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FEATURED WRITER:

Big Issues Include Thinking Locally.

On May 9th, Spring Joint Elections for local offices happened in Texas. That's right – all of Texas voting on local issues and for city and county officials.

Didn't we just have a big election? Wasn't history made that election? What could be left after that?

Politics is ultimately a process, not the horse race that cable news channels would like you to think it is. Much like the tides, politics and times to vote ebb and flow ever more, and the tide came in again - with less fanfare than the 2008

Presidential election, but still essential.

For many people, there is excitement tied into our new President, Barack Obama. Millions of people in Texas invested their time, money, energy, and hope in electing President Obama. What continues to be awe-inspiring for me is that so many continue to invest time and energy in this President, in the process of our governance. Some don't even realize that they are participating in something as noble and essential as the process of our governance. They're just doing what has become second-nature at this point: joining their friends and neighbors regularly, sharing ideas and information, and being proactive.

Government starts in your neighborhood, not in D. C.

In that spirit, it's time to think about our local government a little differently. In November 2008, voter participation was nearly 62% in Dallas, with record-breaking turnout EVERY day of early voting. Historically, voter turnout for the May municipal elections hovers in the 10% range.

That's not a typo: 10% turnout. I've seen the numbers myself and it was surprising.

There are 1.2 million registered voters in Dallas County - 70,000 participated in the mayoral election in 2007, and each City Council member won their elections with a rough average of 5000 votes cast. Well, maybe local elections are not that important. The people have spoken and it's a halfhearted whisper. To that I say: Let's start thinking differently! If you care who your President is, you should participate equally in local and state elections. Why? An easy example is the federal stimulus plan. In many respects, the stimulus plan boils down to block grants – big checks that'll be broken down into ever smaller checks. Who decides how those block grants are divvied up and spent is NOT your President or even sometimes your representation in the U. S. Congress. It's your representatives in the Texas Legislature and your county and city officials. Local and state officials are the primary lobbyists to Congress for projects at the local and state level in this regard. President Obama can send millions of our tax dollars our way to help us, but unless you follow though and elect like-minded individuals locally, it's almost as if the 2008 election never happened.

I hope you participated in the Spring Municipal Elections on May 9th for city and county officials. I hope you checked the web site of your local county's chapter of The League of Women Voters. They provide a nonpartisan voter's guide available approximately a month before each election. I hope you thought to check with your county's local office of elections to double-check your voter registration and find out where you can vote.

As the Spring Joint Elections in Texas fade from view in the rearview mirror, you should know that the next election opportunity isn't November 2010 but actually March 2010 when there will be party primaries in preparation of the big November 2010 election. As we saw in 2008 most dramatically, primaries are a crucial process of forging candidates through tough questions.

In November 2010, we'll be electing state officials who will decide how Texas is redistricted after the census taken during the early summer of 2010. Texas will likely gain three new U. S. Congressional seats after the census. You're going to want to know who is going to be sitting around the table in Austin in early 2011, setting the stage in Texas for state and national policy for the next ten years.

We cleared a big hurdle last fall. Do you want more power to the people locally? Continue to talk with your friends and family about local races and issues. Continue to follow through on that personal investment you made in your community's future last November. Texans cleared their throats in 2008 and the  tide of the Presidential election turned. Let's warm up and hear that Texan roar again in 2010.


tracy@progressivecenteroftexas.org







 
 

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