FILING FOR NOVEMBER ELECTIONS OPEN NOW

Are you planning a run in November, School Board, City or Town Council, special district? Now's the time to file. August 7 is the last day, unless the incumbent does not run. Be sure you get enough correct signatures on your nomination papers, at least 30% more than the required number. You never know who has moved or doesn't know what District they are in.

And start drafting the all-important candidate's statement, those 200 words that give the voter an idea in a nutshell who you are, why you are qualified and what you'll do in office. Be precise, concise and clear. Have someone proofread it for you. List key endorsements and don't forget your website.

What ballot designation will you use? If you are running for school board, think about how your profession relates. Are you a teacher, a school psychologist, or a parent? All relevant. If not, it's not a fatal flaw, but those with titles that sound like they have experience in the job they are seeking have a leg-up on the competition for those who only read those three words on the ballot. And there are plenty of lazy voters.

Of course if you are the incumbent, your campaign, although never a shoo-in, has an advantage no one else can claim.

And as you know I am always going to say, start raising money for handouts, mail signs, and whatever else will help get your message out to voters at least 7 times in at least 3 different media. Sound daunting? it's how the winners win.

Tip for New Candidates - Verify those signatures!

To run for office, at least in California, you need to collect signatures to put your name on the ballot. It sounds like a simple thing; you get a number (usually) 20 of registered voters in your District, who sign your papers, "nominating" you for the office. The trick is making sure the person is a registered voters, votes at the address they list on the form and goes by that name.

Most Registrar of Voters suggest that you get at least half again as many signatures as required, in case some of them turn out to be "bad."

Here's a case in point: A friend of mine was running for local office and needed 20 signatures. Each and every person she went to was known personally to her. She has no doubt the signatures she handed in were all good. Guess what; they weren't. Of her 20, just one was "bad" because a married woman signed with her husband's name, not her own, maiden, name she was registered under. That one disqualified her from the ballot.

My friend was too late to get more signatures and was not able to run for election that year.