Resign-to-run law
election law
A resign-to-run law is a law that requires an elected official to resign from the office they were elected before they can run for a different office. This is distinct from a dual mandate prohibition, where a person has to resign from their old office to assume the new office, rather than to run for the new office. Resign-to-run laws exist in several jurisdictions, including five US states.
Arguments for and against
Supporters of resign-to-run laws argue that a politician running for one office while holding another might neglect the duties of their current office, since they spend much of their time campaigning for the new office. They also believe that in a race between someone who currently holds another office and someone who doesn't, the person who holds another office can unfairly use their incumbency as leverage in the campaign, for example by funnelling official resources into the campaign or by using their office as a fallback in case they lose the race.
An officeholder who wants to run for higher office may time their run to complete their tasks in their current office. An example of this is Rodney Glassman, vice mayor of Tucson, Arizona and Democratic Party candidate in the 2010 United States Senate election in Arizona, who delayed his resignation from the city council and his Senate campaign announcement until the city's budget was completed.
Opponents say that resign-to-run laws are likely to harm people who have public service as a job, since these people might not be in a good enough financial position to resign from their current office if they want to run for another office. People who want to hold a particular office might also be dissuaded from running for lower offices beforehand, as holding lower offices would block them from running for their desired office and serve as a hindrance instead of a stepping stone.
Examples
Philippines
Under the Omnibus Election Code, appointive officials (i.e.
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