#run for something

[xekstrin]

Look, I know Tumblr is the website of chronically online introverts, but this is also the only website where I have any reach. And I live in America so this is relevant to me. So I'll go ahead and put this here.

Run For Something

Every year there's hundreds of positions that go completely unchallenged. Some of them for areas that you, the general American Tumblrite, probably care about.

I'm being so, so, so completely serious right now.

Run For Something

Run for something, and if you promise to never ban a book, the linked website and @fated-mates can get you in touch with volunteers for phone banking (aka letting voters know you exist, what you stand for, and convincing people to vote for you). Depending on your situation, they'll fund you, too.

(fated mates was more specific about helping Leftist candidates get $1000, but I'll let you listen to them on this episode and decide for yourself. I'm not affiliated with them.)

Women especially need to hear the message 7 times, according to some studies, to be convinced that yes, this is something they can do.

You can run for something! Run for something small. School boards. Municipal government. Run for something as a side hustle. Run for something because you're an empty nester and your book club stinks. Run for something so you can personally push things leftward, even if it's just one foot, that's one foot further towards your leftist goals no matter what they might be.

Run for school board because look at the fucking idiots currently running it. You know you're smarter than them. Fucking, if you've ever completed a school project you're probably smarter than them.

Run for something because Elon Musk is pissing you off. Run for something because you're trying to fight off despair. Run for something because you hate the idea that you can't do anything. You can do something! You can run for something.

Run for Something

Run for Something recruits and supports talented, passionate young leaders to run for state and local office - we’re building long-term powe

But where to even start?

Don't worry, they got you.

Where Can I Run — Run for Something Action Fund

Use this tool to find out when, where and how you can run for office.

Filling out this form will show you a list of state legislative and local offices where you can run based on your current address.

No matter the results, you will also be added automatically to the Run for Something candidate pipeline — check your inbox in the next few days for next steps.

Note: Data includes offices on the ballot in 2025 and 2026. Updates will be made throughout the year as additional information is available.

[starfieldcanvas]

this week I got my HOA to erase $350 worth of fines it had levied against an elderly Mandarin-speaking lady on a fixed income. she had painted her garage door the wrong color and didn't figure out the English letters telling her to pay the fine and repaint it again quickly enough to avoid being called in for a hearing. She called and asked if she could have a translator and the management company said no. Unable to figure out how she was supposed to communicate with the Board, she gave up and simply let the fines accumulate.

the sad thing is that at some point after then and before now, there was an actual Mandarin speaker on the Board, but the management company (whose representative told me that my attempts to get HOA announcements translated was a waste of money because "Asians don't participate") never raised the translation issue with that Board member.

I only found out about this because I was going around warning that section of the complex about a plumbing issue and I was with a resident from the area who happened to be fluent in both English and Mandarin. The elderly woman seized her chance to tell me her problem, I got the records of the offense and the fines from our accounting firm, and with the old management company gone I was able to convince the rest of the Board (currently just one other woman) that we should just erase it all.

I'm telling this story because it's an example of why you should get involved with your HOA board, if you can. I know a lot of Tumblr users aren't homeowners, but those of us that do own some property are most likely to own condos or townhouses rather than single-family homes. Living in a complex with shared assets means you have some kind of owner's association with a Board or Council or whatever.

Our HOA is quite large—over 250 households—and three of our five Board positions are vacant because nobody wants to volunteer.

I myself have never even won a contested election for my position. I'm just one of only two people willing to do it. And I'm using that position to cancel debts, get native plants into the landscaping, and make things more accessible to the many residents who don't speak English.

The other person on the Board doesn't even live in the complex—she's a landlord—and she's the kind of person who wants to call the cops on teenage residents for jumping the pool fence when the card reader breaks. The Board president before her was literally named Karen and was known to walk around the complex with a clipboard citing people for having the wrong color curtains.

I know you're probably really fucking tired all the time already, property owner reading this, but for me this position is just one meeting a month and some extra emails. Sometimes neighbors text me questions or I need to go snap a picture of something for the management company. I could be doing more if I was less ADHD, but even what I'm doing now, as discombobulated and neurodivergent as I am, is enough to make a big difference.

Especially at a time when big political shit is exploding in ways we can't directly control, it's more important than ever to make a difference in your own back yard, if you can.

[saywhat-politics]

Bernie Sanders partners with Run for Something to train candidates

The Vermont senator is adding organizational heft to his appeal for progressives to run for office.

Bernie Sanders partners with Run for Something to train candidates

The Vermont senator is adding organizational heft to his appeal for progressives to run for office.

[sweetfirebird]

So I was looking at Run For Something again--and look, I am more than capable of doing a lot of those jobs, but I am also a weirdo probable autist who is very offputting to most people, so me getting elected is not really a thing that would happen. irl I couldn't get people to come to a birthday party.

However, the need/drive to do something did make me curious, so I went to their site and looked at stuff in my area. And... idk if it's true for all school districts, but this school district does not require anything of those running for school board positions except: live in the area and be eligible to vote. THAT'S IT. NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED. YOU DON'T EVEN NEED TO HAVE KIDS IN THE SCHOOLS OR KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT EDUCATION OR EVEN BUDGETS.

This is why wackos end up on local school boards, and absolutely why qualified people who genuinely care about education and kids need to run.

So, if you are curious about running or supporting someone who is thinking about running for something (RFS offers guidance and financial aid!) particularly if you are a millennial or gen-z, maybe go poke around their site a bit.

They say it takes people several moments of encouragement to take the chance, so consider this another one.

I know this is tumblr, the land of the awkward and poor. But some of you might know a caring extrovert who is perfect for something in your area.

(And like also... it's a job. And you get paid to do it.)

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Fired Govt Workers Are Pissed Off and Running for Office

Could an army of dismissed feds deliver wins for Democrats up and down the ballot?

Lauren Egan at The Bulwark:

“I’m angry and I’m motivated.”

If the 2018 midterm elections were defined by a wave of women running for office, Democratic officials and strategists believe that the 2026 cycle could be remembered as the year that fired federal government employees got their revenge. Although it’s early in the process and most candidates won’t file until next year, Democratic groups that help train first-time candidates say they are hearing expressions of interest in running for office from a notable number of former federal government workers—most of whom lost their jobs due to DOGE cuts or resigned from their positions out of frustration and exhaustion. In fact, there’s been so much interest from former federal employees that groups like Run for Something and Emerge, which help recruit and train new candidates, have hosted information sessions on Zoom specifically to help former federal employees navigate being first-time candidates. And while most will run for local offices, Democratic strategists see this moment as ripe for recruiting a new bench of candidates up and down the ticket who are uniquely positioned to personalize the case against Trump and the Republican party. Fired federal employees and the Democratic party could be a perfect match of supply and demand: Thousands of laid-off government experts and public servants are eager to undo the damage the Trump administration and DOGE have done to their departments and impose some accountability for the lawless gutting of the government. For their part, Democrats are hungry for a new generation of talent that can respond to the current moment and help the party move beyond the catastrophe of last year.

“You’re going to see people who have personal ties to the federal government, to the stuff that DOGE has done, who are going to step up to run,” said Amanda Litman, cofounder of Run for Something, which recruits and trains first-time Democratic candidates. “I think it really hammers home for people how deep the federal government’s roots are. It’s not just in Washington. . . . The federal government is the people who are researching cures for cancer, or making sure that your Social Security benefits have processed and that you got your check.” Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado, who is one of the party’s recruitment chairs for the 2026 midterms, told The Bulwark that Trump’s “unpopular policies are only helping our efforts to recruit Democratic candidates as we work to take back the House and hold President Trump and Elon Musk accountable.” Since Trump returned to the White House, there’s been a wave of interest in running for office on the left. Litman said that of the more than 200,000 people Run for Something had signed up to become potential candidates since the group launched eight years ago, some 40,000 have joined in the past five months.1 While the Hatch Act prohibits federal employees from running in partisan elections, the DOGE firings have created a large, energized new pool of candidates for Democrats to recruit from. Subreddit communities of federal workers have popped off since Trump’s return, with people trading stories about the chaos in their departments and encouraging those who have been fired to run for office. Last month, more than 1,800 people signed up for a training Run for Something billed as “From Public Service to Public Office: A Call for Former Federal Workers.”

Democratic strategists see a lot of potential in running fired employees in the midterms—particularly if Elon Musk, who heads the DOGE operation, continues to be a drag on the Republicans.

Fired federal government workers are taking their anger out by running for office on the Democratic line in the 2025-26 election cycle.

[gwydionmisha]

Run for Something

Run for Something recruits and supports talented, passionate young people who will advocate for progressive values now and for the next 30 y

[lucybellwood]

Notes from a recent informational webinar run by For The People, a fantastic team aiming to get more people actively involved in defending and championing libraries. This was well-timed, since I wanted to check out volunteer opportunities with our local Friends of the Ojai Library organization, but Katie, Mariame, Tara, and their colleagues inspired me to dig deeper. This call was aimed at enrolling people in their incubator project, which offers weekly Zoom calls to help elected or hopeful board members navigate group dynamics, stand up for free speech, and strategize together. It’s an incredibly smart and well-run operation.

[More about this on my blog.]