Why Local Elections Matter
- MWEG
- Sep 3
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 2
Local elections don’t get the same news attention our federal elections do, especially as more and more local news sources shut down operations. Many voters have limited knowledge about the candidates or aren’t aware of when local elections take place. This affects voter turnout.
In fact, on average only 27% of eligible voters vote in local elections. This means a small, unrepresentative proportion of your city or town’s population is choosing leaders on behalf of everyone. Less than a third of voters — and in many cases even fewer! — are deciding who will allocate the $2 trillion local governments spend in the U.S. We can do better than that!
Why should you show up for local elections?
Local officials make decisions that affect you every day.
You may think you don’t have big opinions on how your town should run. But consider what your local jurisdiction is responsible for! Have you ever had a complaint or suggestion related to one of the following areas?
Local infrastructure, like roads, drinking water projects, and garbage pickup
Planning and zoning for housing, businesses, and parks
Recreation programs and public park maintenance
Funding for educational opportunities, like public schools and libraries
Public safety, like police and fire departments
Local taxes, like property tax and local sales tax
And much, much more!
Local budgets should reflect community priorities, and voting is an important way to show those priorities.
Your vote can have an outsized impact.
Because fewer people show up to vote in local elections, each vote carries more weight. This means you have more say in the outcome, and when you bring along friends and family to vote, you increase your political power and make an even greater impact. And don’t forget — the people you elect in your local elections live in your community. They shop at the same stores, and their kids go to your neighborhood schools. This proximity makes them more accountable to their community — and most especially to the people who show up to vote.
Big movements often start small.
Many national initiatives, like child labor laws, environmental regulations, and consumer protection acts, first began as state or local movements. Local initiatives have the advantage of being less politicized; they are introduced because communities see a problem up close and can work to fix it without partisan influences contaminating the collaboration. Once other communities and states begin to see how well these initiatives are functioning, they begin to spread to other areas of the country and are sometimes adopted nationwide.
You can help set the political pipeline.
Many state and national leaders began their political careers in local government. When you take the time to elect upstanding, principled candidates to office in your hometown, you are helping to prepare these same quality candidates — in experience, financing, and name recognition — to run for higher office in the future. When you stay out of local elections, you let the most politically polarized voices set the pipeline instead.
One of the biggest factors that keeps people from participating in local elections is their lack of information about local candidates and issues. You can help get your community informed and engaged by reminding people about upcoming elections and hosting a voter preparation party in your neighborhood.
Your vote is your voice, and your voice is strongest in your own community. Use it!
