10 things to do before you run for office

Short answer: before you run, learn the rules and timetable of the election, review your social media accounts and old posts, secure your domain name and campaign identity, plan your portrait and introduction film shoots, and decide from the start who holds approval authority. This preparation saves you time during the campaign.

1. Learn the type, rules and calendar of the election

A municipal election, a chamber of commerce election and an association’s general assembly follow different rules. In local and general elections, Law No. 298 and the decisions of the Supreme Election Council (YSK) apply; in chamber and exchange elections, Law No. 5174 and TOBB’s regulation on organ elections; in associations, the relevant legislation and the statute. Write the election date, candidacy deadlines and campaign period into a calendar. The whole campaign plan is built backwards from these dates.

2. Decide who makes the decisions

Once the campaign starts, dozens of decisions are made every day: which photo to publish, which message to answer, which invitation to accept. Who holds approval authority, who decides when the candidate cannot be reached and which content is shown to the legal adviser should be written down from the start. This one-page document becomes one of the most consulted documents of the campaign.

3. Review your social media accounts

Once your candidacy is announced, more people will look at your accounts. Check that usernames are consistent and look at profile photos, bios and contact details. Go through old posts and assess anything that could be misunderstood out of context. Clarify in whose name the accounts are registered and who holds the passwords and two-factor authentication.

4. Gather your photo and video archive

Photos and videos from your previous roles, your profession and your community work are the raw material for the introduction film and the website. Gather the archive scattered across phones and old computers into one folder, and note dates and places. Think about permission to use images of the people who appear in them at this stage, too.

5. Register the domain and plan the website

Register a domain linked to your name or campaign early, in your own name. The website brings your CV, priorities, videos, news and contact details together in one place. During the campaign, social media links, press releases and printed material point to this address. If the site’s framework is ready before you become a candidate, only content needs adding once the campaign starts.

6. Prepare the campaign identity

Colour, typeface, logo or campaign symbol and social media templates give a consistent look everywhere, from posters to the website. If the identity work is done in the first weeks of the campaign, all production follows this language. Also take into account the rules on matters such as the use of flags and religious expressions in campaign material when developing the identity; the YSK’s decisions for recent elections included restrictions on these matters.

7. Plan the portrait and introduction film shoot

Portraits for posters, the website and social media should be shot with the same lighting and background. The introduction film tells who the candidate is and why they are standing, in their own voice. Both can be done on the same shoot day. Planning the main version and the short social versions from the start avoids missing footage later. For details, see our candidate film and campaign video page.

8. Put the message and priorities in writing

Write down in a few sentences what you want to tell voters: who you are, why you are running and which issues you will prioritise. If you have projects, prepare a short note for each one covering the problem, the proposed solution and the location. These notes are the basis for the film script, the website and the social media content.

9. Build the team and divide the work

Decide who in the campaign team will handle the field programme, press relations, social media and legal checks. If you work with an agency, its responsibilities and the approval flow should be in writing. Everyone using the same calendar and the same communication channel reduces confusion once the campaign picks up speed.

10. Think about the time after the election now

What will happen to the website, accounts and archive when the election is over? Having the domain and accounts in your own name makes the thank-you message, archiving or the transition to the new term easier after the election. Ask from the start for the films and photos produced during the campaign to be delivered as an organised archive.

A short preparation checklist

• Election date, application deadlines and campaign period in the calendar
• Approval authority and legal check owner set out in writing
• Social media accounts, access and old posts reviewed
• Photo and video archive in one folder
• Domain registered in your name, website framework ready
• Campaign identity and templates approved
• Date set for portrait and introduction film shoots
• Message and priorities written down
• Team and division of work agreed
• Post-election archive and account plan agreed

We describe how we run election campaign communication on our election campaign management page.

Sources

This information was checked against the sources below on 3 November 2026. Legislation and Supreme Election Council decisions can change with each election; before acting, rely on the current text and your legal adviser’s opinion. This article is not legal advice.

• Supreme Election Council (ysk.gov.tr): election timetables and decisions
• Law No. 298 on the Basic Provisions of Elections and Electoral Registers (mevzuat.gov.tr, in Turkish)
• Regulation on Elections to the Bodies of TOBB, Chambers and Exchanges (Lexpera, current text, in Turkish)
• bianet, 16 March 2023: “YSK, propaganda kurallarını açıkladı” (in Turkish)