Running for Elected Office

Are you interested in running for local office in Wisconsin? Non-partisan elections for Villages, Town Boards, and City Councils are held in April of odd numbered years. The How to Run for Office Manual and this video series covers information potential candidates will find helpful including the forms needed to run, circulating nomination papers or being nominated through the Caucus process, and the financial forms required for non-partisan candidates.

Run for Office–Nomination Papers and Candidate Forms Video

Run for Office–The Caucus Process Video

Run for Office–Caucus Video Handout

Run for Office–Financial Forms with WI Ethics Commission Video (full)

How To Run For Local Elected Office Manual 2020

This manual – recently updated and originally developed by UW-Extension, the Local Government Center, and the League of Women Voters, with contributions from the Wisconsin Elections Commission (formerly the Government Accountability Board) – will help you decide whether you should run … how to run … and how to present the topic to others.

Other Resources

Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC): Invaluable resources for officials on conducting local elections, and information for voters.

Women in Government

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A number of studies have highlighted the disproportionately low number of women holding state and federal elective offices. This is also true of local elective offices in Wisconsin. These studies have also shown that women are less likely than men to run for elective office, and that their reasons for running often vary from those cited by men.

Jenny Erickson, Sauk County, UWEX Community Development Educator, Dan Hill, UWEX Local Government Center, Local Government Specialist, and Victoria Solomon, Green County, UWEX Community Development Educator investigated whether these findings held true for women running for local office in Wisconsin. Their findings have appeared in the publications of Wisconsin’s three statewide local Government Associations.

The Run For It website developed by Kellie Pederson was the temporary hub for the information surrounding Women in Government. This site was a placeholder for resources during the transition onto the LGC page.

Papers

PowerPoint Presentation

  • Why Don’t More Women Run? Slides presenting highlights of the women and political ambition research. 2016
  • Run for It! Slides presenting a discussion on cultivating participation in local elected office. 2019.

Publications

Related Articles

Resources

Radio and Television Interviews

  • WISC TV Channel 3: Jenny Erickson interviewed by WISC TV news about why women don’t run for local elected office. (Approximately two minutes) January 3, 2019
  • Wisconsin Public Radio: Jenny Erickson and Victoria Solomon interviewed on Wisconsin Public Radio about women and political ambition research. (Approximately ten minutes) March 23, 2016
  • WORT Public Radio in Madison: Madison listener-supported radio station conducts interview with Dan Hill, Jenny Erickson, and Betty Grotophorst about women and political ambition for local public office. (One hour) December 5, 2016

Conference Presentations

  • Erickson, J., Kono, M., Recruiting the Next Generation of Local Elected Leaders. Presented at the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP) Conference in Asheville, NC June 2019
  • Kono, M., Pederson, K., and Hill, D., Recruiting the Next Generation of Local Elected Leaders. Presented at the Toward One Wisconsin Conference in Milwaukee, WI April 2019
  • Erickson, J., Hill, D., Recruiting the Next Generation of Local Elected Leaders. Presented at the Wisconsin Towns Association Annual Conference in Stevens Point, WI October 2018
  • Erickson, J., Hill, D., Recruiting the Next Generation of Local Elected Leaders. Presented at the Wisconsin Counties Association Annual Conference in LaCrosse, WI September 2018
  • Erickson, J., Hill, D., Solomon, V., Leadership in Local Government: Encouraging Women to Run for Local Elected Office. Presented at the 4W Summit on Women, Gender and Well-being at University of Wisconsin-Madison April 2018
  • Erickson, J., Hill, D., and Solomon, V. Political Ambition: Why Don’t Women Run? Presented at the Annual Engagement Scholarship Consortium Conference in Omaha, NE (Jury selected) October 2016
  • Erickson, J., Hill, D., Political Ambition: Why Don’t Women Run? Presented at the Wisconsin Counties Association Annual Conference in Milwaukee, WI September 2016
  • Erickson, J., Hill, D., and Solomon, V. Political Ambition: Why Don’t Women Run? Presented at the Wisconsin League of Municipalities Chief Executives Workshop in Delavan, WI August 2016
  • Erickson, J., Hill, D., and Solomon, V. Political Ambition: Why Don’t Women Run? Presented at the Community Development Society (CDS) and International Association for Community Development (IACD) Annual International Conference in Minneapolis, MN (Jury Selected) July 2016
  • Erickson, J., Hill, D., and Solomon, V. Political Ambition: Why Don’t Women Run? Presented at the Community Development Society (CDS) and International Association for Community Development (IACD) Annual International Conference in Minneapolis, MN (Jury Selected) WI July 2016
  • Erickson, J., Hill, D., and Solomon, V. Women in Government: Why Don’t More Women Run? Presented at the Midwest Towns Symposium in La Crosse, WI (Jury Selected) WI July 2016
  • Erickson, J., Hill, D., Political Ambition: Why Don’t Women Run? Presented at the Wisconsin Women’s Council in Madison, WI June 2016
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