Do you follow local elections?

[Reeve]

So Houston's Mayoral race is coming to a close at the start of next month, and it seems like practically no one even knows it's happening, let alone who the candidates are or what their platforms are. While I can understand that, it seems like a sad state of affairs, since what happens in your local elections generally has a MUCH larger impact on your personally than what happens in your national elections.

Everyone is focused on Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, but in Houston at least, Sylvester Turner and Adrian Garcia should be a much bigger deal. The Houstonian Mayor has near dictatorial powers within the city limits, and a massive budget ($5.2 billion) to spend to make our lives better. Existing and potential projects include:

+Light Rail Extensions
+Upgrading our city's 50+ year old unmaintained water infrastructure (According to city records, Houston pipelines gushed 22.4 billion gallons of water in 11,343 leaks last fiscal year. That equates to about 15.2 percent of the city's total water supply)
+Hike/Bike trails along bayous
+Homeless assistance
+Road infrastructure projects
+Houston Equal Rights Ordinance
+Environmental Protection Measures
+Urban Renewal Projects

And the list goes on.

Do you know what your city council is doing for you? Do you know the name of your mayor? Do you follow local events, elections, and politics?

[Blueobelisk]

I don't follow local elections. I'm ignorant.

[Vizardlorde]

In our case they are stealing our money several mayors were being investigated for corruption and mishandling public funds in the miami dade area.

[Kujako]

Local measures and such, yes. Local elected positions, not so much. Really don't care who's head of the school board...

[Masark]

I am not quite certain when the last election was here. We've skipped at least one cycle as the incumbents were the only ones who ran.

[Annoying]

So Houston's Mayoral race is coming to a close at the start of next month, and it seems like practically no one even knows it's happening, let alone who the candidates are or what their platforms are. While I can understand that, it seems like a sad state of affairs, since what happens in your local elections generally has a MUCH larger impact on your personally than what happens in your national elections.

Everyone is focused on Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, but in Houston at least, Sylvester Turner and Adrian Garcia should be a much bigger deal. The Houstonian Mayor has near dictatorial powers within the city limits, and a massive budget ($5.2 billion) to spend to make our lives better. Existing and potential projects include:

+Light Rail Extensions
+Upgrading our city's 50+ year old unmaintained water infrastructure (According to city records, Houston pipelines gushed 22.4 billion gallons of water in 11,343 leaks last fiscal year. That equates to about 15.2 percent of the city's total water supply)
+Hike/Bike trails along bayous
+Homeless assistance
+Road infrastructure projects
+Houston Equal Rights Ordinance
+Environmental Protection Measures
+Urban Renewal Projects

And the list goes on.

Do you know what your city council is doing for you? Do you know the name of your mayor? Do you follow local events, elections, and politics?

I wish any of our local elections involved candidates who want to invest in infrastructure like that. Hell, any candidate I can vote for, all the way up to the president, that runs on an infrastructure improvement platform is likely to get my vote.

[drwelfare]

Yes I follow them here and in neighboring county. Where I live is mismanaged, but demographics make it that way.

[Crissi]

To a point. Like, Dallas has horrible luck inDAs. Last one was corrupt, current one took 3 months off to work through depression and randomly fired half the staff.

[Revi]

I do. Not as much as I should, but enough to vote fairly informed last election (last month).

[Independent voter]

I don't as much as I should, I tend to vote Democrat down the line. But if someone shows up to fix the pothole in your road, it's likely local government here so it's important.

[Feral Camel]

No. I follow State and Federal but our local seem less interesting.

I do read all up on all of them.

Most seems to be 18-22 year old with no life experience trying to get into politics.
Life long politicians
Or people with one single issue the is one that only effects them.

I think we had 16 people running the last time, I read through all the bios before voting, some were a joke.

[Reeve]

I don't as much as I should, I tend to vote Democrat down the line. But if someone shows up to fix the pothole in your road, it's likely local government here so it's important.

Houston doesn't give you a party line option. It's open primary, so as many democrats and as many republicans and independants can run as want to, without that phase where they primary out the worst of the fucktards. So you have to pay attention to PERSON you want instead of which party.

[Matchles]

Yes. Your vote is way more consequential in local elections and many of the issues have a larger impact on your daily lives than anything you find in a nationwide election.