A position does not make a leader; performance does.
I've rarely found an election or an appointment to be the galvanizing moment in which a leader is born. Rather, leadership happens when someone - anyone - decides to take the action needed to make something better or to lead others towards an important goal.
You don't need a position or a title to give you permission to lead. You need the gumption to pick yourself, get to work, and tell a story by your actions that others want to be a part of.
Elections don't make leaders. Actions do.