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Local politics, explained
Most people who run for city council, school board, or county office have never run for anything. These guides explain how local government and local elections actually work, in plain language, with the numbers that matter.
- Updated September 9, 2026
Local government 101
What does a city council actually do?
What a city council controls (budget, zoning, police and fire, utilities, ordinances), council-manager vs. strong-mayor cities, district vs. at-large seats, and pay.
- Updated September 9, 2026
Local government 101
What does a school board actually do?
What school boards control and don't: hiring the superintendent, budgets and bonds, curriculum, boundaries, why turnout is so low, and how many seats exist.
- Updated September 9, 2026
Local government 101
What does a county commissioner do?
What county commissioners, supervisors, and county judges control: jails, roads, courts, public health, elections, property tax, and unincorporated areas.
- Updated September 9, 2026
Local government 101
How local elections work
Odd-year and off-cycle timing, nonpartisan ballots, plurality vs. runoff rules, ranked choice, who runs local elections, and why turnout is so much lower.
- Updated September 9, 2026
Running for office
Should you run for local office?
Eligibility rules, the real time and money cost of a local campaign, a decision framework, the first 30 days, why first-timers lose, and when to wait.
- Updated September 9, 2026
Campaign data
How to read a voter file
What a voter file contains, what it leaves out, how vendors like L2 and TargetSmart enhance it, how to score turnout from vote history, and how to clean it.
- Updated September 9, 2026
Campaign math
How many votes does it take to win a local election?
How to compute a win number from expected turnout, worked examples for a council district and a school district, and how to turn it into doors, calls, and texts.
- Updated September 9, 2026
Running for office
Campaign finance basics for local candidates
Opening a committee and bank account, treasurer duties, what counts as a contribution, recordkeeping, reporting periods, disclaimers, and common violations.
- Updated September 9, 2026
Party organization
What is a precinct chair?
What a precinct chair or committeeperson is, how they are elected or appointed by state and party, what they do, and why local candidates should court them.
- Updated September 9, 2026
Field
Ballot chase: winning in vote-by-mail states
How universal vote-by-mail changes the campaign calendar, who publishes returned-ballot files in OR, WA, CO, UT, NV, CA and AZ, the daily chase loop, and cure chase.
- Updated September 9, 2026
Field
Door knocking for local campaigns
Why canvassing works in local races, how to build a walk list and cut turf, a 30-second script, what to record at the door, safety, best times, and doors per hour.
- Updated September 9, 2026
Compliance
Political texting rules: TCPA and 10DLC explained
TCPA rules for campaign texts, the FCC's peer-to-peer ruling, A2P 10DLC registration, Campaign Verify vetting, STOP handling, quiet hours, and state laws.