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Everyone who is interested in politics in the eUS seems to want to run for Congress at one time or another. Before you decide to take the plunge there are some things to consider:



Are you able to get your own votes?

Early in your political career you will be responsible for getting all of your own votes. Most parties have a very limited supply of voters who will mobile vote for their party, so these votes are usually given to candidates based on experience and whether party leadership believes they have a chance to win. This is the reason many candidates are elected over and over again, and it is hard for new players to get elected. Most new people expect their party to be able to supply them with votes, but anyone who runs a Top Five Party can tell you there are very few votes to go around. If you are not able to get a minimum of ten votes on your own your first time out you are not going to get elected. Developing relationships early on will be the key to getting elected to Congress.

Are you up to the responsibility of being in Congress?

A great deal of what happens in Congress happens in the Metagame (The metagame is the parts of the game that are played outside of the actual game: IRC & eUSA forums). This means for every vote players see in-game there are hours of debate and deliberation going on both in the forums and on IRC. A good congressman checks the forum and IRC throughout the day to keep on top of what is going on.
If elected to Congress you will get a lot of requests from people for citizenship. Do not under any circumstances give anyone citizenship without permission from IES. A lot of first-time Congressmen get themselves in trouble by not following this simple rule. Another aspect of the job most first time Congressmen need to be aware of is the donation to the Congressional Budget Office. This donation is very important to the country as all funds paid out in the budget are paid through the donation to the Congressional Budget Office. This donation is only allowed once a day and only $400,000 can be transferred per day, so getting it approve everyday in game is very important.

Campaigning

Rule 1: Never offer to buy someone’s vote!
Rule 2: NEVER OFFER TO BUY SOMEONE’S VOTE!!!!
With that said, you can offer to pay moving expenses for those who need it, but buying votes is not acceptable behavior from those who wish to be in Congress.

Step One: Write a campaign article.

While many established congressmen get lazy and stop writing these articles, it can be very helpful for those seeking to run for the first time. Tell voters where you are running, why you are running, and what issues you’re in favor of (i.e. increased spending for militias, greater focus on education/retention, etc.), and most importantly ask for their vote.

Step Two: Shout your article to your friends, party, and military unit

This will get your article votes and comments that people will take notice of when deciding whether or not to support you. This will also let the people you have relationships with know that you are running and looking for votes.

Step Three: Personally ask friends who are not running for Congress to vote for you.

Most new players assume their friends will vote for them, but unless you ask for their support they will assume you do not need their vote and may commit to giving it to someone else.

Step Four: Ask other parties for endorsements

Most parties have an endorsement sheet, or have a place on their forums where you can ask for their endorsement. I would recommend doing this as most parties will endorse active candidates in states they are not running a candidate, and it gives you the opportunity to make contacts in other parties.
Step Five: Operating a PM campaign

You will have to actually send PMs to people asking for votes unless you have a lot of close friends to support you. Before PMing your party members for votes ask your Party President. You should only ask party members for support if your party approves of doing so (As a former Party President, I did not personally find this acceptable unless the party leadership had already sent out our mobile voter form). If you receive the permission of your Party President send out a message to your party members.

Sample Message:
I’m (Name), I’m running for Congress in (State). I would like to ask for your vote in the upcoming Congressional elections, I am willing to pay your moving expenses if necessary. I have held the following positions: (If you have not held an positions in your party or government then leave this part out and instead tell them you’re a new and active player looking to represent your party in Congress.) Please check out my campaign article: (Article URL). I appreciate your time, and I would like to thank you in advance for any support you are able to give me.
Sincerely,
(Name)
P.S. If you are not interested in voting for me please support the party by being a mobile voter. (Link to party mobile voter sheet or forum sign up)

It is important you include the link to your party’s mobile voter sheet. It will show that you have an interest in making sure your party does well, and if the person does not vote for you they may still sign up to help your party. The more votes your party receives the greater the likelihood they may have votes to help your candidacy.

Depending on the size of your party and the level of activity you may need to contact people outside of your party for votes as well. You may want to contact people in your military unit, or other parties. (Though be careful contacting members of other parties for votes.)

Pro Tip: Keep a record of all people who tell you they intend to vote for you. This gives you the ability to gauge how many votes you’ll need, and it gives you a list voters to contact for your next campaign so you do not have to PM as many people next election.


Recommended Reading:

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