Running for mayor is not only a fun scene from the tv show you observe, but it can also become your path to politics. Having a desire to improve your life, the lives of your neighbors, and the whole city, you can try to run for mayor and become a part of your city’s history.

Here we will explain how active people not related to politics can actually run for mayor and enact change in the life of your city.

Requirements for a Potential Mayor

The requirements to be a Mayor are simple and do not require any preliminary achievements from you during the first step. You have to be over 18 years old and live for a certain number of years in the city. However, many states and counties set their own regulations in terms of mayor elections. Thus, in some states, you have to be over 30 years old if you want to run for mayor.

You can contact city clerks to learn all details on the requirements for a potential city mayor. Besides, each city and county has local election codes available online, so you can explore them. Be sure that you comply with local requirements to start your campaign and participate in mayor elections.

Guide on Running for Mayor

To start serving your local community, you have to go through several steps and complete all the stages successfully. Take the following actions on your path to becoming a mayor of your city:

1. Investigate the local requirements and the duties of the mayor in your city. Make sure that you have a strong motivation to do this job and enough time for all duties. 
2. Explore your competitors, political preferences, and the organization of political activity.
3. Start to develop your campaign program, which will be valid for the current state of your city and solve the problems of the big share of citizens. Create a platform for your campaign and find sponsors for fundraising.
4. Contact your voters and build a connection with them to persuade them to vote for you. Do not forget to calculate the number of votes you have to receive to become a mayor.
5. Enter the election procedure by contacting city clerks.
6. Attract the attention of your potential voters and make sure they will vote and know how to do this.

Do not forget that running for mayor is costly and requires full attention from you. You may need not only the support of your voters but also financial support for running a campaign. The city and county officers should clarify the procedure in more detail to make your election campaign legitimate.