This is US focused but the principle of being involved in local issues is universal to all democracies.
Can I rant for a minute?
Why does every thread about voting devolve into bitching about the flaws of the Electoral College?
Fun fact: the Electoral College only pertains to the Presidency and there’s almost nothing you can do about that directly.
Think local, that’s where you can make a difference. Your local school board has the power to either support students or drive them to suicide. Local races frequently turn on a handful of votes.
So go ahead, sit out the election because the choices for president stink. I humbly submit that your superior moral stance may not be based on very firm principles. That trans kid down the block didn’t need your help anyway. /s
So I am constantly told that local elections is where real change is possible and regardless of the shit show going on with the presidential elections its super important to vote down ballot. But then I look down ballot and its mostly a bunch of judges and like one department seat that had something to do with water. I look up all the candidates in all the down ballot races and there is zero information about their platform, their policies, how they tend to vote, nothing, no coverage.
So I feel like I believe when people say the down ballot races is where we have a chance to make a difference, but how can I make a difference if I can’t even cast an informed vote? Do you have any resources to learn information on these judges?
You in Texas too? League of Women Voters, vote411.org, and ballotpedia.org are my first spots to go to find information. When I can’t find anything there, then I hit up Google. The reality is, though, that if I have to go to that effort to find out about a candidate, they’re probably not going to win anyway. At least where I am, thanks to gerrymandered districts, there are a lot of seats in the legislature where only one of the major parties runs a candidate. So it’s really in the primaries for those local positions that my vote has the most impact.
even in gerrymander districts voting in your opposition party primaries tactical voting can go a long way to help even if it means pushing a weaker opponent for the general.
For sure, yeah. I voted in the Republican primary this year. I’m fortunately in an urban area so at least for the most executive and legislative races I have a Democratic option in the general. There are a lot of judicial races though where I don’t.
yeah in those cases the only option is get involved and maybe run on the dem ticket. but I know that is easier said than done.
I would need to know your jurisdiction and I won’t ask you to dox yourself. For local judges, some states put out a voter information pamphlet. Your Secretary of State’s website may have resources too.
There are a few websites out there that keep track of rulings. chooseyourjudges.org seems to do a credible job. There are others.
I liked the suggestion in another comment of making research of local candidates a social activity because it is a lot of work. However, once you do identify the right resources for your local situation, it gets easier.
Best of luck! Even a half hours effort is more than most are willing to do.