When was the last time you voted for Mayor, Alderperson or for that school district tax that’s taking an extra 0.5% from your paycheck? Well, according to Bloomberg, it’s probably been a while. In 50% of the most populous cities in the U.S. – there is less than a 20% voter turnout for mayoral elections. And if you’re in an underserved or low-income community, it’s even less than that.
So, what’s the problem?
Well, if you’re just voting for President, I hate to break it to you – but you’re doing it wrong! Let’s go back to middle school civics for this one. The Federal government is made up of three branches – the executive, the legislative and the judicial. While the President is certainly the highest position of office in the country, they only can do so much in the way of positive (or negative) change. So, if your Presidential candidate didn’t win the 2020 election – DON’T PANIC or try to move out of the US. Most of the lasting changes in the country happen in the legislative branch, and many of the fundamental value fights happen in the judicial branch. Our executive leader still has a ton of impact, sure, but only about a third of it.
That’s just the Federal government. While they have tons of control over what states can and can’t do, and our rights under the Constitution, your day to day life in your community is more impacted by your state legislature, county commissioners and mayor. This is why “Vote Local” is so incredibly important. Without entering a debate about States’ rights, the State you live in ultimately will have much more impact on your daily life.
There’s a lot of elections that take place yearly, depending on where you live. We’re working on building a non-Partisan utility to help educate you what issues are going on in your area, so that way you can make the best decision for your personal and local economy. Until then, go check out Vote.org to make sure you can make the best decision for what you believe in.
