Understanding and filling out the following registrations and filing information will show you the things you need to do to set up your campaign committee to be legal in Oklahoma. Read the documents you should fill out, file, and keep:

Oklahoma Election Filing

All packets:

  • How to file
  • Where to file
  • The documents you will need to have filled out to file
  • How much it costs to file and how to pay
  • Candidate Filing Information

Oklahoma Candidates State Office Ethics Documents, Video, and Forms:

Sign up for and attend Oklahoma Ethics training – this is your campaign – you need to understand these requirements:

To set up a bank account you will need an Employer Id Number (EIN) now known as a Tax Id Number (TIN) instead of using your personal Social Security Number (SSN)

Federal Election Commission:

Set up your financial records – you may want to contact a tax consultant on your IRS filing requirements for tax purposes.

First Things First:

The following is a list of things you should consider doing with or without a campaign manager.

Get Trained Today

Sign up – answer the questions – start taking classes on your own time.

List of things you want to do:

  1. Photograph
    • Headshot that will be used for all media types.
    • A high-quality digital photo that you own.
    • Wear solid clothing if possible because patterns in cloth do not work well for all digital publishing.
    • Take the photo on a solid white background if possible.
    • Do not use a busy background.
    • Store this photo in a safe place to be added to your press kit.
  1. Set up a new email address to use only for your campaign. Do not use your personal email address. Do not use any of your existing passwords to secure this account. Document your passwords in a secure location and do not share them.
  1. Plan to deal with the negative
    • Make sure you learn how to pivot. No matter what the question practice your pivot.
    • Plan to address anything from your past that may be found – legal, bankruptcy, divorce, anything.
    • Google yourself check social media etc.
    • Write it down.
  1. Clean up and secure your digital footprints – and your family footprints
    • Clean all social Google yourself – use all your names
    • Make a plan to address anything negative you find
    • Reset all your passwords to be very secure – do not use the same password everywhere!
    • At least 8 characters – we recommend 12 characters
    • At least one uppercase and one lower case
    • At least one special character
    • In particular
    • Secure your phone with a passcode
    • Secure your email accounts with strong passwords
    • Don’t connect ALL your email to your phone
    • Secure your home computer(s) with login passwords and power them off
    • Media – Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Instagram etc.
    • Lockdown your personal Facebook page and groups
    • Remove tags from any photos you would not like to see used against you
    • Protect your family from being exploited
    • Change your privacy settings to close friends only
    • Protect your friends
    • Create your campaign Facebook group

Some basic links to consider using to help you clean up:

  1. Create your press and media kit:
  • Write your biography
  • 2 pages or less

Write your personal story – less than one page for:

  • Who you are – introduce yourself
  • Your name
  • Where you live and how long (plus where you have lived)
  • Your family life
  • Your career up to now.  Or your education/skills/experience
  • Why you are running – issues you care about
    • Why you are driven to run for office
    • The issues you care about and why Minimum 3 maximum 5
  • What your constituents want – and how you support them
    • Not necessarily the issues you care about the most
    • How you will support these issues
  • What you will do – your promise
  • How will you devote your time in office to your constituents needs
  • What you want your constituents to do – Vote for you!
  • Write your announcement press release
  • Put together your press kit
    • Your press kit will also become the information you use to build your website
  1. Develop your funding-raising plan.
  • Write an initial budget
    • Media creation
      • Website creation
      • Printing flyers
      • Printing signs
      • Facebook graphics
    • Make a list of everyone you know put names addresses and phone numbers in a spreadsheet
    • Write a script to make fundraising calls and try it out on your family and best friends to get feedback
    • Write down the events you should participate in or create and plan to speak about your needs for funds
    • Practice the fundraising ask and make it at every opportunity
  1. Dress for the occasion
  • Check your wardrobe and get it ready to use every day
  • Fundraising events can be white tie so budget to buy clothes if required
  • Make sure you are ready every day to present yourself
  1. Build your Team:
  • You can take on any of these but as the Candidate you should ONLY go to events, knock on doors and fundraise
  • Finance – someone you trust with your money, bank information, and reporting
  • Strategy and message – someone who will create your brand and keep your message focused
  • Writer – if you are not one
  • Media – may be multiple people may be just one
    • Acquire your website address and set up your email first.
    • Website – look for a candidate site you like and just use it to design and build your site
    • Printer
    • Facebook to set up your candidate profile and possibly fix your personal account
    • Twitter to set your candidate profile up or fix your existing account
    • Email for outbound emailing voters
  • Data as Democrats we use a database called VAN (Voter Action Network) to target voters in our districts. VAN skills are scarce – the Democrat HQ in your county may be able to help you with this need. We have training available.
    • A technically competent person who can learn to use a database to target voters for contact
    • Available to work at night and on weekends

 

  • Field Organizer – a person who will recruit volunteers to attend your events, knock on doors to deliver your message, push press releases to news outlets, use the contact data from your district to run weekly voter touch plans.
    • Very organized person
    • Available 4 – 9PM daily
    • Available every weekend
    • Excel spreadsheet competent
    • Excellent phone skills
    • Excellent people skills
    • Able to write effectively
    • Able to appreciate your volunteers
    • Self-starter that will take responsibility and deliver results
    • Able to use MiniVan – this skill can be learned
    • Able to convince volunteers to work
    • Able to create reports and manage voter lists to meet objectives
  • Volunteers
    • Create your list of people who will volunteer for you – they don’t have to be in your district
    • Spreadsheet with names, phone numbers, and email addresses (physical address optional).

Issues Development:

  • Your position on issues relevant to Oklahoma today.

Some reference material for new candidates:

  • Oklahoma Policy Institute: sign up for the newsletters – okpolicy.org

Resources Terms and information:

Legislative Primer

Oklahoma Democratic Party

Data – Voter Activation Network (VAN)

  • What is the VAN

The VAN is a tool available to Democrat candidates with information about all registered voters in geography. It has a set of tools to allow volunteers to make calls and knock on doors and for the campaign to mail voters. Request your campaign committee access.

VAN is a service for Candidates which is paid for by each candidate.

To request VAN access candidates need to fill out the form at the below link. Once they do, they will be contacted to go over the license agreement and VAN fees to get their account setup. VAN Access Request

VAN Access Candidate Fees:

  • Statewide: $500/mo; or $6,000 for 12 months
  • Congressional: $250/mo; or $3,000 for 12 months
  • State Senate: $50/mo; or $600 for 12 months
  • State House: $30/mo; or $350 for 12 months
  • Tulsa/Oklahoma County: $150/mo; or $1,800 for 12 months
  • Tulsa/Oklahoma County Commissioner: $80/mo; or $960 for 12 months
  • Cleveland County: $100/mo; or $1,200 for 12 months
  • Cleveland County Commissioner: $75/mo; or $900 for 12 months
  • Other County: $45/mo; or $540 for 12 months
  • Other County Commissioner: $20/mo; or $240 for 12 months
  • Oklahoma City: $175/mo; or $2,100 for 12 months
  • Oklahoma City Ward: $50/mo; or $600 for 12 months
  • Tulsa/Norman: $60/mo; or $720 for 12 months
  • Tulsa/Norman District/Ward: $30/mo; or $350 for 12 months
  • Other City: $25/mo; or $300 for 12 months
  • Other City District/Ward: $15/mo; or $120 for 12 months
  • School District: $15/mo; or $120 for 12 months

If you plan on paying monthly payments the minimum number of months required to gain access is 6 months.

Learn about your office:

  • Become familiar with your office voters:
  • Maps to all offices

Look up your office online for example:

The process:

See the precincts in your house district:

  • Make a list of all your precinct numbers and keep it with you.
  • Use the VAN to build your targeted registered voters’ data.
  • Begin to target individuals for contact.