Its election time again. With former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney winning the New Hampshire Primary this week, the next Presidential election is topping the Nations debates; between both candidates and American voters. And although the election of the United State’s next President is the most popular and participated in election (with the exception of American Idol of course), there are arguably more vital elections going on during this time that get overlooked more so than any other: electing our local city and state representatives.

Although they usually inspire less public excitement than presidential campaigns, local-government elections are actually more crucial to a political party’s survival and well-being than the former, but before we delve into why that is, let’s breakdown our governmental format to fit in a nice paradigmatic box:

Elected officials come in three levels: federal, state, and local, and we all have a role in determining who gets elected in all three cases. You can think of the breakdown as the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas: as you move down, each floor gets larger and larger; each having more politicians on the floors as you move towards the bottom. The president and the vice president live in the penthouse suite.

Federal elected officials

The federal government consists of three branches: judicial, legislative, and executive.

The judicial branch consists of federal trial and appeals judges, including the U.S. Supreme Court. These judges are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, that is, we don’t have a vote in the selection of federal judges. The judicial branch of government interprets federal laws when lawsuits are filed in federal courts. The judicial branch can also decide whether state laws conform to the federal constitution; an issue the Republican Party has been a bit preoccupied with since Mr. Obama has taken office.

So who do we elect at this level? We elect the members of the legislative branch, known more readily as Congress, which includes both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives who makes our laws by passing bills. We elect the heads of the executive branch: again, the president and the vice president. The executive branch helps to make laws by using the president’s veto (or passing on) of legislation. The executive branch also carries out the laws that Congress enacts and the courts deem fit; the Civil Rights Act of 1964, for example..

State elected officials

Every state is divided into three branches of state government, just like the federal government: judicial, legislative, and executive.

Judicial: Judges in state courts interpret state laws. Some states elect their trial court and appellate (or appeals court) judges; some don’t. Some states permit citizens to vote to retain or remove judges but don’t permit partisan elections for judicial positions. Whether you can play a role in the selection of judges depends on your state law.

Legislative: State legislatures enact laws that apply to their state. In each state, voters are grouped into legislative districts for the state legislature or general assembly. You are assigned to a district for the upper and lower houses of your legislature. The upper house is usually called the Senate, and the lower one, the House of Representatives. You choose an official for each house of the state legislature. The terms vary from two to four years.

Executive: The voters of each state elect a governor for their state. When the election takes place and how long the governor’s term is depend on state law. Most states have four-year terms for their governors and elect them in general election years.

Local Elected Officials

Cities, towns, and counties have elections to choose officials for their legislative and executive branches too. Local courts handle small-claims issues or local ordinances for minor matters. State law largely governs criminal and civil matters.

Mayors, city council members, treasurers, county commissioners, etc. are elected at the local level. How, when, and for how long these officials are chosen depends on state law.Your state or county election board or clerk’s office can tell you how these elections work in your community.

This is the level of government we’re focusing on today. Municipal election results affect us more directly and immediately than the results of state or national elections. Local government impacts our daily lives and the state of our community directly and immediately.  Municipal elections are crucial; our towns’ goverment provide libraries, fire and police protection, transportation, trash pickup, and support services.  Our towns decide how we will grow, and our elected officials determine what our communities will become.

The services provided by our cities and towns that are determined by those we elect into office include: Libraries; Fire Departments; Police Departments; City Planning; Zoning issues (land and residential); Sanitation; Water; Building Codes; Not-for-Profit Organizations; Public Transportation; Affordable Housing; School and Educational Supplementation; and Community Organizations (shelters, kitchens, etc.). Local elected officials also determine our property tax rates,

Now, many of you may think, what’s the point of voting, my vote doesn’t really make a difference. This could not be further from the truth. On average, only 15% of registered voters participate in elections at the local level – so perhaps the reason you think your vote has no weight is because either you’re NOT voting at all or the likely chance that your neighbor isn’t. Think of it this way: a 3% change in the earlier mentioned 15% could sway an election one way or another. Something else much of the voting public is unaware of: we have MANY opportunities to communicate with our would-be local representatives. Prior to an election, we can meet with candidates to ask and debate their positions on issues that affect us the most (or those that don’t for that matter). We can advocate our positions with the candidates on any issue, face-to-face. And of course, throughout the year we can attend city/town government meetings to express our opinions. An activity that is usually taken advantage of by those with the loudest voices and most aggressive opinions – this is something YOU can change by participating and making YOUR voice heard over others.

When we vote for a President, we take what they say at face value and have to trust that they will keep their word, more or less, and once they’re elected, the issues that you care most about are left up to the President and their Congress; in other words, the only real say we have leaves our power once we shade in that little oval on the election scan card. However; you can engage and press your local officials before they are elected AS WELL AS after – your power and voice never goes unchecked at the local level.

Keep in mind – Voting is easy! You can register at your local county clerk’s office. And you can always vote early or absentee if you wish, and as long as getting in your car or on the bus to head down to your close proximity voting station isn’t too much of a hassle for you, then it couldn’t be much easier.

So if you’re not registered, you can get all the information you need here: http://www.dmv.org/nm-new-mexico/voter-registration.php

Whether you’re a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, or Independent, stay tuned for a more in depth discussion of what’s going on in local New Mexico government elections as well as open discussions on Democracy and what it means for you to participate in your government at the local level.

By D.R. Monroe