Few people vote in odd-year, local elections. Here are 5 reasons why you should

There are more than 100 local elections taking place across Minnesota on Tuesday — for school boards, mayors, city councils, referendum questions. If the past serves as any indication, no one will vote in them.

That’s an exaggeration. Some people will, though not many.  

There isn’t one data source tracking voter turnout in local elections across Minnesota. Nationwide, one report estimates only 27 percent of eligible voters nationwide vote in municipal elections, in contrast to the near 60 percent of eligible voters that typically vote in presidential elections, according to data from Fair Votes.

It’s even worse for school board elections. Just 5 to 10 percent of eligible voters vote in school board elections, according to a 2020 report from the National School Boards Association.  

There are so many reasons why someone might not vote, ranging from inclement weather to not knowing enough about the races or not feeling faith in the system. MPR News has some answers to the first two points: 

On the latter, here are five reasons why you should consider getting out to vote, if you haven’t already, as explained by voting organizers in the Twin Cities.

1) Local government has the most impact over your day-to-day life

According to the National Civic League, more than 500,000 local officials across the country control $2 trillion in local government spending.

Their jurisdiction includes snow plows and property taxes, as well as policy decisions around issues like rent control, police departments, and what books can be read in K-12 schools.

“Such small decisions can impact your entire life,” said Leandro Idiarte, the student senate vice president at Normandale Community College.

He’s from Brazil, where elections are mandatory, but independently is passionate about voting as a way for communities to advocate for their needs. As part of a student coalition, he helped lobby the state legislature to this year establish the North Star Program, which gives free public college tuition to people whose families make less than $80,000 per year.

Idiarte said in persuading students to register to vote on campus, he connects their concerns about things like food costs and the need for more mental health resources to what local officials can do for them.

“No matter what you participate or not, these people are going to get elected. And when people get elected, they will make decisions that will impact their community, your city, your district, your region, your state,” he said.

2) One vote actually can make a difference in local elections

Consider the August primary election for Lake County commissioner, where the second-choice candidate was decided by one vote, on a recount.

There are elections like that — decided by a handful of votes — in Minnesota every year, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office, which reported tight races are particularly common in lesser-populated communities.

And those races can have huge implications. In Minneapolis where every city council seat is up for election, the power dynamics could shift, changing political willpower on controversial issues like rent control. This is also a year in which school board races are more heated, partisan and funded, with more candidates willing to fight culture wars around public school education.

3) Voters in local elections do not reflect the diversity of the population there

Studies figure voters in local elections tend to be more affluent, older and white compared to voters in general elections. A 2016 project from Portland State University found that less than 15 percent of eligible voters in big cities across the country vote in their local elections, and those who do have a median age of 57 years old, a full generation older than the median age of eligible voters.

“That is only one perspective of the electorate, and it is not representative of what my generation is talking about,” said Chelsea Sheldon, a co-founder and the programming director for Believe in What’s Possible, a collective of young organizers seeking to boost Gen Z voter turnout by 5 percent in the state primaries in 2024 in Minneapolis, St. Paul and Duluth.

Sheldon said Gen Z is leading conversations on gun violence, climate justice, LGBTQIA+ issues and voting access, and she wants to see their political power recognized.

“We need to have those issues being brought up in the ballot box. We need our elected officials to be held accountable to those issues. And we’re not gonna be able to do it unless our generation says, ‘Hey, we’re holding you accountable right now.’”

4) Local government has a huge impact on marginalized people, like people with disabilities

Jason Cooke, a student senator at Inver Hills Community College, points to locally funded provisions like accessibility equipment at schools, cut-outs at sidewalks and handicapped buses.

“At one point, it was a time where people who are disabled was shunned,” he said. “I had to stay in the house and not be seen.”

“Without voting, who knows? I probably wouldn't have been able to go to school, get the help that I have now,” he added.

Cooke became involved in politics — and decided to major in political science and social science — because as a disabled person, he finds government plays a big role in his health and success.

For the last two years, he has been organizing voter outreach efforts at Inver Hills, finding creative ways to engage young voters discouraged by the process and reminding them of how local officials can address issues they are concerned about, including student loan debt and mental health resources.

“If they want those things to be addressed, they need to vote the people that have their interest in mind to make things better.”

5) Not every Minnesotan can vote. It’s a privilege (sorry to be condescending)

“On the other side of the world, there’s people who wants to do it, but they can’t. They feel more oppressed,” said Sylvester Jah, an immigrant from Liberia.

Jah is president of the student senate at North Hennepin Community College, where a significant fraction of the population are not citizens, including himself. It’s part of why he’s passionate about informing his peers of their rights.

“I can’t vote, but I love this country, and I feel like I do have a say in everything that’s going on. It might not be physically going to an election poll and voting, but I have a voice that I can encourage people, my peers, to do something when it comes to participating in elections,” said Jah.

There also are many U.S. citizens who can’t vote due to criminal convictions.

Devon Williams feels the weight of the 2016 election, when he couldn’t vote as a result of a three-year probation sentence for a third-degree drug possession felony.

“When the person that you would have picked didn’t win, it kind of makes you feel bad. Maybe I was that one vote that could’ve helped them gain that victory,” he said.

Williams is now a field organizer with T.O.N.E. U.P., an organization that helps justice-impacted Minnesotans rejoin their communities after incarceration. He has been knocking on doors ahead of Election Day to let Minnesotans know about newly enacted “Restore the Vote” legislation, Which for the first time this year lets people convicted of felonies vote so long as they’re not currently incarcerated. Previously, they had to wait until they completed their entire sentence, including probation or supervised release.

The legislation is estimated to impact about 55,000 people.

“You’re able to vote, and that’s the biggest thing. You get to participate in your democracy, finally,” said Williams.

MPR News reporter Nicole Ki contributed reporting. 

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