This is a special edition series from Rethinking. Based on the demand and interest right now from people who want to learn more about getting involved and becoming more influential, or a decision maker, in government, I decided to create this free, nonpartisan, totally open overview. This may be valuable for those who are thinking about running for office, but need a place to start or don’t have access to these sorts of resources already.
This series provides an overview in the following areas:
Each section provides an overview of helpful information. It is not meant to be exhaustive, nor is it meant to be definitive – there are many ways to approach this, and there is lot more detail you can go into. But for those of you who may not have access to partisan resources, or wish to run outside the party/power structure (go you!), I hope this is a helpful starting point.
You can find the outline and explanation and link to individual episodes below, or the full playlist on YouTube, iTunes, or Spotify.
Do you wish I went into more detail in any area? Let me know on social media or by email! Thanks to my friend and colleague Aaron Straus Garcia for contributing his expertise and perspective to so much of this series, as well as Brandon McKoy for reminiscing on the early days of the Alex Torpey for South Orange Village President campaign.
There are many ways to get more engaged civically or have a greater impact on our public institutions or our communities around us. Running for office is but one way to do that, though it is an often overlooked platform. Many believe they aren’t the “right” type of person to do so (Pro tip: most of the people who currently run for office are actually not the right type – it’s them not you) or are intimidated by those in power, or the process of running for office. Here we break down some of the different things you may want to think about when considering to run. They include:
Starting your first campaign, especially if you are running without major party support, is going to be a lot like starting a company – general craziness, limited funds, but an undeniably exciting sense that you and your team are working towards something truly purposeful. Before you actually have an official campaign and are off to the races, here are some things you may want to ensure you are familiar with:
Now we’re getting to some of the core of the content here – how to actually run your campaign. Remember, this is just an overview, each of these topics may require additional research or learning to be able to really do right. We cover the following topics:
Everything has been building towards your election day goals. In this section, we talk about gearing up for election day and how to make sure you get the votes you should.
Elections are strange things in that you put in so many months (and years of work) and often even on election day you still don’t actually know what you’ll be doing the next day, or the next few years of your life. Prepare yourself to think through any of the potential outcomes.
First, spinning down the campaign, team, finances, legal requirements. Then either:
Check out all the videos on YouTube below:
From serving as mayor (non party affiliated) of his hometown of South Orange at age 23, a municipal business administrator, founder of a digital consulting firm, an emergency management director and volunteer EMT, and as a graduate level adjunct professor, management consultant, mentor and speaker, Alex Torpey brings together his uniquely diverse experiences to help provide us a platform to rethink the future of our communities, our republic, and ourselves.
From serving as mayor (non party affiliated) of his hometown of South Orange at age 23, a municipal business administrator, founder of a digital consulting firm, an emergency management director and volunteer EMT, and as a graduate level adjunct professor, management consultant, mentor and speaker, Alex Torpey brings together his uniquely diverse experiences to help provide us a platform to rethink the future of our communities, our republic, and ourselves.
Rethinking with Alex Torpey. A totally free, nonpartisan, open forum to explore ways to better ourselves, our community, and our republic.