Arizona Tribune - RunForOffice.org Celebrates America's 250th by Challenging Americans to Nominate Everyday Leaders for Elected Office

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA / ACCESS Newswire / January 29, 2026 / Run for Office, the free, nonpartisan candidate information project created by NationBuilder, today announced a major expansion of RunForOffice.org, introducing a new community-driven nomination feature aimed at getting more candidates on the ballot in U.S. elections.

This announcement comes as Run for Office marks ten years of serving first-time candidates and as the United States approaches the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

"We're proud of what we've accomplished with the help of our partners over the past decade. But the vast majority of elected offices in the United States still go uncontested. The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is a powerful moment to remind Americans that our democracy will only last if people believe - like America's founders did - that we have a say in the future," said Run for Office's President, Jay Godfrey. "The belief that our votes matter, that we have a choice in who represents us, and that our elected leaders care what we think must be built from the ground up, in the communities where we live. And that means encouraging people we know and trust to run for office - or doing it ourselves."

According to research by Ballotready, 70% of elected offices in the United States went uncontested in 2024, leaving many voters with only one candidate - or none at all - to choose from. Still more were technically contested, but in elections that weren't competitive. These problems are persistent at every level of government, but they're most pronounced in local elections.

Run for Office is confronting the problem head-on with an expanded focus and more ambitious goal: not just informing people who are already considering a run, but also reaching people who aren't thinking about it yet through community nominations.

"We need a lot more people to run for office in their communities, and they can't only be the same people who would make that decision on their own," Godfrey said. "The best leaders are often reluctant ones. They're volunteers, mentors, organizers, or trusted neighbors who don't see themselves as political. With nominations, we're betting on positive social pressure - the idea that those people are more likely to step forward and run when they know their community believes in them."

Run for Office's community nomination tool allows the people who know these everyday leaders to nominate them to run for office, then invite others to join that nomination by "co-signing." Nominees can see each statement of support, let their nominators know if they accept, and learn more about how to file, run, and be matched with organizations who want to mentor and train candidates like them.

NationBuilder's CEO Lea Endres said, "There are everyday leaders in our communities right now who people look to for guidance, who organize and coordinate and bring people together to solve problems. They have likely never considered running for office, which is exactly why they should. We're making it easier for each of us to tell them: we need you."

This new offering arrives at a time when candidates can still file for the 2026 midterm elections in 41 out of 50 states, representing nearly 80% of the U.S. population.

"There's still plenty of time for new candidates to file and run this year," Godfrey said. "But we also want people to remember that there are elections somewhere every year, and they all matter. Our goal is for voters to have real choices in every single one of them."

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Run for Office is a project of NationBuilder. The free, nonpartisan resource helps people across the United States discover which elected offices they can run for and how to get on the ballot, encouraging them to either run themselves or nominate someone. Since 2016, Run for Office has worked to strengthen democracy by lowering barriers for first-time candidates and giving voters more choices at every level of government. To learn more or explore the resource, visit RunForOffice.org

Contact Information

Sorcha Scully
857-234-7405
[email protected]

SOURCE: NationBuilder

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

O.Gutierrez--AT