Your local politicians make decisions that have the biggest impact on your daily life. They decide how much money will be spent on schools, public transportation, or the road to your house – and they determine what policies are put in place around issues like pay equity, gun safety, and immigration. They are the people who, if you vote and encourage others to do so too, can sway power away from someone who doesn’t have your community’s best interests at heart, to someone who does.
Despite their tremendous impact, however, local elections get far less attention than national ones. This is largely due to the fact that many citizens do not have access to sufficient, accessible information on candidates and local policy choices, and because they often believe that local politics are “nonideological.”
To increase voter knowledge, local governments should look to partner with civic organizations and other nonpartisan groups to host events and educational sessions. Moreover, they should also provide voters with comprehensive online resources that can offer them a more thorough look at candidate backgrounds, beliefs, and stances on local issues. Lastly, they should look to recruit volunteers who can help educate the wider community by conducting phone banking, door-to-door campaigning, and other outreach efforts. These people can serve as a vital link between the government and the community, and can make sure that voters are able to cast informed votes that reflect their true needs and desires.
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