We all know that presidential elections are important to our democracy. We know that we should vote and educate ourselves on each candidate. But what is not discussed nearly enough is local elections, which matter just as much and have a direct impact on your immediate life. 

Local-level politics get overlooked by younger voters, but it should be their focus; it’s how we shape our world. We should have a say in how the local government decides to run our lives. It trickles down into every aspect of our lives. Taxes, reproductive freedoms, infrastructure, and education are only a few of the important topics on the ballot during local elections. 

Students and young people should care about politics on a local level. They should at least have a basic idea of what is going on and what each candidate’s platform is about. If you were asked to define each candidate’s platform in three words, would you be able to? Would you be able to give a summary of each candidate’s political background?

Local elections affect you directly. They affect your future jobs, your current financial situation, and your future family if you choose to stay in the state. If you pay taxes here, you should have a say in where your money is going.

Currently, New Jersey’s gubernatorial race is being closely watched around the country, as it is one of only two gubernatorial races this election season, alongside Virginia. A gubernatorial election determines who will be the governor of New Jersey for the next four years, and this year’s race is between Mikie Sherrill (D) and Jack Ciattarelli (R). 

Both Sherrill and Ciattarelli are running on complex platforms that, if elected, could greatly impact your life here in New Jersey.

Sherrill’s platform is one focused on both affordability and accountability, specifically through her proposed New Jersey Report Card. The Report Card will feature an online portal to view the state government’s contracts, payments, programs, and more. It would also provide residents with plain language summaries of budgets and contracts to keep people informed. 

Sherrill has also taken a stance on various contentious policies, such as protecting and expanding access to reproductive health, expanding tax credits and incentives to increase housing and reduce residents’ tax burden, and committing to clean energy through increased solar projects.

Ciattarelli’s platform is equally complex, with a focus on accountability. Still, this accountability takes a different form, through his commitment to creating the New Jersey Department of Government Efficiency (NJDOGE), as well as many promised audits and reforms.

His agenda also focuses on tax reform and changes to New Jersey’s commitment to affordable housing through the removal of mandated housing developments and a redirection to “driving population growth to transit hubs and urban centers.” This platform also supports withdrawal from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and strengthened ties with Israel, with a promise to revive the New Jersey-Israel Commission. 

The gubernatorial race alone promises to change your life in some way, and it is up to you to vote for the changes you want to see. The Whit staff encourages our readers to educate themselves on these candidates, secure a ballot for early voting, which starts on Nov. 25,  or visit a polling station on Nov. 4, and vote. Not only will you be able to vote on the next governor of New Jersey, but also on your local races, relevant to the county and even municipality you live in.

The county of Gloucester itself has 24 separate boroughs, townships, and cities with their own ballots. Glassboro is among those 24, and these ballots include the chance to vote not just on the governor, but county commissioners, council members, general assembly members, board of education members, and three separate proposals concerning the improvement of local school buildings.

It can be easy to write off these positions and proposals as inconsequential, but they are perhaps the most consequential. The people you elect today for the school board or commissioner can make choices impacting the lives of yourself and your children, your fellow community members and their children, your parents, and even your grandparents. They are also the people who will eventually be candidates for our state and even national-level positions.

County commissioners manage the county’s budget, oversee municipal operations such as trash disposal, assure water quality, and collect property and sales taxes to improve the county itself and fund small government operations. General assembly members serve at the state level to enact laws that will directly impact you. 

This completely ignores council members, who write the ordinances and laws that govern daily life. If you or a family member has ever been cited for parking violations, noise violations, or even your weeds being too high, your local council voted on those ordinances. If they annoy you, maybe it’s time to take an interest in local politics and vote. 

Consider the ongoing litigation between members of Sigma Pi and the city of Glassboro. If any of the brothers are residents of Glassboro, they very well may have voted on the council members who created the policies they now oppose.

Think of the county and municipality you call home. Who is up for election, and what issues are on the ballot that you may not even know about? If you don’t know, that’s okay. New Jersey’s various counties have their own webpages with sample ballots where you can find out. Gloucester County, for example, has a web page with over 200 ballots based on municipality and district for you to choose from and learn what’s up.

Every vote counts, and every voice should be heard. The Whit Staff implores you to use your voice and use your right to vote in local elections. You get to make an impact on communities with your vote. Send in your mail-in ballot, vote early, or vote in person at your designated polling location. Vote as if your life depends on it, because it does. 

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