Neglecting our Responsibility for the Future of the Nation
The word “politics” brings up a lot of feelings for a lot of people. Minds immediately jump to presidential debates, international news reports, or Congressional laws. Underneath all of this flashy news, however, live systems of local government. These systems touch lives more personally, yet few people, especially young people, are fully aware of them. At the same time that state legislatures ban content from schools, school boards subtly remove “controversial” content from their curriculums. Local government is an indispensable piece of larger American democracy and it is vital to the future of the nation that people pay attention to it.
One example of a familiar local government structure is the Board of Education. They’re responsible for making many major decisions regarding the management and functioning of a school district: choosing a superintendent, setting district goals and standards, tracking the efficacy of education, and changing policies that don’t work. Despite their importance, less than ten percent of eligible voters show up to Board of Education elections nationally. The education young people receive informs the way they think and act as adults, therefore, a lack of voter participation in this system can significantly impact the young people in our communities, as they are the ones who experience the policies in practice. The sense of agency over public education is completely lost when people don’t engage in these elections.
Zoning positions, or the people who decide which projects are safe for the community and the environment, are also elected locally. These are the people who write zoning policies, decide whether or not appeals for exceptions can be allowed, assess properties, and decide on plans for town development. Just recently in my own community, there was a large public debate over zoning board decisions. A few years back, there was a local golf course that was going to sell its surplus land, which had remained undeveloped for longer than most of the surrounding area. The prospective buyers wanted to change the codes so they could build a residential development in that location, which would permanently alter that ecosystem. Many constituents who passed through the area regularly wanted to protect the beauty and biodiversity that had been lost in so many other local areas. The boards have held firm against changing the zoning, but the debate on prioritizing progress or conservation is unending. Having reliable people elected into these positions means constituents feel safe knowing that their futures won’t be sacrificed for profit in the present — a reassurance even more meaningful for young people, the ones who will fully experience that future.
Another important and underacknowledged local government system is the Town Council. They deal with most local issues and policies. Care about recreational programs? That’s the town council! Are bicycle safety structures important to you? Pay attention to the town council! Want efficient traffic systems? The town council can help you! Think of the government systems in the TV show Parks and Recreation. While the drama and repertoire are exaggerated, people working through little local systems like that do exist.
Constituents not paying attention to their local governments can be incredibly dangerous. Even if the impact of a local election is on a smaller scale (a couple of thousand town residents instead of the 300,000,000 some-odd living in the US), the impact of all of those little underserved communities adds up. If every local official across the country goes unnoticed and unchecked, the impact becomes profound. People not paying attention leads to a lack of accountability for local officials, and that is when harmful policies get passed.
Young people specifically are a largely untapped source of power in local democracy. Nationally, youth voter turnout is very significant. In the 2022 midterm elections, young voters turned out to the polls with the second highest rates in the last 30 years, with 23% of eligible voters ages 18–29 participating. Most experts predicted a wave of right-wing victories, but young voters drastically changed the results. The decisions these leaders make will greatly impact the future of our nation. By turning out to the polls, young people reclaimed their jurisdiction over that future, the one that will be theirs to fully experience.
Finally, local politics are operated almost entirely by older people who weren’t raised to use technology. There are certain skills, like website-building or creating infographics, that kids raised in the digital age have been acquiring since elementary school. Older people would have to consciously work to learn these same things. By utilizing younger people’s understanding of computational, social, and creative platforms, campaigns would be able to share information more effectively and gain better insights into which tactics work best. Volunteer work is also just an excellent way for people who cannot vote to get involved in democracy.
Our government is reliant on community involvement. The entire point of a democracy is to create a system where the voice of the people is represented through the actions of their representatives. In neglecting our civic responsibilities, we drift further away from an honest representation of public opinion. As constituents in a democratic system, we have the opportunity to make a difference, and it currently sits neglected. We have the power to shape our future; why don’t we?
Works Cited
“2022 Election: Young Voters Have High Midterm Turnout, Influence Critical Races.” Circle at Tufts, circle.tufts.edu/2022-election-center. Accessed 6 Oct. 2023.
“Avon Planning Commission to Consider Zone Change for Golf Club Land.” Hartford Courant, Hartford Courant, 13 Dec. 2018, www.courant.com/2012/07/16/avon-planning-commission-to-consider-zone-change-for-golf-club-land/.
Fitts, John. “Development Proposed for 100 Nod Road in Avon.” Valley Press, 9 Feb. 2023, www.valleypressextra.com/post/development-proposed-for-100-nod-road-in-avon.
Lopez, Ashley. “Turnout among Young Voters Was the Second Highest for a Midterm in Past 30 Years.” NPR, NPR, 10 Nov. 2022, www.npr.org/2022/11/10/1135810302/turnout-among-young-voters-was-the-second-highest-for-a-midterm-in-past-30-years.
“On-Cycle School Board Elections Make It Easier to Vote.” Home, americafirstpolicy.com/latest/20220725-on-cycle-school-board-elections-make-it-easier-to-vote. Accessed 6 Oct. 2023.
“Responsibilities — CABE: Connecticut Association of Boards of Education.” CABE, www.cabe.org/professional-development/candidates-online-resource-kit/responsibilities#:~:text=The%20board%20hires%20the%20superintendent,adopts%20the%20school%20district’s%20budget. Accessed 6 Oct. 2023.
