Getting involved, making a difference in your community, and having fun while doing it all.
“People voting in a election” prompt, Canva, Magic Media, 27 Feb. 2024.
“Just be yourself, involve people that you want to be around, and have fun.” Says Amber Corrieri, who is in her third term on the Ames City Council, and has worked for other political campaigns in her time. Running for elected office is not easy. It is a frustrating but rewarding process that allows you to serve your community and make a difference.
When considering running for office, it is important to involve yourself in your community, and gain an understanding of the kinds of changes your community wants to see. Corrieri is frustrated by people who want to run for office, but have never made an effort to serve their community. “If you’re going to serve the people and be a community leader, you should at least have some experience whether that’s volunteering for a nonprofit or a school or in your church,” Says Corrieri. Community engagement is crucial before, during, and even after your campaign. After your campaign it’s important to ensure you avoid letting your personal beliefs get in the way of what your job is. “As difficult as it is sometimes, my responsibility is to make decisions that are in the best interest of the entire community…One of the first things I learned as a council member is to be responsible, not responsive,” Corrieri says.
Running for office takes more than just one person, and it takes much more than just saying you’re running for office. For Corrieri, this meant having a group of people in charge of fundraising, as well as a treasurer who tracked expenses.
Another big goal for Corrieri was to get more younger people voting, since the turnout for local campaigns is typically 12%. “Our goal was to connect to younger voters and people who didn’t normally vote in local elections…We also spent a lot of money on mail as we knew it was impossible to knock on every door.” During Corrieri’s first City Council campaign, she had many friends working for her to plan events, do social media campaigns, and go door knocking, in order to engage more younger people. “A typical campaign will usually look at voter lists and pay a lot of attention to those who vote regularly in elections. However, we wanted to reach people who didn’t always vote, so we used mailing lists of younger people in neighborhoods where we knew people were more engaged,” Said Corrieri
Corrieri encourages anyone who wants to help serve their community in some way to get involved. There is a place for everyone in politics, and there is always an opportunity to get involved. “Even if you’re not running the most professional campaign operation, it should be authentic and reflect your personality and value…I learned the hard way”, says Corrieri, “Oh, and don’t pay attention to comments on social media.”