Local participation in elections down in recent years: County mayor urges residents to vote

Local elections are coming up, but voter turnout has been lower than ever in recent years. According to
the US Census Bureau, 53% of registered voters came out to vote out of the 67 percent of the American
population who are actually registered voters in the U.S.
“It is disheartening to see the decrease in voter turnout, when elections are the way citizens can control
their government,” said Mayor Joseph Butler, when describing the past result of lower voter turnout in
previous local elections.
“The most common reasons for lower voter turnout are distrust in the election system, not liking the
candidates, or feeling that a single vote does not matter,” continued Mayor Butler.
Local elections affect viewable change in cities and towns such as school boards, housing cost,
infrastructure, and other elements that are often taken for granted during daily life.
The common argument that “my vote won’t matter” is especially invalid in local elections. According to
the Knight Foundation on average only 1 in 5 registered voters actually vote in mayoral and other local
elections. This means that one vote has a greater impact on local elections than national elections.
Overall, Mayor Butler described the importance of voting, “Voting in elections is your chance to put
people in government who have your ideologies and political beliefs, and that is what makes America so
great compared to other countries.”