We should encourage activists to come forward to run campaigns … at all levels of offices. Robust Green campaigns are inspiring; they get publicity and they help build the party. This year they’ll also increase visibility for the Jill Stein campaign. In my state, specifically, fielding down-ticket candidates results in better ballot placement for all Green Party candidates.

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By Steve Welzer
January 7, 2023

Active campaigns need to pay close attention to a myriad of Election Commission technicalities and legalities. But we can let people know that it’s also helpful to put forward the smaller amount of effort needed to get their name on the ballot and just “stand” for office. The more Green Party campaigns that the electorate notices, the more chances people have to vote Green, the better.

If you’re motivated to and are able to run a full campaign, great! For federal-level offices you’ll need to determine a campaign committee name, get a post office box, obtain an EIN from the IRS using that name and address, designate a campaign treasurer, have that person open a bank account using the EIN, set up a campaign web site and social media accounts, produce campaign literature, etc. And you’ll need to register with the Federal Election Commission:

https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/registering-candidate/

“An individual running for federal office must register and file financial reports when he or she raises or spends more than $5,000 in contributions or expenditures. Registered Federal candidates must designate a principal campaign committee. This committee takes in contributions and makes expenditures for the candidate’s campaign.”

If you only have the time and resources to “stand for office,” you could avoid hassling with the technicalities and legalities. In that case mostly self-fund the campaign and keep expenditures below $5,000. If some friends or supporters want to send you some small checks to help pay for some flyers and lawn signs, you could accept small amounts of money but keep the total below $5,000 so that you won’t need to register with the FEC.

It costs money to set up and maintain a campaign web site, so, in my case, I’ll just have a Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555465286264

On that page and in my literature I’ll delineate a campaign platform, position papers, and biographical material.

The main effort during the spring will be to petition to get on the ballot. After that, I’ll just put out press releases (no cost involved), write Letters to the Editor about the campaign, and do some social media. I’ll try to be available if there are requests for campaign appearances and activities such as media interviews, rallies, demonstrations, candidate forums or debates, etc.

Between Labor Day and Election Day I’ll make the campaign a priority. It’s just two months!

If large contributions are offered, I’ll explain that, in order to support the state party and the national campaign, I committed to run a personally-funded low-budget campaign not requiring the establishment of a campaign committee.

I hope more Greens will consider making the effort to get themselves on the ballot to run or to stand for office. In order to be taken seriously, we need to field more candidates!

Steven Welzer is a member of the Green Party of New Jersey and editor of Green Horizon Magazine. Steve has been a movement activist for many years (he was an original co-editor of DSA’s “Ecosocialist Review”).