# How do I run in a district election?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-run-in-a-district-election/796419
**Category:** Politics & Elections
**Created:** [September 15, 2017, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-run-in-a-district-election/796419 "2017-09-15T18:46:19Z")
**Posts on this page:** 15
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Barack\_Obama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barack_Obama)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2017, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-run-in-a-district-election/796419/1 "2017-09-15T18:46:19Z")
My representative has little to no competition, nobody is ever going to beat him because he’s an established ethical republican in the heart of the south. However this past year he’s made some questionable decisions and statements on social media that I think has him losing his support.
I would like to run in the district election. I meet all the requirements. I’ve googled it but I’d like a better explanation of how exactly I go about doing this. Where do I go, and who do I talk to?
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### Author:  [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2017, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-run-in-a-district-election/796419/2 "2017-09-15T18:50:30Z")
Depends what state you’re in, and whether you’re planning to run as an independent or a party nominee.
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2017, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-run-in-a-district-election/796419/3 "2017-09-15T18:52:47Z")
What sort of “district election” are you referring to? And I have to say with a name like yours, you will hardly need to advertise.
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### Author:  [@Barack\_Obama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barack_Obama)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2017, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-run-in-a-district-election/796419/4 "2017-09-15T18:57:44Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#):
>
> What sort of “district election” are you referring to? And I have to say with a name like yours, you will hardly need to advertise.
> **[South Carolina's 1st Congressional District election, 2018](https://ballotpedia.org/South_Carolina%27s_1st_Congressional_District_election,_2018)**
>
> Ballotpedia's encyclopedic coverage of South Carolina politics includes the election in the 1st Congressional District. Attorney and engineer Joe Cunningham (D) faced state Rep. Katie Arrington (R) on November 6, 2018. Ballotpedia: The Encyclopedia...
This, I read somewhere I need to pay $100 then I can throw my name in there.
I just want my name in there as an official candidate to vote for.
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### Author:  [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2017, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-run-in-a-district-election/796419/5 "2017-09-15T19:08:56Z")
The best thing to do is go right to the [source](https://www.scvotes.org/candidate-information).
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### Author:  [@Caldazar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caldazar)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2017, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-run-in-a-district-election/796419/6 "2017-09-15T19:10:49Z")
“Ballot access requirements” is what you’re looking to research.
It depends on whether you intend to run as a Republican/Democrat or as an independent. If you’re running as a political party candidate, for South Carolina, you file with the election commission and pay your filing fee (it’s a few thousand, not $100). You then take part in the normal primary election process, and if you win your party’s primary for the seat, you go on to the general. If you run as a independent, you have to collect 10,000 signatures from people in your district to get nominated by petition and appear on the general election ballot.
In either case, you also have to file various forms with federal and state campaign finance regulatory agencies.
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### Author:  [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2017, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-run-in-a-district-election/796419/7 "2017-09-15T19:16:00Z")
> [@Caldazar](#):
>
> pay your filing fee (it’s a few thousand, not $100)
According to the site I posted above, if the OP means a county district, the filing fee is a few hundred depending on county but I didn’t see any over a thousand.
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### Author:  [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2017, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-run-in-a-district-election/796419/8 "2017-09-15T20:06:20Z")
**Moderator Action**
Running for election certainly seems like an election issue to me, so off to Elections this goes (from GQ), since that’s where the folks who know about all this political process stuff tend to hang out.
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### Author:  [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2017, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-run-in-a-district-election/796419/9 "2017-09-15T20:53:53Z")
This book will be bit dated, but was required reading in at least one of my political science classes.
> **[Winning Local and State Elections - Kindle edition by Beaudry, Ann. Politics...](https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Local-State-Elections-Beaudry-ebook/dp/B003QTD4V4)**
>
> Winning Local and State Elections - Kindle edition by Beaudry, Ann. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Winning Local and State Elections.
There are several similar books available, but I haven’t read them so I can’t comment on them.
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### Author:  [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2017, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-run-in-a-district-election/796419/10 "2017-09-15T20:58:22Z")
To be quite honest, if you are looking to run for any sort of office, you are already way behind. Pretty much every successful office holder I have seen has started by others encouraging them to run for office. Especially useful if a current office holder is one of your endorsers.
If you just want to run to see your name on the ballot, that’s a good way to waste your time and money, but that’s doable, depending on what you mean by district. Actually having any sort of chance, you need to have considerable support before you ever file any paperwork.
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### Author:  [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2017, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-run-in-a-district-election/796419/11 "2017-09-15T21:14:00Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#):
>
> According to the site I posted above, if the OP means a county district, the filing fee is a few hundred depending on county but I didn’t see any over a thousand.
Based on his link earlier in the thread, it looks like he may be talking about US Congress - in which case, from your link it looks like someone would need ~$4000 (give or take). After that, from your link, it looks like a person would need to show up at the right place with a check and file a lot of forms in various places.
But really, if you’re planning on running under a political party, call them (at the appropriate level). They do this all the time and know exactly what you need to do, when, and where.
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### Author:  [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)
#### Post date: [September 16, 2017, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-run-in-a-district-election/796419/12 "2017-09-16T00:30:38Z")
Ask your local community organizer? 😃
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### Author:  [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)
#### Post date: [September 16, 2017, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-run-in-a-district-election/796419/13 "2017-09-16T06:06:14Z")
Sanford? You think his \* recent\* actions have made him vulnerable? Err, try 2011, what has he done lately?
He’s put himself in the anti-Trump wing of the Republican party. I guess that might hurt him in some circles, but mostly in primaries. Is that your goal?
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [September 16, 2017, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-run-in-a-district-election/796419/14 "2017-09-16T11:44:33Z")
If your current representative is a Republican who usually runs unopposed, and you’re a non-Republican, then your best bet is probably to run as the Democratic candidate. Which means that the local Democratic party is likely to give you some support: They probably won’t have much money to spare on you, but they’ll at least be able to give you information, and probably help with things like collecting signatures. Go talk to them.
You’d probably have a better chance of success running against him in the primary, if that’s plausible given your politics. In that case, though, you won’t be able to get any support from the party in the primary, unless he’s become so radioactive that even they want to get rid of him.
Running as an independent or minor-party candidate is just an expensive way to get your name in lights, unless your name is already in lights, and very bright ones. If you’re the most famous celebrity in your district, and have a long history of publicly speaking out against the current incumbent, then you just might have a chance, but otherwise, forget about it.
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### Author:  [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)
#### Post date: [September 16, 2017, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-run-in-a-district-election/796419/15 "2017-09-16T12:11:43Z")
You gotta pay filing fees, file forms, file them accurately, and file them on time. And if you handle funds, you gotta report every thing - accurately and again, on time. If you don’t, you will pay some pretty heft fines and they’re usually of the mandatory variety.