Right now, the odds are good that you and your family are contributing to the collapse of our democracy. Now that may sound like an impossibility; you aren’t promoting the monarchy, committing terrorism, or just furthering the aims of an oppressive upper class to the detriment of your peers, but you are contributing to this decline by not voting. For example, school board elections whose candidates oversee the futures of around 50 million children, only get at most 5-10% voter turnout from an estimate made by the National School Boards Association. In America, these local elections are the most important votes you can cast during this election cycle.

The first and most noticeable difference in local elections that makes them so much more important is the level of connection with candidates. In local venues and meet and greets candidates can discuss more in-depth policy issues, and you can have the chance to cross-examine them and find understanding. To find these events all you have to do is go to local Facebook groups, show up to forums, or meet and greets, and talk to the candidates personally. In contrast, for someone like Kamala Harris, you would be lucky to get the chance to shake her hand, let alone have an hour-long discussion about policy issues.

Another difference is winnability. Federal elections are held in every state, they are influenced by more than 350 million people whereas in local elections such as Kansas’s Congressional District 2, there are only 780,000 people, and much fewer in individual counties and house districts. This makes organizing more a matter of finding family and friends to knock on doors and buy signs, not hiring teams of door knockers. 

Some argue that Federal Elections are more important because of a sense of scale, but this is blind to the actuality of policy-making. To go back to the example of School Boards, they influence directly your curriculum, your school policy and handbook, and school staff. A lot of the issues that matter to local, hardworking Kansans are decided at the local level.

So don’t destroy democracy. Remember the importance of local elections, and how they affect your family. Find your local candidates, and go to their events. Talk to people you know, make sure they’re registered to vote, and if you aren’t sure, go to ksvotes.org to check voter registration.