One of the first lessons I learned when I tried to run for local office is that politics is less about ideas than it is about paperwork.
I was in my early twenties, excited to run for alderman. I thought I could bring fresh energy to my community. At the time I had the encouragement of my political party, but I had no roadmap. To get on the ballot I needed petitions, signatures, filings, legal documents. I assumed there would be a local office to help me sort it out. Instead I found myself bouncing from one municipal desk to another, carrying forms I did not fully understand, waiting for someone to point me in the right direction.
No one could give me a straight answer. Each office sent me elsewhere, like a bureaucratic maze with no exit. Deadlines loomed, mistakes meant starting over. What should have been an exciting entry into public service turned into administrative futility. I was determined but not naive. Without legal guidance it was almost impossible to keep up.
The party had encouraged me but they did not provide a lawyer. Hiring one on my own was out of reach. Even small local races require legal and financial expertise. You must set up a campaign committee, form a business identity and open a bank account. Those are not weekend tasks. They come with fees that young candidates rarely can pay.
Later Turning Point Action helped me try for the role of precinct committee person. It was smaller, but still demanding. Unpaid and volunteer based, it required long hours. I loved the work, but I was balancing full‑time school, full‑time work and family obligations. Campaigning felt unsustainable. Something had to give.
That is not an uncommon story. Many young people flirt with the idea of running. They step back when they see the financial, legal, personal costs they will bear. The few I have met who ran without party support struggled. They lacked funding, volunteers and institutional backing. Most lost. Not for lack of ideas but because the system is stacked against them.
The Financial Wall
Running for office is expensive. Even local campaigns need signs, flyers, websites and mailers. Filing fees add up. Legal help becomes necessary to avoid disqualification. Most young candidates do not have savings. They have student loans, low paying jobs and rising rent. Asking friends for donations is hard when everyone is stretched thin.
Older candidates tap into savings or established donor networks. Parties often funnel resources to incumbents or those with connections. Young outsiders rarely get backing. Research shows young candidates lack the networks of wealth older generations enjoy, and when they do run they face fundraising hurdles that undermine their campaigns
The Time Squeeze
Campaigns devour time. Meetings, door‑knocking, forums, volunteer coordination and fundraising calls. Older candidates may accommodate that. Younger candidates are usually working, studying or caring for families. I learned that balancing a campaign with school and…
Read More: Why Young People Don’t Run for Office
