2 ms·

FYI that's actually pretty decent turnout for local elections. The national average for large cities in recent years is 15%, and cities like Las Vegas and Fort

FYI that's actually pretty decent turnout for local elections. The national average for large cities in recent years is 15%, and cities like Las Vegas and Fort Worth had turnouts below 10 percent. [1] Note these are mayoral elections. When the mayor is not up for election and it's mostly councilors and local initiatives, turnout may be even lower. It's ironic, given that local issues actually tend to impact us more directly and immediately, while at the same time local elections are where your vote has proportionally the most impact (aside from a few unique situations thanks to screwy districting and the electoral college). [1] - http://whovotesformayor.org/ http://whovotesformayor.org/

lazide 3y ago
When you look at who gets the press attention/OMGWTF treatment, it’s a clear association imo. Most people in a large city probably get more info on their mayor and local elected officials from friends than from the press, and few of the big omgwtfbbq type headlines have much to do with them unless it is some kind of huge scandal. Which is unfortunate for the reasons you mention. And most people just tune out. About the only people who will consistently turn out for those are local activists and retirees/local property owners, of which a big city has a proportionally small number.