National elections may dominate the headlines, the airwaves, and the yard signs around our neighborhood, but local elections are just as important – and often more impactful. From schools and police to roads, parks, and infrastructure, local officials make choices that shape the community we call home. They determine how much of our hard-earned tax dollars go toward things like public safety, libraries, and street improvements. They set policy on a wide range of topics including education, criminal justice, democracy, the environment, healthcare, and social and civil rights.
In fact, local elected officials are responsible for almost a tenth of our nation’s economy and spend about a tenth of our taxpayer dollars. Yet they receive significantly less attention than national elections – in part due to a lack of accessible information. Voters struggle to stay informed about candidates and issues that directly affect their daily lives, and the resulting low engagement has negative ripple effects.
To improve the quality of decisions made at the local level, voters need to be educated and empowered to vote their values. The best way to empower voters is by providing them with the tools they need to understand candidates and policies before casting their votes. One way to do this is by hosting candidate forums and debates where voters can directly interact with candidates, allowing them to see and hear the differences in their visions for the future of their communities. Another way is by enabling residents to vote on their priorities through participatory budgeting, giving them the ability to influence how a portion of a city’s budget is allocated.