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Well here they are AGAIN, congressional elections are almost here! Now before APF was PTO'd i was appointed as the new APF Elections Director. I was running all of the forms, adds, and all that good stuff but then it was PTO'd by some zombie or something, i kinda forget the whole story. But one thing i noticed was that a lot of younger and newer people were running for election. So i decided it was time to write another guide!!

So i happily present to you the...BEGINNERS GUIDE TO CONGRESS



This guide is to make congress not look like this




Between the 16th and the 23 you have the chance to run for congress in the region you chose to run in. Then on the 24th the Party President will lock in all candidates.

Most people want to become a congress member in order to make some positive changes and help his or her nation. Some people just want the treasure map and the little gold that you receive in it. I think that you should not run for congress unless you are actually going to make an attempt at doing something.

Lets begin with the purpose of congress
If you get elected you can vote about various proposals, often tax issues, alliances and so on.
This is where the real decision making power lies, a party that has "their own" views can usually not get anything though Congress if they do not have majority or if they get support from other parties. Most countries have their own forum where the congress can discuss and vote about things regarding domestic and foreign affairs. Here is a link to the eUS forums.

Now that we have covered the purpose of congress lets move on to some tips for getting elected into congress

The first thing that you must do is show the country that you actually want to be elected!
Register at your countries forum and follow the discussions there. Let people see your name and what you stand for, eRepublik is a social game so join in the discussions and let people get to know you. Try to spend at least 10 to 15 minutes reading the forum every day. This will keep you up to date on whats happening in the country and help get you recognized more.

Another great way to get involved is to join your country's channel on IRC. On IRC you can talk with dozens of people and make new friends in no time. If you do not know how to access IRC here is a guide to help you get onto IRC and also has a list of popular channels.

The next thing you must do if you already haven't is, choose the party you want to run under!
In choosing which party, there are a lot of different things that go into it. First you want to see which one feels comfortable, which one can you go farthest in, and which one you agree with. Almost every top 5 party has an IRC room and a forum which may help you in your journey.

After you have done all of that you should get your name out there
The more popular, and bigger players in this game did not get to where they are today buy just 'two-clicking." They have gotten themselves into the game and learned how things work. The best ways to get your name familiarized is to go on IRC, the party forums, and the country forums!

Next you must write your platform!
By now you should have received an idea of how things work and what interests you in the game. Formulate this in a platform and let people see that you actually have an agenda and something you will work for. Why else should people vote for you if they do not know who you are or what you stand for?

You want your platform to be well organized, eye catching, and yet informative. To help write your platform here is another one of my guides to help you write your articles.

After you have done all of this you must show respect and intellect
Congress is about more than just getting a treasure map and some gold, it is a responsibility and a step towards major positions in your country and even your party. Ambitions are good, but wishes do not build countries. Be clear and specific about what you want to accomplish, but be respectful and polite to others. Show respect to others and you will most likely receive it as well.

Next you must take it easy
Don't start out by starting lots of proposals, all this will do is make you look like an ass. It is better to discuss it with congress first. Congress usually has its guidelines and you should read them before you do anything at all. You often see new congressmen who post various proposals without discussing them first. If you are unsure about it just talk to other congressmen, the president or the party president.

Then you must show that you were the right choice
Show the people that they made a good decision voting for you! As a congressman, you have the possibility to change a lot of things in your country, propose new taxes and so on. Try to keep up with the discussions and be active in the forums. Nobody knows everything at the beginning, and most people are patient with newcomers. Usually it is better to be part of the discussion and be wrong, than not take part at all.

Here are some guidelines for a good congressman
Be active every day.
Read the forum and your party forum every day, vote on bill that are presented.
Be polite and try to keep a nice tone.
You have been voted in by the members of your party so you should do them the courtesy to sit out the whole period and not resign or change party during the mandate. If you resign from your congress place your party looses influence during the period and you will lose confidence in the future. Same if you change party, the ones who voted for you did so because they thought you would represent the party and the least you can do is to stay with them out the period.
Write a presentation, the easiest way to do this is through your own newspaper. Link this in your election so the voters can access it easily.
Also the game requires that you have reached level 12 in order to run for Congress.

Thank you for taking the time to read my article, i wish everyone the best of luck in elections and lets hope we have a good month!