Interested in Running for Office?

Contact Emily Hansen or Samantha Casne for more information.

Interested in running for office? (...or know someone who may be?)

Part of building a strong voice for education in elected office is supporting fellow WEA members who run for office. If you are wondering which seats are up for election in your area, how to recruit candidates, and what your local association can do to support these races -- your WEA political team can help!

If you are a WEA member, leader or staff person, contact Emily or Samantha and we can send you our candidate recruitment toolkit. It includes:

• Everything you need to know about running for office (in one page!)
• A presentation on how to successfully recruit candidates to run for office
• List of School Board positions that are up for election this year
• Public resources available for candidates who are interested in running for office

PLEASE NOTE: If you are a member running for office and have already declared your candidacy we are unable to provide you with additional resources due to campaign finance laws in our state. Please reach out BEFORE you declare your candidacy.

FOR EXISTING CANDIDATES: Our endorsement process does not start until the spring. To seek an endorsement, please reach out to your local association and they can give you a better sense of their timeline. The endorsement process includes both a questionnaire and candidate interview.

WEA Trainings

We plan offer a series of trainings to locals/councils who are looking to engage in School Board races this year. Contact Emily or Samantha to sign-up or for more information.

• March/April: Everything you need to know about recruiting candidates to run for School Board (also available sooner upon request). All trainings are virtual unless otherwise noted.
   

  • March 6 (WEA-PAC Board) 

  • March 13 at 1pm (WEA Staff)

  • March 13 at 3:30pm (Local Presidents, Council Presidents & WEA Board)

  • March 15 at 10am (WEA Staff) 

  • April 4 at 3:30pm (Local and Uniserv Council Presidents & WEA Board) 

  • April 14 in Spokane (presentation @ Rep. Assembly)

• June/July: How to make candidate endorsements
   
• August/September: Supporting endorsed candidates though member communication
   

Candidate Trainings

• See Educators Run (NEA): April 28-30 (SeaTac)

• Path to Power (Washington State Labor Council): March 29-31 (Olympia)

• Women’s Political Caucus (for women identifying candidates): March 18 (Tacoma), April 1 (Everett), April 15 (virtual)

• SAGE Leaders (for candidates of color)

• Re:Power (formerly Camp Wellstone)

• Emerge Washington & National Emerge (for women identifying candidates)

• Washington State School District Directors' Association (for school board candidates)

Public Resources

• Candidate Guide​ (Secretary of State)*

• Candidate Filing: Dates and FAQ​ (Secretary of State)

• Secretary of State​*

• Candidate FAQ (Public Disclosure Commission)
   
• Registration & Reporting Basics (Public Disclosure Commission)
   

• Key Reporting Dates (Public Disclosure Commission)

• Public Disclosure Commission​

• County Election Offices​

• Candidates for School Board (Washington State School Directors Association)

• Candidate Tool Kits​ 

  • NEA's School Board Tool Kit

  • CN4​

  • Vote Run Lead: How to Run & Your Kitchen Cabinet​

• Candidate Cohorts​

  • SAGE Leaders​ 

  • Emerge Washington (fall 2023 applications for 2024 candidates)​

* Updated versions may now be available.