In the past five years, the number of North Carolinians who have shown up to cast their votes in local elections has never surpassed 25 percent. Each year a local election is held—2015, 2017, 2019—the majority of voters fail to weigh in on who should be mayor, serve on the city council, or lead the local board of education. Unfortunately, that’s not unusual.
That’s the case in Durham County, where only 18 percent of voters cast ballots in Durham’s mayoral and city council races two years ago; 19 percent turned out in 2017. Only 11 percent came out in 2015.
Across the United States, however, turnout in local elections is typically “abysmally low,” a study by Portland State University found. In one-third of America’s largest cities, including Baltimore, New York City, and Miami, turnout in the most recent municipal elections was less than 15 percent. In Dallas, only 6 percent of voters bothered to go to the polls.
When so few people elect local leaders, “a small fraction of residents can have outsize influence in decisions about critical issues like schools, parks, housing, libraries, police and transportation,” the report states. “There are more than half a million local elected officials in the U.S., and their decisions affect all of our lives.”
The decisions made by local leaders often have more of a direct impact on voters than those made by Congress. It’s the mayor, not the president, who decides whether police officers should be equipped with assault rifles or body cameras. Board of education members are the ones who decide where the best schools are built, how much to pay teachers, and whether our children should be wearing masks. County commissioners are the ones who decide if your property tax is going up this year.
In the past year, people have taken to the streets to protest against police brutality, advocate for COVID-19 mask and vaccine mandates, and decry low teacher pay—all issues majorly influenced by local leaders. Yet more than 80 percent of people will likely not show up to vote for those leaders this year.
The conclusion is obvious—if you want to make a change, if you’re tired of the people in office, if you disagree with the people who are protesting, go vote.
More than a dozen local officials will face the will of the people in the next local election cycle. In Durham, the seats of the mayor and three city council members are open. In Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district, three seats on the school board are up for grabs. There are also races for town councils in Orange County, and in Apex, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Holly Springs, and other Wake County municipalities.
In 2019, only 18 percent of Orange County voters cast ballots in local races.
The first step toward voting is to check your registration status. Visit the NC Board of Elections website to find out whether you’re registered to vote. The voter lookup tool will also show you where you can vote on Election Day and what your ballot will look like.
If you need to register or update your information, you can do so through N.C. DMV online or in-person, by mail, or in-person during early voting.
Early voting in Durham’s non-partisan municipal primary ends this week. Primary Election Day is next Tuesday, October 5. Early voting for Durham’s municipal general election and for Wake County municipal races and Orange County municipal races starts Thursday, October 14. Election Day is Tuesday, November 2.
Have questions about voting? Email us and we will work to get answers for you!
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Follow Staff Writer Jasmine Gallup on Twitter or send an email to [email protected].