Want to make a difference in your local area? Run for a government position. This article will cover the steps to run for office in Highland Park, New Jersey. In particular, how to become a candidate for mayor or for Borough Council will be covered.

To hold a local municipal office, an individual must be at least 18 years of age as of the primary election and have been a resident of the municipality, (or in the event the office is a ward council seat, of the ward), for one year prior to the date of the November election. New Jersey requires voter registration, which requires citizenship. The residency requirement is set forth in N.J.S. 40A:9-1.13.

Step One: Get Signatures or Votes to Get on the Ballot

There are two ways to complete a nominating petition for the particular municipal office and get on the ballot. One method is by collecting signatues via petition. The other way is to get enough votes in the primary. What is enough votes? The minimum number of signatures needed in a particular municipality varies based on past primary turnout in the municipality.The county clerk has an official list of the minimum number of signatures required. A candidate for nomination for a municipal office may sign his or her own petition.

Step Two: Process Paperwork

The candidate must complete an oath of allegiance. The signature on the oath of allegiance must be notarized. You can find a copy of the Oath of Allegiance (pdf) on the Middlesex County page of this website. Make copies of the notarized paperwork to be stamped when you submit the signed form(s).

Step Three: Submit Paperwork

The signed paperwork goes to the Borough Clerk. You should call Borough Hall before you go in to make sure that the Clerk is available. When you submit the paperwork, ask the Clerk to stamp the copies as received.

Step Four: Set Up Bank Accounts for Donations

As a candidate, you are subject to NJ Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) reporting. To set
up bank accounts for the election donations, go to the ELEC website https://elec.nj.gov. First set up a PIN which will be used instead of a wet signature, to file all forms electronically. On the website under “Advice for Filers” go to “Candidates & Election Committees” and for the mayor candidate info, click on “Single Candidates” and for the council candidates info, click on “Joint Candidate Committees”. All candidates or joint candidate committees must file form D-1 (for Mayor) or D-2 (for your Council candidates) which requires a treasurer and info for a campaign depository (campaign bank account). Generally, if you will be raising and spending a limited amount of money and not getting contributions in excess of $200 for the mayor race and $200, jointly, for the council race, you will be able to file the A-1 form (for Mayor) and the A-2 form (for your council candidates), and that should meet your ELEC filing requirements. However, if you receive any larger contributions or spend more than the limit, you are subject to ongoing filing requirements during the campaign.