With local elections on Tuesday, we consider the value of taking our time to go vote. After all, this is not the federal elections. However, our local politicians are the ones closest to us, the ones we see every day and can hold accountable. Who we elect into office decides the direction of our city and county, and how the money will be spent.
Numbers
Local governments in the United States employ over 20 million people. That is nearly seven times the size of the federal workforce! These governments are responsible for everything, including K-12 education, roads, police and fire protection, health services, and water and other local utility services.
Powers
Unlike the federal government or the states, local governments have no constitutional standing. They exist only because state law allows them to. A state legislature can redraw a city’s boundaries, strip its powers, or dissolve it entirely. When there is a conflict between state law and a local ordinance, courts generally side with state law. Whether the contradiction is explicitly stated or merely implied by the two laws, state authority typically prevails.
Spending
Local governments allocate 39% of their spending to K-12 public education, while states allocate less than 1%. Much of local education funding actually comes from state and federal grants to local communities. States instead allocate their budgets to public welfare and health programs (45%) and higher education (15%).
Even with that knowledge, local governments collect about $886B each year to support education, infrastructure, and public health. Roughly three-quarters of this funding comes from property taxes, with the rest coming from sales, excise, and income taxes.
Election Turnout
While 64% of eligible voters cast ballots in the 2024 presidential election, turnout in local elections is usually below 15%. In school board elections, as we decide who will shape our future for the next generation, turnout is often around 5%-10%.
Let that not be true in Oregon County, Missouri.
