Local government manages a lot of different things — and their decisions will directly affect your life.

Here’s just a few of the things they’re responsible for:

• Local school quality
• Deciding sanctuary jurisdiction status
• Policing and public safety (and holding police accountable)
• Rent costs and affordable housing
• Public transit
• Alcohol and marijuana ordinances
• City colleges and job training programs

. . . the list goes on and on, all the way down to your recycling options and collection.

Your local government has a lot of money and influence to decide what your community’s priorities are and how it will be run.

By voting in local elections and holding your officials accountable, you can help create the change you want to see in our country. If nothing is moving forward at the federal level (or your federal representatives aren’t making progress in areas that you care about), it’s the responsibility of local governments to take action.

Your vote will make a difference.

Typically, just 1 in 5 voters participate in off-year local elections — meaning your vote at the local level can have an even bigger impact.

If you do participate and encourage your friends and family to get to the polls, your elected officials will likely be more responsive to your needs and interests because you’re a voter.

Excerpted from https://medium.com/@RockTheVote