Local elections affect issues in your town

Voter turnout in the historic 2016 faceoff between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton was 58 percent, roughly the same as the presidential election four years earlier.

Turnout in local elections, by contrast, is at record lows and falling. A report from The Knight Foundation found that the 2014 mid-term elections had the lowest turnout, 36.3 percent, since World War II. And turnout for local elections is even lower, with research showing only one in five eligible voters showing up for mayoral elections, the foundation reported.

This trend is disturbing in a nation deeply divided and disenchanted with its leaders. If citizens abandon the responsibility to participate in local elections, communities will no longer be reflected in their government. Despite the worldwide significance of the nation’s leadership, its importance on the local level pales in comparison to what municipal and county leaders can accomplish.

The candidates on the ballot in Tuesday’s election in Pennsylvania have the ability to raise or lower taxes.

They can build schools or fix roads, and stay within budget on those projects or over-spend.

Judges at every level from local magisterial district courts to state appeals courts have the power to exact punishment for crimes and settle disputes that are much more personal than the most important cases before federal judges who are appointed by those we elect rather than elected directly by voters.

Municipal boards from township to county have the authority to encourage business growth and protect the environment in our own backyards where jobs and clean water matter most.

In local elections, each vote has more weight. A township supervisor’s race may be decided by a few votes, whereas a national election likely depends on a margin of a few thousand, at least.

Why do voters stay home in local elections? One reason, sadly, is that there are too often no contests because there were not enough candidates to fill all the races. Low turnout among voters is not the only issue; even more critical to our democracy is the lack of civic-minded individuals stepping up to run for office.

The importance in our schools and towns of those who run for office is another reason to support them by showing up at the polls to vote.

In Delaware County, a bitter fight for two seats on Delaware County Council tops the ballot.

Incumbent Republican Dave White, joined by running mate John Perfetti, are trying to fend off Democratic challengers Kevin Madden and Brian Zidek.

The Democrats have been pounding away at White for his private business connections and contracts with many Delco municipalities. The Republicans have fired back, painting the Democrats as outsiders who don’t know the county and who are being financed by outside money.

Voters also will fill an opening on the county Court of Common Pleas, and row offices for sheriff, controller and recorder of deeds.

Tuesday’s election is critical, not just for your local town, school board and county government, but to insure a strong nation built on local democracy.

Don’t stay home because you think local elections don’t count for much. They count for the decisions that affect your life.

VOTE!