WHO’S IN YOUR BACKYARD?
MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS MATTER!
Decisions
made by local elected officials have the most impact on your tax dollar. Your
neighborhood is affected by local zoning decisions. These decisions determine if you have adult
entertainment, gun ranges, or air-polluting facilities like Sterigenics right
in your own backyard.
1. Local government manages
a lot of different things — and their decisions will directly affect your life.
There is no level of
government that is more directly responsible for serving your community than your
local elected officials. Local government can affect almost every aspect of
your daily life. Here are just a few of the things local government is
responsible for:
·
Local
school quality
·
Policing
and public safety (and holding police accountable)
·
Rent
costs and affordable housing
·
Park
District facilities and use
·
Public
transit
·
Alcohol
and marijuana ordinances
·
City
colleges and job training programs (e.g., College of DuPage’s affordable
and quality-driven education)
. . . the list
goes on and on, all the way down to your recycling options and collection.
To sum it up: your local
government has a lot of tax money and influence to decide what
your community’s priorities are and how it will be run.
2. State and local
governments lead the way when the federal government isn’t.
For many of us, the 2016
election was a rough one. Like, really rough. Our chosen candidates ultimately didn’t win.
But there’s still a way to harness your passions and make a real difference,
and that’s by getting involved in municipal elections.
Did you know that many
landmark federal policies first originated at the local level? It’s
true — local politics have a long history of shaping change in our country from
the ground up. Policies such as women’s suffrage, minimum wage, environmental
protection, and marriage equality all began at the local and state level.
By voting in local
elections and holding your officials accountable, you can help create the
change you want to see in our country. If nothing is moving forward at the
federal level (or your federal representatives aren’t making progress in areas
that you care about), it’s the responsibility of local governments to take
action.
3. Your vote will make a
difference.
Typically, just 1 in 5
voters participate in off-year local elections — meaning your vote at the local
level can have an even bigger impact. For example, on just one election day in
Ohio, 7 local issues were decided by just 1 vote.
Plus, if you do participate
(and help your friends and family get to the polls, too), your elected
officials will likely be more responsive to your needs and interests because
you’re a voter. And if they aren’t, the next election is a a great way to fix
that…
Be Seen!
Be Heard! Be Counted! Get Out the Vote!
