Running for Office in Nevada: First Steps

Written by Gabriel di Chiara

Important things to know as a potential candidate in Nevada

Do your homework

Learn the terms

Assemble your team

File your campaign statement 

Open a campaign bank account

Connect to your local democrats

Determine when you need to file additional financial disclosures

Understand the endorsement process

Develop a financial record-keeping system

Apply for an employer identification number (EIN)

Submit financial disclosures to the IRS if you’re a candidate for federal office

Register with ActBlue

Hit the ground running

IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW AS A POTENTIAL CANDIDATE IN NEVADA

  • The Nevada State Legislature is comprised of the State Assembly and the State Senate.
  • Nevada has 4 congressional districts, 42 assembly districts, and 21 state senate districts.
  • Per the Nevada Secretary of State, to run for office in the State of Nevada, you must fulfill the following requirements:
  • For non-federal offices, reside within the boundaries of the district where you plan to run for office, beginning on a date at least 30 days immediately preceding the close of declarations-of-candidacy filing for this office;
  • For federal offices (i.e., U.S. Senate and Representative in Congress), be an inhabitant of Nevada on or before Election Day. See Schaefer v. Townsend, 215 F.3d 1031 (9th Cir. 2000).
  • Be a registered member of the Party you claim to represent (not required for candidates of non-partisan offices);
  • Be a qualified elector pursuant to Section 1 of Article 2 of the Constitution of the State of Nevada;
  • Have your civil rights restored by a court of competent jurisdiction, if you have ever been convicted of treason or a felony; and
  • If running as a candidate of a major political party, have not, in violation of the provisions of NRS 293.176, changed the designation of your political party or political party affiliation on an official application to register to vote in any state since December 31st before the closing filing date for this election.

  1. DO YOUR HOMEWORK
  •  Download and familiarize yourself with the following resources (where appropriate) published by the Nevada Secretary of State:
  • Nevada Democratic Party Constitution and Bylaws [here]

2. LEARN THE TERM
The Candidate Guide, available above, has complete definitions for terms such as ‘candidate’, ‘expenditure’, ‘in-kind contribution’, etc. Nevada requires a lot of paperwork, and you should know which information you need to be tracking from the start.


3. ASSEMBLE YOUR TEAM
Though Nevada requires no officers for political campaigns, you should still find smart, trustworthy people to work with. The integral team member who you should hire as early as possible is your campaign manager, who will be in charge of the day-to-day nuts-and-bolts operations of the campaign. There is plenty of literature available regarding campaign staffing structures, and you should use Run For Something as an asset if you have specific questions.

4. FILE YOUR CAMPAIGN STATEMENT WITH THE RELEVANT ENTITY
Once it’s time to file for your candidacy, complete the appropriate form and submit it to the relevant entity (SoS, County Clerk, etc). You can begin fundraising even before you file, but keep in mind that as soon as you accept contributions you must immediately begin filing Contribution & Expenditure reports.

5. OPEN A CAMPAIGN BANK ACCOUNT
As soon as you begin receiving donations, you or your treasurer must open a bank account for your campaign committee.This bank account will hold all campaign contributions received and will cover all campaign expenditures. From the SoS: “Every candidate shall open and maintain a separate account in a financial institution for the deposit of any contributions, within one week of receiving a minimum contribution of $100. The candidate shall not commingle the money in the account with money collected for other purposes. (NRS 294A.130) Candidates for judicial office should be aware that the Revised Nevada Supreme Court Rules also address this issue.

[Note: It may be necessary to bring your campaign’s tax ID number with you when you open your bank account -- see Step 9]


6. CONNECT TO YOUR LOCAL DEMOCRATS
The importance of being a known quantity to your local Democratic constituency and infrastructure cannot be overstated. Local Democratic voters and groups, whose votes you’ll ultimately need in your primary (if you have one) and general elections, will be far more likely to go to bat for you and provide support if you make a concerted, clear effort to connect with them and learn what local issues they believe are important. Make a list of your local Democratic groups, both entities chartered by the Party and independent local clubs, and reach out to them as early as possible.

NV Democratic Party:                http://nvdems.com

NV Dem County Committees:        http://nvdems.com/party/counties

NV Democratic Clubs:                http://thebluenevadan.com/clubs-and-caucuses.html


7. DETERMINE WHEN YOU NEED TO FILE ADDITIONAL FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES
Keep track of C&E report filing deadlines in the Nevada Candidate’s Guide, and make sure you’re tracking your finances closely. Additionally, after you officially file your candidacy you will be required to fill out a financial disclosure statement. Nevada’s SoS has an online system that makes filing these reports relatively easy.

9. DEVELOP A FINANCIAL RECORD-KEEPING SYSTEM
Though Nevada has no specific requirements of how you keep your records, so long as they are kept, the system you establish must be foolproof. This financial disclosure guide provided by the legislature illustrates how specific you must be. Accurately tracking gifts (especially from lobbyists), contributions (cash or in-kind), and expenses is vital for a successful candidacy.

10. APPLY FOR AN EMPLOYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (EIN)
An EIN, also known as a federal tax identification number, formally identifies a corporation, partnership, political committee, and other entities for tax filing and reporting purposes. An EIN is needed to open a bank account. Submit an electronic application to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Make sure to select “Political Organization” when asked for the type of organization. Consult this guide from Minnesota’s Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board for more information.


11. SUBMIT FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES TO THE IRS IF YOU’RE A CANDIDATE FOR FEDERAL OFFICE
Candidates for federal office (e.g., U.S. Representative or Senator) must file personal financial disclosure reports to the IRS within 30 days after they formally become a candidate or by May 15 of the same calendar year, whichever is later. Federal regulations state that an individual becomes a candidate for federal office when he or she (or a person authorized to do so) receives political contributions or makes expenses in excess of an aggregate amount of $5,000.  See  11 C.F.R. § 100.3(a)(2).

12. REGISTER WITH ActBlue
An ActBlue account allows you to solicit and process online credit and debit card contributions from donors. ActBlue charges a 3.95% transaction fee for each contribution; this is generally an industry standard

Running for school board? If so, consult and familiarize yourself with the following guide from the Nevada Association of School Boards:

http://www.nvasb.org/assets/what_does_the_school_board_do.pdf



13. HIT THE GROUND RUNNING
Running a political campaign can be an exceedingly time-consuming slog, no matter how many hands you have helping you along the way, so make sure that you always keep in mind why you’re running in the first place and what things you’d be able to do for your community if you won. Make sure to keep abreast of all early candidacy responsibilities and requirements!

Being a political candidate can be stressful, so don’t shy away from asking questions or seeking advice when you need to. If you have questions…

  • Run for Something        :                                        hello@runforsomething.net
  • NV Democratic Party Headquarters:                        (702) 737-8683
  • NV Secretary of State -- Elections Division:                (775) 684-5705

Appendices

        Appendix A: Financial Disclosure

The following are the financial disclosure guidelines for Nevada, provided by the FEC.

  • Who Must File:
  • State, district, county, township, and city office candidates
  • Persons that make candidate-related independent expenditures if any contributions received or individual/ cumulative expenditures exceed $100
  • Ballot question advocacy persons and groups if any contributions received or individual/cumulative expenditures exceed $100
  • Committees for the recall of a public officer if individual/cumulative contributions or expenditures exceed $100
  • Persons include individuals, business and social organizations, non-governmental legal entities, PACs, political parties, and party-sponsored committees.
  • Contents of Filings:
  • Candidates: information on campaign contributions and expenses, including total contribution amount and itemization of individual/ cumulative contributions over $100.
  • Persons making candidate-related independent expenditures or question-related expenditures: amount of total contributions received and itemization of individual/cumulative contributions over $100 received and expenditures over $100.
  • Recall committees: itemization of individual/ cumulative contributions over $100 received or made, and expenditures over $100.
  • Candidate who receives more than $10,000 in any year before an election year is required to file annual report by December 31st until the year in which the candidate seeks election.
  • Due Date of Filings:
  • Candidate at primary or general election: 7 days before primary, 7 days before general election, and 15th day of 2nd month after general election
  • City office candidate: 7 days before city primary, 7 days before city general election, and 15th day of 2nd month after city general election
  • Candidate at recall election: contributions report 30 days after election and expenses report 60 days after election
  • Candidate at special district office election: 7 days before election, contributions report 30 days after election, and expenses report 60 days after election.
  • Recall committee: if petition for recall not filed, 30 days after notice of intent to circulate petition expired; if court does not order special recall election, 30 days after court decision; and if court orders special recall election, 7 days before and 30 days after election.
  • Person making candidate-related independent expenditures and ballot question advocacy group: 7 days before primary election or city primary election, as appropriate; 7 days before general election or city general election, as appropriate; and 15th day of second month after election
  • Filing Officer and Availability
  • Secretary of State
  • Candidate for statewide office, state senator, or assemblyman in multi-county district, or any other office with multi-county district
  • Person making independent expenditures for a candidate elected from other than a single city or county
  • Committee for the recall of a public officer
  • Ballot question advocacy group for a question voted on in other than a single county or city
  • County clerk
  • Candidate for state senator or assemblyman voted on in a single county
  • County or township office;
  • Person making independent expenditures for a candidate elected only from the county
  • Ballot question advocacy group for a question voted on only in the county
  • City clerk
  • Candidate for city office
  • Person making independent expenditures for a candidate elected only from the city
  • Ballot question advocacy group for a question voted on only in the city
  • Other Necessary Filings
  • Registration of committee for political action
  • Registration of committee for recall of a public officer
  • Candidate financial disclosure statement



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