Your Campaign Website Timeline: What You Need Now and What Can Wait

How to Run for Office

October 15, 2026

It’s easy to keep putting off your campaign website when there’s always something to refine. Your bio could use another pass, you haven’t settled on a headshot, and your issues are still in draft. If you’re waiting until every piece feels finished, it can be hard to decide when you’re ready to publish.

Your website can be ready for visitors before you’ve built everything you want it to include. At launch, it needs to introduce you, explain why you’re running, and give people a way to get involved. You can expand your story, add pages, and refine the details as your campaign develops.

Here’s what to prioritize on launch day, during your first month, and as Election Day approaches. Use this timeline as a starting point, and combine stages if you’re launching closer to the election.

Stage 1: Launch day

Goal: Give people who hear about your campaign a place to learn about you and get involved.

Aim to have your website live when you announce, and consider publishing earlier if your candidacy will become public before then. Your first version can be a single page. Your introduction, short bio, donation link, and signup form can all live together, with room to expand later.

Focus on these essentials:

Your name, office, and reason for running. Pair a clear photo with a sentence or two about what you want to do for your community. Make the city, district, or jurisdiction easy to identify.
A short bio. A paragraph is enough to start. Introduce the experiences and community connections that brought you to this race, using specific details that help voters get to know you.
A visible donate button. Link directly to your campaign’s online donation form so people who want to support you can contribute when they hear the news.
A way to sign up and volunteer. Give visitors a simple way to receive campaign updates and indicate that they’d like to help. You can collect volunteer interest before you have a full schedule of activities or a dedicated volunteer page.
Campaign contact information. Include an email address that you (or a volunteer) oversees, so voters, reporters, and potential supporters can reach you.
Your campaign disclaimer. Confirm the wording and placement required for your race with the relevant election authority before publishing.

Before you go live, test your donation link and signup form, confirm that submissions reach the right place, and check the page on your phone. Set a descriptive page title that includes your name and the office you’re running for, and add a short description introducing your campaign. You can build out the rest of the site while this first version is already helping people connect with you.

Stage 2: The first month

Goal: Give people enough information to decide whether they want to support you.

During the first month, expand on the introduction you published at launch. As you meet voters and develop your campaign’s message, use the questions you’re hearing to decide what to add. If you already have some of this content ready, you can include it from day one.

Expand your About page. Tell the fuller story of your connection to the community, relevant experience, and decision to run. Help readers understand how those experiences would inform your work in office.
Explain your top issues. Start with two or three priorities. For each, describe the local problem, why it matters, and what you want to do about it. Use language voters will recognize from their own lives.
Build out volunteer opportunities. When you’re ready to put people to work, explain the specific ways they can help, such as knocking doors, making calls, or hosting a house party. Tell them what happens after they sign up.
Add endorsements as they’re confirmed. Get permission before publishing someone’s name, quote, or logo, and coordinate the timing of public announcements.

You don’t need a separate page for every topic. A few clear sections can work well until you have enough content to justify expanding the navigation.

Stage 3: The months leading up to the Election

Goal: Help supporters find current opportunities to contribute their time, money, and energy.

In the months leading up to the election, keep your site current as events and volunteer activities become more frequent. Someone who’s ready to help should be able to find an upcoming shift or event without searching through old social posts.

Publish upcoming events. Include the date, time, location or meeting details, and a clear way to RSVP. Add any information participants need to prepare.
Share useful campaign updates. New endorsements, local coverage, and progress toward campaign goals can help visitors follow your work. Add a news section when you have updates to share and someone who can maintain it.
Connect fundraising asks to the work ahead. When you feature a fundraising goal on your homepage, explain what contributions will help make possible, such as printing literature or reaching more voters.

Choose one person to own website updates, even if that person is you. Set aside time each week to remove past events, check links and forms, and review the main message on your homepage. Update time-sensitive information as soon as it changes.

Stage 4: Six to eight weeks before Election Day

Goal: Help voters find the information they need before the relevant deadlines.

Around six to eight weeks before Election Day, put voting information front and center on your website. Check your election calendar first, and move this step earlier if registration deadlines, mail ballot deadlines, or the start of early voting require it. Visitors should have time to understand their options and prepare before those dates arrive.

Create an easy-to-find page or homepage section that links to official election resources for:

Checking registration status and finding registration deadlines.
Reviewing early voting dates and locations, where available.
Learning about mail ballot eligibility, requests, and return deadlines.
Finding polling places and voting hours.
Reviewing what voters need to bring.

Identify the election and jurisdiction clearly, and use your state or local election office as the source for voting details. Review the information regularly and date any time-sensitive updates. Keep the link visible on mobile so visitors can find it quickly.

Stage 5: The days after Election Day

Goal: Acknowledge the people who made the campaign possible and give them a way to stay connected.

Within a day or two after Election Day, update your homepage to thank volunteers, voters, and small-dollar donors. If the result is still pending, acknowledge that clearly. Remove expired event listings and election countdowns so visitors see a message that reflects where things stand.

Once the outcome is clear, explain what comes next. If you won, share how supporters can follow your next steps, keeping the campaign site clearly distinct from any official government website. If you didn’t, a thank-you message and an invitation to stay in touch can help preserve the relationships you’ve built.

A quick check at every stage

Whenever you add to your site, ask:

Can visitors quickly understand what’s happening in the campaign?
Is the most useful next step easy to find and complete on a phone?
Are the information, links, and forms current and working?

These checks can help you decide what deserves attention now and what can wait until your campaign needs it.

Launch your campaign website with ActBlue Website Builder

ActBlue Website Builder gives down-ballot Democratic campaigns customizable templates, built-in accessibility, and search optimization for $40 a month with no setup fees. Publish a brief introduction and a few ways to get involved, then add pages, events, and endorsements as your campaign grows. You can easily update everything yourself, from the car to the campaign trail, without needing any tech experience.

Get started today, or if you’re a current user, login to pick up where you left off.

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