Young voters are seriously underrepresented in local policies proposed or implemented, and the statistics of youth voters in local elections mirror this underrepresentation. As of the last census data, those aged 20-24 are the largest population in the county; however, they are one of the lowest age groups for consistent voter turnout.
One disheartening belief that nearly 41% of young Americans hold is that their votes won’t make effective change or that voting in solid partisan states like Oregon won’t truly matter in changing election results or making a real difference.
Local candidates directly control the water flowing through your tap, the roads you take to work, the education people in your community receive, future rent increases, and other aspects of day-to-day life you might not even consider. Yet, youth voting remains consistently low.
Indigo Duvall, a registered voter in Eugene and sophomore at the University of Oregon, stressed the importance of local elections for her and her family.
In 2022, 13% of Lane County residents experienced food insecurity. College students are also highly vulnerable to food insecurity, with national reports finding that nearly 23% of students enrolled in a 4-year undergrad program experience food insecurity.
Programs such as Food For Lane County directly benefit from American Rescue Plan Act funds, which locally elected officials redistribute.
State representatives and local elected officials also work directly with community members on the administrative paperwork for accessing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, and some counties even contribute funding to broaden SNAP benefits.
“I can name off the top of my head five people who I know who are on SNAP, and would not be able to feed themselves if they didn’t [have it],” Duvall said. “There’s programs built into the school, we have a lot of little free pantries around town, but SNAP is the only way some people can afford to live.”
Local leaders directly impact the funding and administration of these programs, and voting in this election directly helps your classmates buy a meal.
Local candidates are also more accessible than those federally elected. When looking through the ballot, people running for city councilor, a precinct county person, or even the Mayor might be someone you ran into at Safeway.
In an interview with Izzy Pope, a UO sophomore majoring in political science, she mentioned the importance of talking to a candidate and engaging actively.
“The federal ticket is a face and a brand and [doesn’t] feel like a real person, they represent something rather than someone, whereas local politics is more personal, individual and community tied,” she said.
Studies on constituency building and policy show that when constituents directly interact with their representatives, they are more motivated to hold themselves accountable to policy promises and advocate for grassroots policies. Working with local politicians and elected officials is essential to ensuring that young people’s values are reflected in the community.
Young people have the numbers to change election outcomes, especially when local elections often come within a few votes. Voting in this election not only shapes the trajectory of the next few years but can also change next month’s direct outcome.
