2020 was a glaring reminder of the importance of local government. Many things that have the biggest impact on our lives — COVID regulations, police accountability, natural disaster response — are decided by locally elected officials. And yet, many voters have no choice in who to elect to these offices. There are over 500k elections every 4 years, and more than 70% of candidates run unopposed. It’s not surprising that turnout for local races is low. The bar to do this critical work in your community is lower than you think. We need more qualified people, and it might be your sister, friend, or even YOU. In this session, our expert panelists will walk through just how easy it is to run and how this critical work will pave the way to more diverse leaders and stronger communities.