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Aside from voting itself, running for office is the most obvious way to participate in democracy.
What are the considerations? They include, but are not limited to:
What issues are of the most importance to you? Who decides whether to act on those issues? Are the most important decisions about your chosen issues made at the local, state, or national levels? Do you believe you can qualify to run and serve in political office? Can you handle the invasive scrutiny into your personal life that often accompanies a run for office and a sitting official if you win? Can your family withstand that pressure? Can you garner the financial backing to run a competitive race for office?
Obviously, most regular folks would start by running for a local office and do so when the chances looked best. In Portland, Oregon, for example, voters decided in the previous election cycle to change the form of city government, including expanding the city council from five seats to 12, and the city had some matching funds that went to candidates that met a threshold of numbers of contributors. Further, the city was experiencing many urgent problems, including massive numbers of homeless squatting on sidewalks with prevalent open drug use, and a destructive anarchic culture routinely smashing windows and generally rioting. This combination led to an enormous outpouring of candidates--more than 80 who registered to run for those 12 seats. Many of the candidates came with scant funding yet stayed in the race until election day.
Running for less controversial office is sometimes possible--local elected offices are unique to each jurisdiction and frequently include technical or administrative offices that can even attract only one candidate at times. If your background is strong in an area that you feel called to manage, perhaps that is an office to seek, especially if you have limited means to fund a campaign and there is little or no competition for that office.
State offices, naturally, vary from state to state in the US, with basic similarities--there is a governor in each state and some legislative body--and some differences. If you decide you want it, take some steps to learn much more than you already do because it's tough to be both an expert in issues and the mechanics of running for office. Seek advice[1]. Talk to former and current officeholders. Consider applying for one of the candidate bootcamps that prepare people to run for office, like Veterans Campaign, Run For Something, The Campaign Workshop and American Majority.
Running for federal office--House of Representatives, Senate, President--is clearly much more daunting, with much higher hurdles[2]. Finding mentors, advisors, and supporters is a strong requirement, even for wealthy people who can fund a substantial campaign.
Read some histories of those who have achieved the office you most desire. Learn the different paths taken by those who succeeded--there may be some stepping stones you didn't know existed, some routes that might seem somewhat circuitous but which have resulted in gaining the elected office that makes the decisions you wish to be able to make for the benefit of all.
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