Participation and Voter Turnout in Local Government
By Bahar Motarjemi
Though there is heightened public awareness of our national government, communities are not as involved in their local government efforts as they are with nationwide efforts. For example, voter turnout for local elections is at a much lower percentage compared to presidential elections. In the most recent presidential election, California voter turnout was 71.4% of registered voters. In the most recent midterm election, however, California voter turnout was about 50% of registered voters. Lack of participation in local governments, for whatever reason, affects policy changes and produces governing bodies that may not be as representative of their communities as they could be.
One possible reason for this lowered local participation can be from an incorrect belief that only national politics are responsible for change in policy and law-making. In reality, the decisions made by school boards, city council members, and town hall participations can affect all aspects of daily life. Goods and services, schools, libraries, law enforcement, etc., are just some necessities that are subject to these governing bodies. Local politics affect local inhabitants, whether they choose to interact with those politics or not. The politics that come from the White House should absolutely be taken seriously by citizens, but so should the politics that happen just blocks away from where citizens live.
The rise of social media has brought increased attention on government, benefitting important events such as national or district elections. More and more people can access media that show the actions and beliefs of political figures and ideologies. Though the internet brings extra public scrutiny to politicians, it has transformed involvement in voting. Presidential campaigns utilize social media to gather support from the general public. Local elections and campaigns often use the same power of social media, but do not produce the same impact. The Internet can bring millions of people into conversation about a leader that they can vote for, but localized campaigns lack the luxury of large digital audiences. People whose ideas and initiatives align with a mayoral candidate or a representative-hopeful might not even realize it because they didn’t see it in digital platforms (like social media) that keep them informed.
With this being said, smaller elections and government proceedings can be brought to the attention of more people and thus can bring about more engagement. As a member of a community, one can share content regarding local government on social media, such as reminders of upcoming elections and how to have a say in political changes. Informing citizens of what their representative leaders can/do provide for them is crucial, as seeing digital content may prompt citizens to exercise their political rights.
Being informed on and voting in local elections is important for a community’s ability to flourish and support leaders who represent common interests and needs. Politicians in a community have direct power over the programs and establishments one may use regularly, so it is beneficial to have an active voice in nearby government. Even just listening to political groups or city hall meetings makes you more aware of what is happening in the world around you.
Bahar Motarjemi is an ISSD alumnus, and a freshman at UCSB, majoring in Language, Culture, and Society. She has written articles for Peyk for about three years. She enjoys writing about Persian culture and arts, as she finds it an excellent opportunity to share her love for her heritage with her community.
