texas Ethics Commission or the Federal Election Commission).
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Click this link from the Texas Ethics Commission for all the forms.