One of the reasons I’m doing this is to learn more about the process. Maybe I can also keep my kids and other people informed about what it takes to get involved and run for office. So, as I come across some of the steps and requirements involved in running, like with my Getting On The Ballot posts, I’m gonna write about them here.
This week, I got a letter in the mail from the Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance; Tennessee Ethics Commission. The campaign finance part of this is important because of the way I’m planning on financing my campaign. I’m very concerned with the amount of money that is spent in campaigns, how that money is raised, and how it’s spent. I’ll do a full post on how I’m going to handle that at some point soon, but for now, I was interested to get the letter and see what candidates have to disclose.
I opted for the online filing option and I’m glad they have that. I’d prefer to do most things on a computer if I can. I was directed to the appropriate website where I was prompted to sign up (since I’m filing for the first time) and file my statement. The form was straight forward. It asked for my address, e-mail, and phone number. The office I’m running for was pre-filled (except for which District). Then, I had to supply my sources of income, my investments, whether I’m involved in lobbying, whether I provide professional services (like being an attorney), whether I receive retainer fees, and whether I’ve filed for bankruptcy in the last 5 years. I also had to include any loans taken this year. I had to certify the information was correct and have a witness attest that I entered the information.
If you’re curious to see my filing, or any other candidate’s filing, you can go to this website to check it out. The deadline to file for 2019 is January 13, 2020. I searched for my form after I hit SUBMIT, but it didn’t show it. Maybe it’ll take a little while for it to show up in the system. In any case, keep trying if you want to check up on me. I’m sure I’ll show up on there at some point.