Another local election has passed, and, as we’ve come to expect, voter turnout was abysmally low. A bit lower than expected, even.
About 6% of registered voters in Dallas County turned out. That number was slightly better in Collin County — about 7%.
We understand that it’s tough enough to follow the major headlines about national and global goings-on while juggling the everyday tasks of work, bill-paying, child-rearing and the inevitable need for a bit of rest.
But while many eyes are fixed on life’s immediate problems and distractions, important decisions about taxpayer money are being made in city halls and school district buildings. These often affect our communities very directly: police and fire services, road maintenance, teacher hiring, zoning, libraries and parks, to name a few.
Voting might not be the easiest or most convenient thing in the world. And yes, Texas has a lot of elections, and that can be confusing. But it’s our most important duty as citizens in a free society.
We hope that, in future election cycles, more people will choose to perform that duty. When turnout is this low, critical decisions are made without input from huge swathes of the population.
Irving, for instance, is a city of nearly 260,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Yet just under 9,000 people cast a vote in the city’s mayoral race, according to the county’s unofficial tally. Not every resident is registered or eligible to vote, but that’s still a very small number of people choosing the mayor of a large suburb.
Ballots in Dallas County this year put important decisions before voters, including Dallas ISD’s $6.2 billion bond proposal and Dallas Area Rapid Transit withdrawal elections in three cities. We would have hoped those issues would have drawn more voters out, but they didn’t.
The story was different in Frisco, a community facing a contentious mayoral election that is now headed to a runoff. That race broke city records, drawing 17.91% of registered voters to the polls, our newsroom reported.
We’re glad to see that, but at the same time, it’s sad that number is one worth celebrating.
One of the saddest things about low interest in local elections is that it represents a lost opportunity for community building. Local politics are driven by real people living in the same community.
Local elections are generally nonpartisan. That creates a chance for people of different political views to come together for a common purpose.
Turnout in council and school board elections was poor this year, but we need strong communities more than ever. We should pay attention all around us, especially to our own backyards.
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