Run for Office

Is running for Office right for you?

What is a candidate?

A candidate is defined in 97.051(5), Florida Statute, as any person to whom any one or more of the following applies:

Any person who seeks to qualify for nomination or election by means of the petitioning process;
Any person who seeks to qualify for election as a write-in candidate;
Any person who receives contributions or makes expenditures or gives his or her consent for any other person to receive contributions or make expenditures with a view to bringing about his or her nomination or election to, or retention in, public office;
Any person who appoints a treasurer and designates a primary depository;
Any person who files qualification papers and subscribes to a candidate’s oath as required by law.
However, this definition does not include any candidates for a political party executive committee.

Online Resources

• Politics the Wellstone Way

• New Organizing Institute (NOI)

• NOI’s Candidate Project: Should I Run?

• Emily’s List: Making the Dough Rise (fundraising)

• Why Don’t Women Run for Office?

Organizations that provide candidate training

• Front Line Leaders Academy

• New American Leaders

• Sorensen Institute of UVA

• Truman National Security Project

• Wellstone

• Running Start

• Victory Institute

• Democracy for America

• Emerge America

• Ruth’s List

• Emily’s List

• Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund

• National Democratic Training Committee

• She Should Run

Interested in learning more about becoming a candidate?

The DEC of Indian River encourages and supports Democratic candidates to run for office.

contact Linda Levine for more information

Offices up for election in 2018:

County Government

Candidates filing to run for County offices qualify with the local Elections Office.

More information about candidates: Candidate Profiles & Financials.

County Commissioner: District 2 and 4
County Court Judges: Group 1 and 2
School Board Member: District 1, 2 and 4
Indian River County Hospital District: Seat 2 and 4
Indian River Soil & Water Conservation District: Seat 3 and 5
Indian River Mosquito Control: District 2

Multi-County and District Offices

Contact your county Supervisor of Elections to determine if any of these offices in your county will appear on the ballot in the upcoming general election.