A good slogan for a local race is short, specific to your town, and true to what you will do in office. Most local slogans take one of six approaches: your name, your place, an issue, your experience, a change in direction, or a two- to four-word version for small yard signs. Below are 58 original examples, grouped by approach, that you can adapt by filling in the placeholders.
After the examples, this guide explains how to test a slogan before you print anything, and how to carry it into yard signs, literature and text messages. Every example is nonpartisan and written for this page, so none of them belongs to a real candidate or campaign. Replace [Last name], [Town], [Office] and the other placeholders with your own details. For the rest of the campaign, from petitions to Election Day, see our guide to running for local office in Illinois.
What makes a local slogan work
A slogan helps a voter remember your name and connect it with one idea about you. The strongest local slogans share a few qualities:
- Short. Three to seven words for the main slogan, and two to four for a small yard sign.
- Specific. It mentions your town, your neighborhood or a concern people there talk about.
- True. You can back it with your record or a plan you can explain in one sentence.
- Local. It sounds like a neighbor running for a local board, not like a national campaign.
- Positive. It is about you and the town, and it does not mention an opponent.
Choose one approach, and use the same slogan on every sign, piece of literature and text, so that voters see it repeatedly in the same words.
Name-based slogans
These put your name first, which helps most when you are new to voters or when the race has several candidates.
- [Last name] for [Town]
- A Neighbor Named [Last name]
- [Last name] Knows [Town]
- Count on [Last name]
- [Last name] Shows Up
- [First name] [Last name]: Listens, Then Acts
- [Last name] Does the Homework
- Vote [Last name] for a Board That Listens
Place-based slogans
These connect you to the town or neighborhood. They suit candidates with long local roots and ward or district races where voters care about their own part of town.
- Rooted in [Town]
- Raised in [Town], Ready to Serve It
- From [Neighborhood] to Village Hall
- For Every Block in [Ward]
- A Voice for [Neighborhood]
- Proud of [Town], Ready to Work for It
- Keeping [Town] a Place Families Choose
- Taking Care of the Town We Call Home
Replace "Village Hall" with "City Hall" or the name of your board where it fits.
Issue-based slogans
An issue slogan works when one concern is clearly on voters' minds and you have a specific plan for it. Pick the issue your board actually controls. A park board candidate, for example, should not run on roads.
Schools
- Clear Budgets for Our Classrooms
- A Parent's Voice on the School Board
- Schools That Make [Town] Proud
- Good Teachers, Safe Buildings, Open Books
- Listening to Parents, Teachers and Students
Roads and streets
- Smooth Roads, Safe Crossings
- Street by Street, Pothole by Pothole
- Better Streets for Every Neighborhood
- Roads Paved on Schedule and on Budget
Taxes and budgets
- Every Tax Dollar Accounted For
- Careful With Every Dollar
- A Budget You Can Read
- Spend Carefully, Report Openly
Parks
- Parks Worth Walking To
- Clean Parks, Busy Fields, Open Pools
- A Park Within Reach of Every Home
- Trails, Fields and Playgrounds for All of [Town]
Public safety
- Safe Streets, Known Neighbors
- Well-Lit Streets and Quick Responses
- Safety You Can See on Every Block
- Neighbors Who Look Out for Each Other
Experience slogans
These suit incumbents and candidates with relevant work, such as years on a commission, in a profession or in a volunteer role that relates to the office.
- [Number] Years Serving [Town]
- Experience [Town] Can Trust
- A Record You Can Check
- Knows the Budget, Knows the Town
- [Number] Years in [Field], Ready for [Office]
- Steady Hands for [Town]
- Re-elect [Last name]: Proven on the [Board]
Use "Re-elect" only if you hold the seat now.
Change slogans
These suit challengers and candidates for open seats who want to signal a new approach without criticizing anyone by name.
- Fresh Eyes on Village Hall
- New Ideas, Open Doors
- A New Voice for [Ward]
- Ask More of Village Hall
- Open Meetings, Open Books
- Fresh Thinking for the [Board]
Short yard-sign versions
Small yard signs leave room for only a few words beyond your name. These shorter versions pair with any of the approaches above.
- [Last name] for [Office]
- Vote [Last name]
- [Last name] Listens
- Neighbors for [Last name]
- [Last name]: [Town] Proud
- [Last name] for Schools
- [Last name], [Election date]
- Re-elect [Last name]
How to test a slogan
Before you order signs, narrow your list to three or four options and test each one. A test takes an afternoon, and changing a slogan after the signs are printed is expensive.
- Say it out loud. If you stumble over it, or it takes more than one breath, shorten it.
- Try it at sign size. Ask your printer for a proof, set it at the curb, and read it from across the street. Your name should be the largest text on the sign, and the slogan should still be readable.
- Ask five people outside the campaign. Show them the options and ask what each one says about you. Choose the slogan whose answer is closest to your reason for running.
- Check that you can back it up. If a voter asks "how?", you should be able to answer in one sentence from your record or your plan.
- Search for it. Look up the phrase with your town's name, and drop anything another local candidate used recently or anything that sounds like a national campaign slogan.
- Keep it honest. Do not suggest an endorsement you do not have, and use "Re-elect" only as an incumbent.
Keep the slogan off your ballot name. In Illinois, the 2027 Candidate's Guide says your ballot name may not include titles, degrees or political slogans. Your name must also appear exactly the same on every petition sheet and on your Statement of Candidacy. In other states, ask your election authority.
Carrying the slogan into signs, literature and texts
Once you choose a slogan, use the same words everywhere, in the same order. Ask your election authority what identification or disclosure wording, if any, must appear on your signs and literature.
Yard signs
Put your name in the largest type, the office next, and the slogan or a short version below. Keep the design simple, with strong contrast between the text and the background. Our list of where local campaigns spend money that works covers signs and literature as budget lines.
Literature
Use the slogan as the headline of your door piece. Below it, give two or three specific reasons it is true, the election date, and how to reach you. If your slogan is "A Budget You Can Read," for example, explain what you would publish and when.
Text messages
A text should identify the campaign, say one thing, and stay under 160 characters so that it sends as a single SMS. Use the slogan in the welcome text and the final reminder rather than in every message. These examples are written to fit; check the count again once your real names are in. The first message to each person includes "Reply STOP to opt out."
Hi [Name], this is [Candidate] for [Office]. [Slogan]. Thank you for signing up. I will text only key dates. Reply STOP to opt out.
Early voting starts [Date]. [Candidate] for [Office]: [Short slogan]. Your local election office lists sites and hours.
Election Day is Tuesday, [Date]. Thank you for supporting [Candidate] for [Office]. [Short slogan].
More ready-to-copy messages are in 25 campaign text templates for local races.
Send your first text with the slogan
Send texts only to supporters who agreed to receive them. A petition signature is not consent, and a voter list is not a texting list. Collect opt-ins on a separate sheet that says plainly that the person agrees to receive campaign texts, and record the date. In CampaignCNX+, the steps are:
- Complete the registrations. Campaign Verify, the service that confirms to the carriers (the mobile phone companies) that a sender is a real campaign, costs $95 per two-year cycle and requires a committee with an EIN (a federal tax ID number) and a filing published by your election authority. CampaignCNX+ guides you through it and files your 10DLC registration (the carrier registration for texting from a standard local phone number), a one-time $75 fee.
- Buy your number. It is $5 a month, and nothing sends until you buy it.
- Add opted-in supporters to a group. Messages are sent to groups. Record each person's opt-in date and source in a custom field.
- Write the welcome text. Use the first template above, with your slogan in place, and confirm that it stays under 160 characters.
- Decide whether to add a picture. An image of your yard sign makes the message an MMS, which uses 3 message credits ($0.18 on pay as you go, against $0.06 for an SMS). Save pictures for one or two important sends.
- Schedule it. Texts send only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., and quiet-hours scheduling keeps each message inside those hours.
- Answer replies. Replies come into the two-way inbox, and STOP replies are handled automatically.
Illinois campaigns can find registration details on our Illinois political texting page.
Common questions
How long should a campaign slogan be?
Aim for three to seven words for the main slogan, and two to four words for a small yard sign. If it does not fit comfortably beneath your name on a sign, shorten it.
Can I put my slogan on the ballot?
Not in Illinois. The ISBE 2027 Candidate's Guide says the ballot name may not include titles, degrees or political slogans, and the name must match on your petition sheets and Statement of Candidacy. Candidates in other states should ask their election authority.
Should my slogan mention my opponent?
It is better not to. A slogan that names an opponent repeats their name to every voter who sees your sign, and it can read as an attack. Keep the slogan about you and the town.
Do I need a slogan at all?
You do not need one to run, but a short slogan gives your signs, literature and texts one consistent line, and it helps voters remember why you are running. If no slogan feels right, "[Last name] for [Office]" on a well-designed sign is a sound choice.
Put your slogan in front of your supporters
CampaignCNX+ files your 10DLC registration, guides you through Campaign Verify, handles STOP replies and keeps every message within quiet hours, with a shared two-way inbox for you and your volunteers. 100 free SMS included. Your number is $5 a month. Registration takes time, so open your account before your welcome text is ready to send. Start your CampaignCNX+ account.