Running for office
lance carson

"democracy – (noun) a form of government in which the supreme power is held by citizens."

every citizen of the united states of america has a right to express his or her beliefs and participate in the functions of the government by voting, supporting candidates, or petitioning leaders. citizens who desire to participate even more closely may consider taking the ultimate step: running for office.

although running for office is a right held by most adult citizens, it is by no means an easy task. you can't reasonably expect to simply "throw your hat in the ring" and watch your votes pile in! rather, becoming a candidate in a political race and potentially winning a seat in government takes a tremendous amount of work and sacrifice.

the first fact a potential candidate should understand is that running for office is not a decision to be taken lightly. running a political campaign can be a full-time job and may interfere with other employment and time with family and friends. a candidate needs to be dedicated to his or her goals and beliefs to invest the needed time for a campaign.

"participating in a campaign also limits a candidate's sense of privacy," said justin mccrea, who became mayor of his hometown when he was only twenty-four. "voters, media, and political opponents scrutinize you very closely."

in addition, political campaigns can be extremely costly. even in small campaigns, candidates may have to spend many thousands of dollars to print signs, run advertisements, and travel to rallies—these expenses can require extensive fundraising!

some of the major expenses come in hiring staff, since few elections today can be conducted by just one or a few people. someone will probably need to call voters, create a website, raise money, do paperwork, settle disagreements, and much more. a campaign team may require many members, including:
• political analysts
• campaign managers
• fundraising coordinators
• technology managers
• campaign lawyers
• volunteer officers

"it can take a large roomful of people to conduct even a relatively small campaign! " said mccrea, who hired five part-time workers during his campaign.

you may have covered the technical aspects of the campaign, but the even more important work still remains. a candidate needs to develop and promote a strong platform, a belief about how to make people's lives better, as well as a reasonable strategy for carrying out that platform. a goal such as all children get a good education is admirable, but it is not specific or detailed enough to be effective. candidates need to plan exact steps they expect to take and show how each step will bring about a desired effect. of course, they also need to build support for their platforms among voters.

after forming a team and a plan, there are still other details of concern in a political campaign. for instance, a candidate needs to communicate his or her message to voters. some candidates use billboards, television ads, letters, websites, or personal appearances to spread their ideas and plans. they also have to remember that political opponents are doing the same thing. a candidate has to show why he or she would be a better choice than anyone else running.

for people who strongly desire to make a difference in government, running for office may be a great decision. it takes a great deal of work, sacrifice, organizing, and expense to campaign. however, as mccrea explained, "the rewards of serving a community and directly impacting the course of government can be priceless."

1)why does the author include the bulleted list?

a)to support his claim that a campaign team
must work together

c)to support his claim that mayor mccrea needed to hire
five people

b)to support his claim that running for office
can be expensive

d)to support his claim that a political victory is always a
team effort

1) which best evaluates the point of view of author, lance carson?

a)carson shares with mayor justin mccrea a
view that campaigning can be an important,
challenging, and rewarding process.

c)carson believes that the average citizen would make an
excellent candidate for elected office, provided he or she
is aware of the demands of political campaigning.

b)carson believes that the average citizen
would make a poor candidate for elected
office because he or she is unaware of the
demands of political campaigning.

d)carson draws on the experiences of mayor justin mccrea,
including his loss of privacy and financial burdens, to
highlight the unfair impacts of candidacy in american
politics.