How to Run for City Council on a Volunteer Budget

Harvey Milk lost his first three races. He ran for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1973 and again in 1975, and for the state Assembly in 1976, a camera-shop owner on Castro Street with a gift for street-corner speeches and almost no money. Under the city's rules at the time, supervisors were elected citywide, which meant a candidate had to raise enough money and fame to reach voters in every corner of a large city. Then, in November 1976, San Francisco voters approved a measure switching to district elections. Suddenly a candidate only had to win one neighbourhood. In November 1977, running in the district that included the Castro, Milk won, becoming the first openly gay person elected to public office in California. In his short time on the board, he pushed a city gay rights ordinance and campaigned against a 1978 state ballot measure to bar gay and lesbian teachers from public schools, which voters rejected. He also championed an ordinance requiring dog owners to clean up after their pets, and he understood exactly why it mattered: it was the thing his neighbours complained about most. On November 27, 1978, he and Mayor George Moscone were shot and killed at City Hall by Dan White, a former supervisor. The rule change that elected him tells you something every first-time candidate should know: in a district race, the size of your war chest matters less than whether you know the people on your blocks.

In short: A first city council campaign can be run largely by volunteers if the candidate knows the district, files correctly, sets a modest budget, and spends most of their time knocking on the doors of likely voters. Build a small core team, raise money in small amounts from people you know, pick two or three local priorities, and plan every week backward from Election Day. Local races are often decided by a few hundred votes, which is why personal contact wins them.

Start with the map and the rules

Before anything else, learn how your city elects its council.

1. District or at-large. In a district system, you run in one geographic area and only its voters choose. In an at-large system, the whole city votes for every seat. Some cities mix the two. District races are usually cheaper and more winnable for a first-time candidate, as San Francisco showed in 1977.
2. Partisan or nonpartisan. Most city elections in the United States are nonpartisan, with no party label on the ballot, but some large cities hold partisan primaries.
3. The calendar. Find the filing period, the date of any primary, and the general election. Many cities hold elections in odd-numbered years or in spring, when turnout is low and every vote counts more.
4. Filing requirements. Typically a declaration of candidacy, a filing fee or petition signatures in lieu of a fee, and proof of residency in the district.
5. Campaign finance rules. Contribution limits, reporting deadlines and, in some cities, a public matching program that multiplies small donations. If your city has one, it can change the math of a volunteer campaign.

The city clerk or county election office has all of this, often in a candidate guide. Read it twice, and mark every deadline on a calendar you will look at daily.

Know the district better than anyone

Milk did not win because he was famous citywide. He won because he knew his district: the shop owners, the older residents who had been there for decades, the newer arrivals, the people angry about potholes and rent. Your campaign begins the same way.

• Get the voter file. Your county election office, the local party, or an allied organization can provide a list of registered voters in the district, with their voting history. That list tells you who usually votes in city elections, which is the group you must reach first.
• Count the votes you need. Look at past turnout in your district for this kind of election. If eight thousand people voted last time and there are three candidates, you might need around three to four thousand votes to win, or fewer. That number becomes your goal, and it is often smaller than people imagine.
• Walk the neighbourhoods. Before you knock on a single door as a candidate, walk the district. Notice what people would notice: broken sidewalks, empty storefronts, a bus stop with no shelter, a park without lights.
• Listen. Go to neighbourhood association meetings, tenants' meetings, church suppers and small-business gatherings. Ask what people want from the city.

Build a team before you build a budget

Money matters, but a volunteer campaign runs on people. The core team can be small:

1. Campaign manager. Someone organized who will keep the calendar, run meetings and tell you hard truths. This can be a friend with no political experience but a talent for logistics.
2. Treasurer. Responsible for the bank account and finance reports. Choose someone careful; mistakes here make headlines.
3. Volunteer coordinator. Recruits, schedules and thanks volunteers.
4. Field lead. Plans door-knocking routes and tracks results.
5. Communications volunteer. Handles the website, social media, flyers and contact with local reporters.

One person can wear more than one hat, and in many first campaigns the candidate's family and closest friends cover most of these roles. Meet weekly, keep notes, and set concrete goals: doors knocked, volunteers recruited, dollars raised.

Raising money without big donors

A city council race in a small or mid-sized city can often be run for a few thousand to a few tens of thousands of dollars, though big-city races can cost far more. Some principles:

• Start with your own circle. Make a list of everyone you know: relatives, coworkers, neighbours, old classmates, members of your congregation or union. Ask each one personally, with a specific amount.
• Ask small and often. Many people will give twenty-five dollars who would never give five hundred. A broad base of small donors is also something you can talk about.
• Hold house parties. A supporter invites friends, you speak for ten minutes, and the host asks for donations and volunteers. These raise money and recruit people at the same time.
• Use public matching if your city has it. Programs that match small donations, like those in New York City, can turn a few hundred small contributions into a competitive budget.
• Follow every rule. Report every contribution, respect limits, and keep campaign and personal money completely separate.

What to spend it on, in rough order of value: walk literature to leave at doors, a voter list and a canvassing app or printed walk lists, a simple website, a small number of yard signs, and, if money allows, one or two pieces of mail near the election.

The field plan: doors, phones and the last week

The core of a volunteer campaign is personal contact with likely voters. Here is a field plan that works for many local races.

1. Set a door goal. Divide the number of likely-voter households by the number of weeks you have. Many first-time candidates set out to knock on every likely voter's door at least once, and the most persuadable ones twice.
2. The candidate knocks every day possible. Nothing replaces meeting the candidate. Evenings and weekend afternoons are prime time.
3. Volunteers canvass in pairs. They introduce the candidate, ask about issues, leave literature, and record the result: supporter, undecided, opposed, not home.
4. Follow up with undecided voters. A handwritten note or a second visit can move them.
5. Build a supporter list. Everyone who says yes goes on a list for the final push.
6. The last ten days. Shift from persuasion to turnout. Remind every supporter of the date, the polling place, early voting times and mail ballot deadlines. Offer rides if you can.

Keep a simple script for volunteers: "Hi, I'm a volunteer with [candidate], who's running for city council in this district. [Candidate] lives on [street] and is running to [two priorities]. What issues matter most to you in the neighbourhood?" Then listen, and write down what you hear. Voters remember being asked.

A message that sounds like the district

Your message should fit on a card and sound like a neighbour talking. Two or three priorities, each concrete: fix the dangerous intersection near the elementary school, protect tenants from sudden rent hikes, get the shuttered library branch reopened, make it easier to build homes people can afford. Milk's dog ordinance was a joke to some, but it showed that he was listening to the complaints people actually had.

Be honest about trade-offs. If you want more housing, say where, and acknowledge that neighbours worry about traffic and parking. Many progressive candidates have stumbled by promising affordability while defending every rule that blocks new homes. Voters notice when a promise does not add up.

And remember that in a nonpartisan local race, you will need votes from people who do not share all your politics. A Republican small-business owner who wants the potholes fixed and the bus to run on time can be your voter. Talk with people as neighbours.

When the opposition has money and you do not

You may face an incumbent with name recognition or a candidate backed by developers, a police union, a real estate group or an outside political committee. Big spending can buy mail, ads and paid canvassers. It cannot easily buy the personal relationships a candidate builds by spending months on doorsteps.

The playbook: knock more doors, collect more endorsements from respected local people (teachers, pastors, small-business owners, union members, neighbourhood leaders), and talk openly about where your money comes from. A campaign funded by hundreds of neighbours is a story voters like. Local reporters, where they still exist, cover candidate forums; prepare for them, and show up to every one.

One more advantage belongs to the underfunded side: time. A paid canvasser works a shift and goes home. A volunteer who lives three streets away can come back on Saturday, remember the voter's name and the dog's, and answer the question that was left hanging the first time. Over a few months, that kind of attention adds up to the margin a local race is usually decided by, and no outside committee can buy it in the final fortnight.

Candidate forums, endorsements and the local press

Most city races include candidate forums hosted by neighbourhood associations, the League of Women Voters, chambers of commerce, unions or local media. They are often lightly attended, and they matter more than the crowd suggests: the people who come are the most engaged voters in the district, and many of them talk to their neighbours.

Prepare for each forum the way you would for a job interview.

1. Learn the format. Ask the hosts how long answers can run and whether questions are shared in advance.
2. Write a one-minute opening. Who you are, why you are running, and your top priorities.
3. Prepare for the hard questions. Policing, housing, taxes, homelessness, development, whatever is live in your city. Know what you would actually do, and what it would cost.
4. Bring volunteers with sign-up sheets. A forum is a recruiting event.
5. Be gracious to your opponents. Voters in local races dislike nastiness, and the people you run against may be your colleagues on the council next year.

Endorsements carry more weight in local races than in national ones, because voters often know little about the candidates. Ask early for endorsements from organizations whose members vote in your district, such as unions, tenants' groups and environmental clubs, and from respected individuals: a retired teacher, a well-known pastor, the owner of a busy diner. Many groups send questionnaires and hold interviews. Answer them carefully and honestly; your answers may be published.

Local reporters, where they remain, often cover city races closely. Send a short announcement when you file, introduce yourself to the reporter who covers city hall, and return calls promptly. Have a simple biography and a photograph ready. A reporter on deadline is likelier to quote the candidate who answers the phone.

If you win: the first hundred days

Winning is the start. New council members face a steep learning curve: the city budget, the charter, the relationships among council members and the mayor, and the staff who actually run departments. Before you take office, meet the city manager or department heads, read the current budget closely, and ask experienced council members, including those you disagree with, how the place works. Keep the promise you made on the doorsteps by naming one or two concrete goals for your first year and reporting back to the district on your progress. Milk was in office for less than a year, and he is remembered partly because he never stopped talking with the people who sent him there.

What you can do

• Start with the rules. Check your state's registration deadlines and election rules on the voting page, then call your city clerk to ask for the candidate guide and filing calendar.
• Count the votes you need. Ask the election office for turnout in the last council race in your district, and divide by the number of candidates you expect. That number is your target.
• Recruit five people. Ask five friends to be your core team before you announce. Give each one a role.
• Find your coalition. Look up local tenants' groups, unions and civic organizations in the organizations directory, and ask to speak at their next meeting.
• Learn from insurgents who won. The primaries and insurgents topic page gathers coverage of first-time and long-shot candidates, including local races, and what their campaigns did right.