The decisions made in local elections have just as much impact on your daily life as those made at the federal level. They determine everything from how schools, roads and parks are built to whether books stay on school shelves and whether police officers assist ICE. Local elected officials also set budgets that allocate funding to things like public safety, community programs and new business development.
However, they typically have lower voter turnout than national elections and receive significantly less coverage in the media, contributing to a lack of awareness about local politics among many voters. In addition, local elections can be influenced by the same barriers to voting seen in other elections, such as racial, economic and age gaps in participation.
In the United States, local elections are held to elect mayors, councillors, county commissioners, sheriffs, district attorneys, school boards and other city, county and town leaders. They also choose local referendum questions and decide on how to spend the tax dollars they collect.
Because of the direct impacts of these decisions on your everyday life, local elections are one of the most important types of political participation. As a result, it is important that you educate yourself on the issues and candidates in your area. There are several nonpartisan online resources that provide comprehensive information about local election candidates, including their backgrounds, beliefs and stances on various issues. Additionally, local news, such as a city’s public access cable channel or newspapers, and civic education campaigns that host candidate forums are great ways to gather first-hand information.