Milwaukee, WI – A bright-colored mailer with a person’s face and their logo in your mailbox. A list of their beliefs and why they deserve your vote is written all over it. The face on the mailer is one you may have seen before, maybe even met in real life at some point. They are local people who have experience in organizing, politics or running businesses. They are running for office in local races that depend on your vote to gain political power and influence.
Many times, these races are won by narrow margins and depend on a lot of canvassing and phone banking. If you ever wondered why or how you get these mailers or get phone calls asking for support, it’s because you give your information when voting. All that information is narrowed down to voting wards. Certain neighborhoods and households will have a history of voting left, right, or centrist but the numbers don’t lie regarding which way the votes have leaned. Candidates target specific areas when running for office, depending which way they lean because it is where they have the best chance of getting the vote.
Arguably, local political races are the most important elections for city residents. Voting in national elections has suffered from apathy in recent years. The disillusioned and indifferent say, “This doesn’t affect me.”
Local races greatly influence the daily lives of residents however, and a vote in these elections are crucial to seeing change implemented. Historically, these races can be run as nonpartisan because left and right tend to be a distraction when it comes to securing funds for a district. Here is one of the most important races that should always draw voters out and what they do.
Green spaces are necessary to fund, and are integral to the collective self esteem of a district or a neighborhood. Advocacy for strong union jobs, as well as always pushing for dignity nd respect for the labor of the undocumented is paramount for a functioning society. More than anything, a county district supervisor should always push for better mental health resources and mutual aid, reallocating funds from an already overreaching sheriff’s department in order to attack societal problems at their root as opposed to placing band aids on wounds that won’t close, such as high crime rates. Crime is reduced when people aren’t fighting over basic necessities and that is what is integral to helping society heal.
