You’ve decided to run for political office. But what do you do now? A local Delaware County nonprofit has spent the last several years answering those questions for interested community members. After a pandemic pause, the workshop for local political hopefuls returned over the weekend.

For example, Andrew Popp has filed to run for a Muncie City Council seat in District 5. He says he attended the “Candidates for the Future” workshop because he could hear from many experts when it comes to a successful campaign.

“There was so much vastness in the knowledge that they gave, they were so detailed, they just really put a dynamic on it that you really can’t get in other panels… It was a great learning tool for me”

The event included members of the political system that already had tried and true success, such as Ali Brown and Jennifer Culp, city council members in Indianapolis and Anderson.

Ball State professor Chip Taylor says organizers bring so many people under the same roof to connect those interested in serving their community with resources to start.

“A lot of times people want to do that, but they’re like ‘I’m not sure where to start’ and so we want to, sort of, give them a chance to find out.”

This year might be a good time to start, as municipal elections will be held again next year. Past attendees of this event have used their knowledge gained to run for local office.

Emily Guffey contributed to this report.