You don't need a degree in political science to run for public office. Yet only a small percentage of Montanans ever register to run for one of the hundreds of local and statewide offices up for election every other year.
That's probably due to the fact that elections pose a daunting hurdle for even the most experienced candidates, and it's only too easy to leave the campaigning to the “professionals.” So easy, in fact, we might sometimes forget that even the pros had to start somewhere.
For a fee of $35, anyone can attend a class and learn about things like campaign finance law, or listen to former office-holders talk about their experiences. Since the academies are nonpartisan, the lectures are given by both Democrats and Republicans, as well as members of other political parties.
The sponsors of these academies have been organizing them every other year since 2000, and in that time, they estimate they've graduated more than 250 Montanans. A number of them have gone on to win a seat in state or local government.
One of these graduates is current Supreme Court Justice Patricia O'Brien Cotter, who says the program “opens the door to the political process for the average Montanan.
“I got a lot of encouragement and comfort in meeting other people with the same trepidations,” she says. “It made what seemed overwhelming at first to be a manageable task.”
And that's the goal, says Beth Satre of the Montana Credit Union Network. Many people are interested in running for public office, she says, but few know what it actually takes to win a seat - be it for the state legislator, the local school board, sheriff's office or political party.
But it's important to encourage new names on the ballot, says Gary Wiens, assistant manager for the Electric Cooperatives Association, because new faces often have a tendency to pique new interest. In any case, past elections have shown that the more people vying for public office, the more voters turn out for the election.
The 2008 Campaign Academies will be held in Billings, Bozeman, Great Falls and Missoula, with the Missoula class scheduled for Feb. 6.
That's just in time, because the deadline to file for a statewide office in this year's election is March 20. We encourage anyone interested in campaigning for any public office to check it out.
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