There are over 500,000 elected officials in the United States. The vast majority of them serve at the local level — city councils, school boards, township trustees, county commissions, water districts, library boards. These positions make decisions that directly affect the daily lives of millions of Americans.
And a staggering number of them are filled without any competition at all.
The Scale of the Problem
Precise numbers are hard to pin down because local election data is notoriously fragmented — there's no single national database tracking every city council race. But the research that does exist paints a consistent picture: uncontested local races are the norm, not the exception.
Studies of local elections across multiple states have found that anywhere from 30 to 70 percent of local races feature either one candidate or no candidates at all. In some rural areas, the percentage is even higher. Town boards hold vacant seats because nobody filed. School districts appoint members because nobody ran.
The implications are significant. When officials take office without facing voters, the democratic feedback loop that's supposed to keep government responsive to residents is severed. Incumbents who never face challengers have less incentive to engage with constituents, hold public meetings, or explain their decisions. Not because they're bad people — but because the structural pressure to do so simply isn't there.
Why Nobody Runs
The barriers to running for local office are more perceived than real, but the perception is powerful enough to keep capable people on the sidelines.
Lack of information. Most people genuinely don't know how to get on the ballot. The filing process, petition requirements, and deadlines aren't widely publicized. If your board of elections doesn't actively promote candidate information — and many don't — the process remains invisible to anyone who isn't already connected to local politics.
The cost myth. Many potential candidates believe they need thousands of dollars to run. For most local races, this is wrong. A competitive campaign for school board or city council can be run for a few hundred dollars. But the assumption persists, and it's enough to stop people from starting.
Fear of public scrutiny. Nobody wants their name dragged through the local rumor mill. In small communities, running for office means putting yourself out there in a way that can feel risky, especially if you've seen other candidates treated unfairly. This fear is understandable, even if it's often disproportionate to the reality.
Time commitment. Local office is usually a part-time, low-pay or no-pay position that requires real hours — meetings, preparation, constituent calls. For people working full-time jobs or raising families, the time cost is a genuine barrier, not an excuse.
The most common barrier? Nobody asked them. Multiple studies, including work by political scientists at American University, have found that personal recruitment — someone you know encouraging you to run — is one of the strongest predictors of candidacy. Most potential candidates are simply waiting for an invitation.
What Happens Without Competition
Uncontested races create a cascade of problems:
- Lower voter turnout. When races are uncontested, fewer people bother to vote. Lower turnout means the officials who win represent an even smaller slice of the community.
- Less diversity. Contested races bring in new voices, new backgrounds, and new perspectives. Uncontested seats tend to be held by the same type of person — and that homogeneity narrows the range of ideas that get heard.
- Weaker governance. Competition makes candidates sharper. It forces them to articulate their positions, defend their records, and engage with the public. Without it, governance can drift toward complacency.
- Civic disengagement. When residents see that nobody runs for local office, they internalize the message that local government doesn't matter — or that it's a closed club. This feeds a cycle of disengagement that gets harder to break over time.
How It Changes
The solution isn't complicated: more people need to run. Every contested race — even one where the challenger doesn't win — improves the quality of local democracy. It forces the conversation, increases turnout, and signals to the community that these offices matter.
If you've read this far and thought about someone who should run — a co-worker, a neighbor, a friend who's always talking about what the town needs — tell them. Send them this article. That conversation might be the only nudge they need.
And if the person you're thinking of is yourself, you already know what to do.
Fill the empty seat
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