Our democracy depends upon citizens deeply engaging in the democratic process and choosing to lead by running for office.
Today, 40% of state legislature races go uncontested and the problem is worse at the local level. There is a crisis of leadership occurring in our democracy. We need more people to lead. We need more people to run for office.
Find the right office for you
Run for Office is a free service that provides all the tools you need to launch a successful campaign whether you are a seasoned veteran or first-time campaigner. Run for Office allows you to:
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Find the office you want to run for.
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Get the information you need to appear on the ballot.
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Learn how to run for office.
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Launch your campaign.
Give a reluctant leader the push they need
Even if you don't want to run yourself, you can nominate someone you know to run, ask others to join your nomination, and get them to see themselves the same way you see them – as a leader!
Sometimes the best public servants are the people who would never consider running for office on their own. If that sounds like someone you know, Run for Office has everything you need to start changing their mind.
Run for Office history
What became RunForOffice.org was originally a project named BallotPath, started by Jim Cupples. After attempting to scale BallotPath with other partners, Cupples met Jim Gilliam, Founder of NationBuilder.
NationBuilder's software was created to help lower the barriers to running for office, and Gilliam saw BallotPath as an important component of that mission. In 2016, NationBuilder and BallotPath joined forces, and RunforOffice.org was born.
In 2026, we're celebrating ten years of Run for Office by rolling out ambitious new features like shareable nominations. The goal, though, remains the same – to make it more possible than ever for leaders from all walks of life to choose to run.