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Printer-Friendly ModeFiling for office outlined at symposium
April 17, 2006 —
The second in a series of three symposiums geared towards running an effective political campaign examined on Wednesday how one wishing to run for office can get on the ballot.
Saginaw County Clerk Susan Kaltenbach was the guest for the Center for Politics and Public Service's "Organizing and Winning Campaigns for State and Local Office," held in Curtiss Hall 130.
Kaltenbach, who was elected as clerk in 2000, began by saying her job has three main aspects: running all elections in the county and maintaining the county's vital records (such as births, deaths, and marriages) and Circuit Court records. Much of her presentation showed the necessary steps needed to simply have one's name put on the ballot.
She said there are several things that one who is considering running for office must first know.
First, she said, is to find out what office it is that the candidate wishes to run for. She provided an example of someone looking to run for a Board of Trustees seat and suggested that he or she go to the Board meetings and find out what the issues are.
Another suggestion she provided was to first talk to other people about potentially running for office. Kaltenbach said that it is impossible to "run a campaign by yourself."
Finally, she recommended sending out letters to friends and acquaintances.
"The type of response you get will be telling," she said.
To get on the ballot, candidates have to file for candidacy. Kaltenbach said if the candidate is filing for a local (county or lower) election, the filing has to be done with the county clerk. If it is for a state office or one in which parts of two or more counties will be voting, the filing must be done in Lansing.
The first aspect of filing is the "affidavit of identity." On it, Kaltenbach said, the candidate must write how he or she wants their name to appear on the ballot, as late changes are only made if there is a misspelling or an error has been made by the clerk's office.
Along with the affidavit, each candidate must either have a petition signed by a certain number of the district's residents or pay a $100 filing fee.
Once the filing is complete, the clerk's office sends the candidate a campaign finance committee form. The form must be filed if any funds will be used.
"The public has the right to know who is supplying the money, what you spend it on, and where you spend it," Kaltenbach said.
In regards to the state's campaign finance laws, Kaltenbach said candidates can only take cash if the amount is less than $20. Anything more, she said, must be in a check or money order.
A campaign finance report must be kept open as long as each politician is in office, she added. If the politician is no longer in office and does not wish to run again, he or she must dissolve the account.
Kaltenbach spent some time towards the end of the symposium outlining how she ran her campaign. She said she went to every Board meeting in the county and introduced herself as a candidate for clerk.
"It's not just about money and ads," she said. "You have to put a personal touch on it."