Latest / The Kevin Stone Podcast / #6 "Your Local Elections"

Transcript

#6 "Your Local Elections" · The Kevin Stone Podcast

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  Speaker 1: Today, we're talking about something that doesn't always get the
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  Speaker 1: attention it deserves. No, it's not the latest argument on
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  Speaker 1: social media. It's not Washington, it's not who's yelling at
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  Speaker 1: whom on the cable news. Today, we're talking about something
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  Speaker 1: much closer to home, your local elections. And if your
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  Speaker 1: reaction to those three words is oh, great, this is
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  Speaker 1: going to be boring, hang with me for a few minutes,
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  Speaker 1: because local elections may be some of the most important
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  Speaker 1: elections you can participate in. And here's the funny thing.
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  Speaker 1: A lot of people who complain about what's happening in
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  Speaker 1: their community don't vote in the elections that actually have
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  Speaker 1: the most direct effect on their community. We complain about
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  Speaker 1: property taxes, we complain about roads, we complain about schools,
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  Speaker 1: We complain about crime, complain about parks, We complain about
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  Speaker 1: how our town is growing. Wait a minute, minute, a minute,
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  Speaker 1: or how it isn't growing. We complain about government spending,
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  Speaker 1: and an election day comes around and suddenly everybody has
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  Speaker 1: somewhere else to be. So today I want to talk
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  Speaker 1: about why that vote matters. Republican, not Democrat, not conservative,
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  Speaker 1: not liberal, just the basic idea that if you live
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  Speaker 1: in a community, you have a voice in choosing the
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  Speaker 1: people who help govern that community. I've heard people say
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  Speaker 1: it's only a local election only. Let's think about that.
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  Speaker 1: Your local government can affect things you encounter every single week.
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  Speaker 1: You drive on local roads, you pay local taxes, you
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  Speaker 1: use public services. Your children may attend local schools, you
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  Speaker 1: may use local parks, you may call local emergency services.
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  Speaker 1: You may own property that's affected by local decisions. You
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  Speaker 1: may own or operate a business that's affected by local
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  Speaker 1: rules and decisions about development, infrastructure, public services, and spending.
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  Speaker 1: Can have very tangible consequences for the community around you.
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  Speaker 1: That's not only local. That's pretty darn close to home.
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  Speaker 1: Washington might dominate the television, but your city council doesn't
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  Speaker 1: need a television studio to affect your neighborhood. Here's another
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  Speaker 1: interesting thing about elections. Presidential elections get enormous attention, campaign
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  Speaker 1: signs everywhere, television commercials, debates, polls, endless political commentary. And
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  Speaker 1: then there's the local election. You might see one flyer
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  Speaker 1: in your mailbox, maybe a sign at the courthouse. Maybe
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  Speaker 1: a candidate posts something on Facebook that's about it, which
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  Speaker 1: creates a strange situation The elections that receive the least
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  Speaker 1: attention can sometimes be the elections where a relatively small
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  Speaker 1: number of voters determine the outcome. That's why participation matters.
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  Speaker 1: If only a small percentage of eligible voters show up,
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  Speaker 1: then the people who do show up have a much
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  Speaker 1: larger role in determining the results. You don't have to
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  Speaker 1: be a political expert. You don't have to know every issue.
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  Speaker 1: You don't have to spend six hours watching political commentary.
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  Speaker 1: You just need to care enough to learn about the
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  Speaker 1: choices on your ballot. Now here's a legitimate problem. Someone says,
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  Speaker 1: I don't know who any of these people are. But
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  Speaker 1: that's actually an argument for doing a little research, not
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  Speaker 1: an argument for stand home. Look up the candidates, read
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  Speaker 1: their campaign information, check local coverage, look at the issues
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  Speaker 1: they're talking about, find out what offices they're running for,
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  Speaker 1: and most importantly, understand what those offices actually do, because
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  Speaker 1: sometimes we vote for somebody without even understanding what authority
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  Speaker 1: that position has. Know what you're voting on, know what
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  Speaker 1: the office does, know what the candidates say they want
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  Speaker 1: to accomplish. Then make your own decision. That's democracy at
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  Speaker 1: the local level. And let me make something clear. I'm
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  Speaker 1: not telling you who to vote for. That's your decision.
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  Speaker 1: You should make that decision for yourself. Don't vote for
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  Speaker 1: somebody simply because the television personality told you to. Don't
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  Speaker 1: vote for somebody because your neighbor told you to. Don't
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  Speaker 1: vote for somebody because the candidate has the biggest sign.
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  Speaker 1: And please, don't vote for somebody just because their name
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  Speaker 1: sounds familiar. Do a little homework, Look at the candidates,
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  Speaker 1: look at the issues, look at the responsibilities of the office.
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  Speaker 1: Then make the choice you believe is right. That's the
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  Speaker 1: whole point. Here's something else I've noticed. People are incredibly
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  Speaker 1: passionate about politics online. Everybody has an opinion, everybody has
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  Speaker 1: a hot take, everybody knows exactly what's wrong with the country.
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  Speaker 1: But here's the problem topping three hundred angry words into
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  Speaker 1: a comment section. Isn't voting, Sharing a meme, isn't voting.
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  Speaker 1: Arguing with the stranger at midnight, isn't voting and posting
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  Speaker 1: nobody cares about this country anymore while skipping the election, Well,
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  Speaker 1: that's a little difficult to defend. If you want your
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  Speaker 1: voice heard, use your voice, and one of the most
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  Speaker 1: direct ways to do that is to vote. All right,
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  Speaker 1: I've got bills to pay, so don't go anywhere. We'll
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  Speaker 1: be right back. Did you know that if you become
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: a paid subscriber to this podcast, you'll get a commercial
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  Speaker 1: free experience and exclusive content that nobody else gets. Local
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  Speaker 1: government isn't some abstract thing happening somewhere else. It's people.
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  Speaker 1: It's your neighbors. It's the people running businesses down the street.
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  Speaker 1: It's families trying to raise kids. It's older residents who
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  Speaker 1: have lived in the community for decades. It's people who
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  Speaker 1: just moved into town. It's workers, it's homeowners, it's renters,
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  Speaker 1: it's teachers, it's police officers, firefighters, public employees, business owners,
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  Speaker 1: and volunteers. Everybody has a stake in what happens in
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  Speaker 1: their community, and local elections give residents an opportunity to
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  Speaker 1: participate in choosing who will make certain decisions on their behalf.
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  Speaker 1: That's a pretty important responsibility. And now we get to
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  Speaker 1: one of the most common excuses. My one vote doesn't matter.
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  Speaker 1: Maybe you've said it, maybe you've heard somebody else say it.
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  Speaker 1: But here's the problem with that argument. If everybody believes
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  Speaker 1: their vote doesn't matter, then nobody votes, and if nobody votes,
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  Speaker 1: a very small number of people end up deciding the outcome.
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  Speaker 1: You don't have to believe your individual vote was single
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  Speaker 1: handedly decide an election. That's not really the point, But
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  Speaker 1: the point is participation. You are one person among many,
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  Speaker 1: Your vote is one vote among many, but elections are
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  Speaker 1: decided by those votes, and sometimes elections really are decided
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  Speaker 1: by surprisingly small margins. So don't assume your vote is irrelevant.
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  Speaker 1: But voting isn't just about showing up. It's about being informed.
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  Speaker 1: That's important. Don't walk into the voting booth or sit
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  Speaker 1: down with your ballot and randomly picked names because you
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  Speaker 1: recognize them. Take some time beforehand, look at the ballot,
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  Speaker 1: research the candidates, understand the questions or measures you're being
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  Speaker 1: asked to vote on. If something doesn't make sense, find
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  Speaker 1: reliable information about it. And remember you don't have to
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  Speaker 1: agree with everything a candidate says. Nobody's perfect. You're making
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  Speaker 1: a decision based on what you know and what you
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  Speaker 1: believe is important. That's part of being an informed voter.
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  Speaker 1: There's an old lesson in politics, the people who show
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  Speaker 1: up have influence, and that's true beyond elections. If you
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  Speaker 1: attend a city council meeting, you've shown up. If you
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  Speaker 1: participate in a school board meeting, you've shown up. If
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  Speaker 1: you contact your local representatives, you've shown up. If you vote,
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  Speaker 1: you've shown up. And when citizens participate, elected officials know
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  Speaker 1: their communities are paying attention. That's healthy for democracy. Government
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  Speaker 1: works better when citizens don't completely check out. There's another
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  Speaker 1: mistake we make. We don't pay attention until something personally
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  Speaker 1: affects us. The roads get terrible, taxes go up, a
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  Speaker 1: development project is proposed, a service changes, Local controversies explode,
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  Speaker 1: and suddenly everybody is interested. But by then decisions may
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  Speaker 1: already be well underway. So don't wait until you're angry.
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  Speaker 1: Pay attention before something becomes a crisis. You don't have
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  Speaker 1: to become obsessed with politics. You don't have to attend
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  Speaker 1: every meeting, You don't have to read every government document,
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  Speaker 1: but occasionally pay attention to what's happening where you live.
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  Speaker 1: Now here's my challenge to you. Don't think about voting
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  Speaker 1: as something you do every four years. Think about civic
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  Speaker 1: participation as a habit. Know when your local elections happen.
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  Speaker 1: Nowhere to find official election information. Know what's going to
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  Speaker 1: be on your ballot, Know who represents you, and when
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  Speaker 1: election day comes around, make a plan, put it on
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  Speaker 1: your calendar, figure out when and where you're going to vote,
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  Speaker 1: and then actually do it. Because democracy isn't something that
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  Speaker 1: happens only on television. It happens in communities, it happens
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  Speaker 1: in neighborhoods, and it happens when ordinary people decide their
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  Speaker 1: participation is worth the effort. So here's the takeaway from
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  Speaker 1: today's episode. Your local election may not have national celebrities,
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  Speaker 1: it may not dominate the news. There probably won't be
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  Speaker 1: millions of dollars of television coverage, and honestly, it might
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  Speaker 1: not be that exciting, but it matters because local decisions
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  Speaker 1: can have a direct impact on the community where you
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  Speaker 1: live and if you want a voice and who makes
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  Speaker 1: those decisions, Voting gives you a way to participate. You
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  Speaker 1: don't have to vote the way I would vote. You
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  Speaker 1: don't have to vote the way your neighbor votes, you
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  Speaker 1: don't have to vote the way your family votes. You
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  Speaker 1: don't even have to agree with me about politics. That's
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  Speaker 1: the beauty of it. You get to decide. Just make
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  Speaker 1: sure you're actually participating. So before you complain about what's
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  Speaker 1: happening in your town, your county, your local school district,
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  Speaker 1: or your community. Take a look at the next local election.
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  Speaker 1: Learn what's on the ballot, learn about the candidates, and
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  Speaker 1: if you're eligible to vote, consider making your voice account
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  Speaker 1: because somebody is going to make those decisions. The only
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  Speaker 1: question is whether you decide to participate. I'm Kevin Stone,
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  Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and I'll see you next time. Until then,
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  Speaker 1: stay informed, stay involved, and don't underestimate the power showing
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  Speaker 1: up