We have your back… covered by facts.
Run for local office knowing the facts about your community.
LocalGovTracker™ reads the minutes, agendas, and public documents of the body you serve on or want to join, and the bodies around it, then tells you in plain language what has been decided, what is coming, and where each fact came from.
Talk with us about your raceNonpartisan. Open to candidates of any party, or none, in all 50 states.
You know your neighbors. Do you know the facts about your community?
Most people run for local office because they care about their community. Caring is not the same as knowing what was decided, when, and why. That is true for first-time candidates and for people who have served for years.
The prepared candidate wins the room
At a forum, the candidate who can name the meeting, the decision, and the date sounds ready to serve. Make sure that is you.
Voters ask specific questions
Not "what do you think about roads," but "why did the council delay the resurfacing contract?" A general answer costs you the room.
The answers are public, but buried
They sit in hundreds of pages of minutes and agendas across the city, the county, and the school board. No candidate has time to read them all while knocking doors.
LocalGovTracker™ closes that gap. You get the facts, in plain language, with the source attached, so you campaign on what is really happening in your community.
What is happening in your ward
Voters in a ward or district race want to know what is happening on their streets. When an agenda item names a ward, district, street, or address, we tag it to that place, so a Ward 3 candidate sees the Ward 3 items first. Many items name no place at all; those are shown as citywide or countywide rather than guessed into a ward.
Ward and district races
Ward council seats, county commission or council districts, and school board sub-districts. Your briefs lead with your territory, then the citywide decisions that affect it.
At-large and citywide races
At-large council seats, mayor, and village or city-wide offices. Your briefs cover the whole jurisdiction and show where decisions land unevenly.
Township, school, and special district boards
Township trustees, school boards, and library or park boards. We track the board you are running for and the governments around it.
First race or running again, the facts matter
New candidates and experienced officials face different gaps. The package is built for both.
Running for the first time
Get up to speed fast
- Learn what the body has decided over the last year or two, organized by issue.
- Know what was already tried before you promise it, so a forum question does not catch you off guard.
- Speak about your community with specifics: the meeting, the decision, the date.
- If you win, walk into your first meeting already knowing the history.
Currently serving or running again
Keep your edge while you govern and campaign
- See what the county, school board, and neighboring communities decided that affects your residents, not just your own body.
- Have what your body accomplished during your term at your fingertips, with dates and sources, ready for mailers and forums.
- Know which issues voters and challengers are likely to raise before they raise them.
- Returning after time away? Catch up on what changed since you last served or ran.
What you get
A small, focused package built around your race. Every fact links back to the public document it came from, so you can repeat it with confidence.
A clear picture of what the body has done
A readable summary of the last year or two of decisions, organized by issue: budget, roads, safety, housing, development. No wading through hundreds of pages of minutes.
Short briefs on the issues you are running on
One page per issue: what was already tried, what passed, what stalled, and what neighboring communities did. You avoid promising something that was voted down last spring.
Prep before every forum and interview
Before each candidate night, endorsement meeting, or debate, a short list of the questions you are likely to hear, with the facts behind them.
A weekly note until Election Day
Before each meeting, a quick read on what is on the agenda and why it matters to voters, so you can show up, speak during public comment, or respond to the news.
Simple pricing for your campaign
Everything above, starting at less than the cost of one round of yard signs. Larger races that need more bodies or more issues are priced to fit.
Why three months? Setting up the bodies around your race and building your first briefs is most of the work. If your election is sooner, the remaining time carries past Election Day, so a winning candidate walks into the first weeks in office already briefed.
Start my campaign packageStarting at
$99/month
Three-month minimum: $297, billed once
- Plain-language summary of what the body you are running for has decided
- Issue briefs on the topics you are running on
- Prep before forums, interviews, and debates
- Weekly meeting notes through Election Day
- Every fact linked to its public source
- Tracked automatically, reviewed by a person
At the starting price, your treasurer sees one invoice for $297 covering three months. Larger races are quoted up front, so you know the full amount before you commit. How payment works
How payment works, for your treasurer
One invoice, paid online, billed to your campaign committee.
We quote your race
After you send the form, we reply with the bodies and issues we would cover and your price, starting at $99 a month.
One invoice to your committee
For the three-month minimum ($297 at the starting price), paid in full up front and billed to your campaign committee's official name.
Pay online
By card or bank transfer, through the secure payment link in your invoice.
Your briefs begin
We start building your package as soon as payment is received.
Your invoice lists Winston Government Relations LLC, our address, the service provided, and the dates covered: the details your treasurer needs for your campaign finance report. Please pay from your campaign committee's account rather than a personal card.
The decisions that shape your community are not made in one room
Voters ask council candidates about school taxes, county road projects, and water rates. We include the bodies that affect your community alongside the one you are running for, so you can answer the whole question.
- The council or board you are running for
- County government
- School board
- Park or library district
- Regional water or transit authority
Automatic tracking. Human perspective.
Technology does the reading. A person makes sense of it.
Tracked automatically
As agendas, minutes, and public documents are posted, LocalGovTracker™ reads them for the bodies in your package and pulls out what touches your issues. Nothing slips by because you were busy knocking doors.
Reviewed by someone who has served
Every brief is reviewed by Adam Winston, founder of LocalGovTracker™, who served ten years as an elected village trustee and has worked with local governments for nearly 20 years. You get context, not just a summary: why an item matters, how it connects to neighboring decisions, and what voters are likely to ask.
A note from our founder
Most candidates lose because they don't know the issues affecting their community.
How it works
Setup is quick. Most campaigns have their first briefs in hand within a couple of weeks. If your election is less than 30 days away, say so on the form and we will put your race first.
Tell us about your race
The office, the community, and the three to five issues you want to lead on.
We choose the bodies together
The body you are running for, plus the neighboring ones that matter most to your voters.
You receive your summary and issue briefs
Delivered as a private page you can read on your phone and share with your campaign team.
Weekly notes and forum prep through Election Day
We keep your briefs current as new agendas and minutes are posted.
After Election Day, you start ready
Newly elected members can add a first-100-days package that gets them up to speed on past actions, with keyword search of the body's record before their first meeting. Returning members can keep their tracking going into the new term.
Built on the public record
We track governing bodies and what they do in public: agendas, minutes, resolutions, and ordinances. Your campaign speaks from documented facts, and anyone can check them.
Where a document is not posted, your brief says so plainly, so you always know the difference between "nothing happened" and "nothing was published."
Nonpartisan, by design
LocalGovTracker™ works with candidates of any party, or no party. Every client gets the same facts from the same public documents.
We do not endorse candidates, take sides on issues, or write opinion. We report what governing bodies decided. How you use it is up to your campaign.
Your campaign stays private. Candidates in the same race may use LocalGovTracker™, and each receives the same public facts. Your issue list, your briefs, and anything you tell us stay confidential and are never shared with another campaign.
No opposition research. We track governing bodies and what they decided. We do not research candidates, including your opponents.
Questions candidates ask
Is this a reportable campaign expenditure?
Yes. Payment for research and briefing services is a campaign expenditure, reported like any other vendor payment. States name the category differently; many list it as research or consulting. Your treasurer or state campaign finance office can confirm the right category.
Can a party committee or PAC pay for it?
Payment normally comes from your own campaign committee. If a party or PAC pays for services your campaign uses, that payment may count as a contribution to your campaign, with its own limits and reporting rules. Check with your treasurer before arranging it.
Does it work for a school board or township race?
Yes. We track school boards, township boards, and library and park boards, along with the city and county governments around them. For school board sub-districts, your briefs lead with your area.
Where do you work?
Local races in all 50 states. When you send the form, we confirm which bodies in your race we can track before you pay anything.
Will you work with my opponent?
Possibly. Every candidate receives the same public facts. Your issue list, your briefs, and anything you tell us stay confidential and are never shared with another campaign. We do not research candidates, including your opponents.
What happens after the election?
If you win, you can add a first-100-days package that gets you up to speed before your first meeting. Returning members can keep their tracking going into the new term. Otherwise, your package ends when your paid term ends, with nothing to cancel.
My election is close. Is it too late?
No. Most campaigns have their first briefs within a couple of weeks. If your election is less than 30 days away, say so on the form and we will put your race first.
Walk into every forum knowing more than the room expects.
Tell us what office you are running for and when your election is. We will reply by email with the bodies we would include and a price for your race, starting at $99 a month.