Jason Allen, a resident of Eagle Mountain, put his hat in the ring for City Council during the 2021 election cycle. Jason was in the race for one of the two City Council seats that were up for election. I asked him to write this article so that others who wish to run for elected office can learn from his experience. Here he gives a list of five lessons he learned during the election cycle. Jason, thanks for taking the time to write this, as well as your willingness to put yourself out there and run for City Council.
Bio: Jason Allen was born and raised in Utah. He and his wife have been married since June 2019 and have a one-year-old daughter. Jason and his wife enjoy playing pickleball, going on walks around the city, and all things Star Wars. Jason recently ran for Eagle Mountain City Council.
Have you ever wondered what it is like to run for political office? Have you had a desire to run one day but have been too intimidated? Then you are in the same boat as I was a year ago. Ever since my wife and I moved into Eagle Mountain, we knew it was special. I knew there were a lot of challenges and opportunities for our city, and I knew I had the skills and desire to help. I wanted to run for City Council, but I was definitely intimidated. Where would I even start? Well, because I ran and survived, I wanted to share my experience. Here are some lessons I learned as a first-time candidate that I hope will encourage you to one day run for office or help someone you know to run.
Lesson 1 – It’s easier than you think to file
I thought the process to throw my hat in the ring would be difficult and complex, but I was shocked at how easy it actually was. In order to file as a candidate, all you have to do is sign a form and pay the $50 filing fee. That’s it! The day I filed, I just showed up at the City Recorder’s office and said that I was there to run for City Council. Our City Recorder, Finn Kofoed, took my family into her office and helped us get all the paperwork signed. If you haven’t met Finn or her staff, they are all great!
Lesson 2 – It’s a lot of work but so rewarding
I knew campaigning would be a lot of work, but I had no idea just how much work it would be to run a solid campaign. I started preparing for my campaign in December 2020 by watching all the city council meetings from 2020 and some of the planning commission meetings. In April, we started building a campaign website, creating Facebook and Instagram accounts, and working on a logo in order to create yard signs, posters, and doorhangers. And that was all before filing to run!
After the filing date, the campaigning really got going! We began holding meetings in all the neighborhoods, answering emails, and meeting with citizens. It took up basically every weeknight and every Saturday. I was busy, but I was surprised at how rewarding it was. Meeting with citizens was so fun! Citizens were so kind and passionate about our great city. The citizens were aware of all the issues going on and had good ideas on how to fix them. The hard part was getting enough citizens to come to events and to care about getting informed. More about this in a bit.
Lesson 3 – Get a team together
I am generally not great about asking others for help even though I love serving and helping others. I quickly learned that in order to run an effective campaign, I was going to need some serious help. In addition to my wife, I had the help of coworkers, friends, family, and neighbors. They helped with putting up signs, setting up meetings, and running events. I could not have done it without them. If you are planning on running, get a team together! You will be surprised at how many people around you are curious about campaigning and want to support you. All you have to do is ask!
Lesson 4 – Not enough citizens are involved
Some citizens were involved during election season, but it was not enough. Candidates would hold campaign events, but only a few people would show up. One night an event was held with all of the candidates in a neighborhood at the edge of our city. Only a handful of people came, and they had a chance to meet all the candidates running for office at their own neighborhood park! This general apathy can be seen in the election turnout. In this past general election, only 25% of registered voters submitted ballots! That’s crazy! Everyone is happy to go on Facebook and complain about the state of our city, but they do not do the most important thing which is to get informed and vote.
To get informed is not as hard as you would think. The city holds a meet the candidates night, puts candidate bios on its website, and holds a debate. You can also do simple things like email the candidates, give them a call, or host a cottage meeting in your neighborhood. Candidates love when citizens reach out wanting to be informed. And who knows, your example of getting informed might inspire others to get informed as well.
Lesson 5 – Democracy is a lot of work but so worth it
Running for office was one of the hardest things I’ve done, but it was so rewarding. Even if I knew beforehand that I would lose, I would still run again because of what I have learned. I have a newfound respect for the city, the citizens, and the democratic process. Running for office is hard, but that is a good thing. It makes candidates work to get to know citizens, learn about the issues, and find solutions. The ability to vote is a wonderful thing that many of us take too much for granted. Many people have fought and died in order to give and preserve this right, so please take advantage of it.
Conclusion
I hope this article has given you a small glimpse of what it is like to run for office. I think everyone should run for office or significantly support a political campaign at least once in their life. It certainly gave me a newfound respect for anyone who has run for office. The future is bright for our city and our nation, but it requires good people to run for office and to get involved.
If you have any follow up questions, please reach out!
Video from Jason’s Campaign Facebook Page
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Mike Kieffer is an IT geek by hobby and trade, with a BS in Information Systems & Technology. He is a proud father of 10, a grandpa, an author, a journalist, and internet publisher. His motto is to “Elevate, Inspire and Inform”, and he is politically conservative and a Christian. Mike has a passion for technology, writing, and helping others. With a wealth of experience, he is committed to sharing his knowledge with others to help them reach their full potential. He is known for his jackassery or his form of self-expression that encourages boldness, creativity, and risk-taking. It can be a way to push the boundaries and challenge traditional norms, leading to creative solutions and positive change.