Tips and Tricks that will Help Give You a Competitive Edge.

Tip 1. Know the Rules about Getting on the Ballot.

Once you’ve decided you want to run, and what you want to run for, make sure you understand the rules about getting on the ballot. You can usually find them on line, through Google, or the Secretary of State, or the authority which has jurisdiction over the election.

cBeware that some states make it very difficult. While in most you pay a small fee and you’re on the ballot, in others there are complicated signature requirements that can trip even veteran candidates.

Isn’t this obvious and elementary? Well. Yes.

Except that even seasoned candidates sometimes ignore this simple admonition.

Recently there was a story about four Presidential candidates who did not make the ballot in Virginia. They did not file the required number of signatures.

There was another whose delegates did not file correctly in Illinois. As a result, no matter how well he does he’ll only be eligible to win one delegate of the 54.

And my favorite story is about the veteran member of Congress who was thrown off the ballot because she failed to put page numbers on her petitions. She fought her way back on thanks to a protracted court battle that cost her $50,000 in legal fees.

Remember, the rules which determine who can run and what they must do to run are written by incumbents. And the ugly truth is they are often designed to keep challengers off the ballot.

Make sure you understand the rules, the requirements and that you put in place a plan to comply with them.

Don’t cut corners. I’ve seen people who falsely witnessed signatures or fabricated petitions go to jail. I’ve seen lawyers who did that lose their law license.

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