Your Candidate Statement

For some people, those 200 words on the ballot will be all they read about your campaign. So make the most of them.

As noted in an earlier post, not all jurisdictions have the same requirements for how you organize those 200 words, so be sure you know the local rules first. Then proceed to answer the question on every voter's mind: What can you do for me?

Are you proposing new jobs, more business, less development? Whatever your issues are, list them succinctly and coherently in a few short paragraphs. State your qualifications. Are you the incumbent? If so, how have you improved the City or District? Are you looking to move up the political food chain? If so, how will what you have done in your current job help improve the lives of voters in the new one? Below is an example of a Planning Commissioner running for City Council. He mentions what he's done and specifics of what he'll do. His website is listed at the end.

Are you running against an incumbent? While you are not allowed to mention any opponents by name or description, you can say things like "For a long time, this District has been at an impasse. My skills (doing x, y z) will help move us forward. Then say how.

Be sure you list any high profile endorsers and mention your website.