Become active in local politics

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Become active in local politics
A local Michigan voting center | Mlive.com

The American people have strong opinions on national issues such as abortion, immigration, gun rights, and foreign policy. The same cannot be said for local issues. This is a problem, particularly because local politics have become  crucial to the future of the nation.

In November 2020, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sparked bipartisan backlash by showing off a freezer stuffed with expensive ice cream while ordinary Americans suffered from COVID-19 restrictions crippling the economy.

While the people often feel ignored by national politicians, local officials must live with the consequences of their decisions. Local leaders have the same favorite establishments as their neighbors, pay the same prices for goods and services, and pay the same taxes. This common interest motivates local leaders to do what’s best for their friends and family in the community.

When was the last time a statement by a national politician directly affected you or your family? 

National politics are losing their effect on the people. Congress has given its power to 

bureaucrats in favor of public image, which results in petty arguments– they can hardly be called debates– on the house and senate floors. 

The “boring,” more minute responsibilities of daily life have been left to local government, as the founding fathers designed it.

The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties, and properties of the people,” Madison wrote in Federalist 45.

While federal bureaucracy has taken more and more power, local governments have retained the capacity to preserve liberty by uniting the people.

As it turns out, the answers to local road repairs or water treatment plans are less partisan than we have made national issues. Researchers at Stanford University, Princeton University, and Dartmouth College found in a 2019 study that Americans are less polarized about local issues than they are about national issues.

“The same voters who disagree greatly about national issues have fairly similar preferences about many local development issues,” researchers wrote in the report. “Pressures among local governments limit disagreements.”

It’s no surprise that voters are less partisan locally than they are nationally. Locals are bound by their area’s common interest and they come in contact with their elected representatives far more often. One might run across a local councilman in the supermarket, or a school board member at a restaurant. This is an opportunity to build relationships in the community and friendships across the political divide– something America has been sorely lacking.

The ability to build relationships with local leaders can also inform officials of their constituents’ needs. Rather than hearing the demands of anonymous potential voters, as national politicians do, local officials hear the concerns of friends and acquaintances. Local politics allows elected officials to best serve the city by fostering relationships in the community.

Local government will inevitably affect the people far more than a statement by some far-off politician in Washington, D.C. The people should value local politics for both their own good, and that of the nation.