Do Republicans Take Local Elections Seriously?
If This Past Election Cycle Was an Indicator, it Doesn't Look Like it.
Reviewing the most recent election cycle in New York State, it seems Democrats still reign supreme across the state. There are more registered Democrats in this state compared to Republicans, that is true. According to the NYS Board of Elections, as of November 1, 2023, there are 6.4 million registered Democrats and 2.85 million registered Republicans. There are more registered independent voters, 3.1 million than Republicans.
Several media outlets, including Spectrum, are reporting that 18% of registered voters turned out on November 7. It is remarkable how many registered voters do not vote in their local elections. There has been a recent emphasis on the need to register more Republicans at our local Board of Elections. That is a good goal, but it cannot be the only focus. If we are getting less than 20% of the currently registered Republicans to vote, how will we get the newly registered voters inspired to participate? It would seem we need to inspire those already registered to vote at the same time we recruit new voters, yes?
I have not hidden (in previous articles) that I am an advocate for local government, starting with our school boards, to include our town/city races, county seats and state representatives. It is disheartening to see that these important elections have such a low voter turnout. Within my region, there is very little energy during election season. I live in a rural community with only 90K residents. We have no major media outlet and only a couple of local newspapers. Social media is the main outlet for communication for most residents. The small towns have local festivals, craft and vendor shows that often restrict political activity. Candidates must make their own events and have decent finances to make their candidacy known. Currently we are a red county, but there have been some trends that indicate that could change in the near future. If Republican voter engagement does not improve, that will surely shift. There are several areas, like Monroe and Queens County that historically show this can happen if the Republicans are not vigilant.
In one local town in my area, the Republican Party candidate for Town Supervisor of Marion, Summer Johnson, had no party support. Her party leadership for the town stopped answering emails and texts shortly after her qualifying petition was accepted by the Wayne County Board of Elections. She received no financial nor campaign help. Summer won her election because she did not give up when she had no help and campaigned on her own. In fact, there was large voter turn-out because Summer campaigned hard and earned every vote she got. She only heard from party leadership once the ballots were counted and she won. It may have even stunned a few people who assumed she would lose. That is a sad state of party politics to be sure.
I have attended numerous Republican Party events in the last several years. This includes dinners, political rallies and speaker events. Oftentimes, Republican leaders speak about the excitement and the eagerness of Republican voters, specifically in New York State. Yet that does not seem to be based in truth, at least not by the numbers. When speaking to Summer recently, she stated that projecting this kind of eagerness in Republican voters is “straight up gas-lighting and dangerous”. I agree with that. Republicans are not turning out for special elections let alone primaries or general elections. If our Republican culture does not have a foundational shift in how to inspire participation, our state will be permanently lost to the (13 and counting) Communists who currently serve in Albany. The Democrat super-majority that currently exists is not the end-goal, it's that the Democrat party is moving even farther left without any guardrails to stop it. My goal is not to damage the Republican Party, but we cannot build a solid foundation built in lies and deceit. We have to face hard truths if we honestly want to change our state.
I advocate strongly for increased participation in local school board elections. These elections are non-partisan. They are not governed by the Board of Elections, but rather the Department of Education. They do not even happen on the second Tuesday of November or in June during Primary elections. They take place in May and the polling stations are the school buildings. Political parties do not openly endorse school board candidates. This should make the process easier because this framework makes these candidates seem non-political. That is just not so, the Democrat Party, fully supported by the New York State teachers union, NYSUT, continually wins these elections and thus controls our public education. After working diligently for three years to engage voters, inspire new candidates, and learn how to campaign for success I truly understand how hard the election process is. These elections have the lowest turnout across the state and across the nation. We typically see anywhere from 5-10% of the electorate vote. In New York State, to participate in these elections, to qualify as a district voter you only have to be a citizen, age 18, and live in the district for 30 days. There is no easier election to participate in.
By understanding this process and examining the data, I understand the difficulty that exists in getting people to pay attention and vote in elections. School board elections by all accounts should have the most participation because how easy and locally they are conducted. Yet they are the worst in turnout.
I have been called naive in my assumptions of what it takes to have successful elections. To the contrary, it is very evident to me what will ignite an electorate to want to participate in the electoral process. This battleground of school board elections has been the best education I could have asked for in learning how to win elections. A cultural shift is needed.
It is a lot of work to change a culture of complacency and apathy. The hardest part is understanding what needs to be done. During the primary in 2022, one voter said it in the best way I have ever heard expressed, “I knew I liked a candidate before I heard him speak. It was only after he spoke did I realize he liked me too”. It's just that simple. This voter turned into a campaign volunteer and helped a candidate win his district.
Party leadership does not speak to the electorate to see what they want in candidates. They do not support primaries that force candidates to speak to and with voters. I have been lectured on the importance of party committees and how they are the ones who decide on the best candidates. That could be true but even that process has been corrupted. Committee seats are also elected positions but they are not publicly promoted to engage more of the common citizens to participate. In fact, when residents inquire on how to sit on a committee, they are ignored.
In order to fix the problem, we have to be honest; party leadership does not engage the voters to inspire them to participate. Voters, in turn, do not participate in the process. Both entities must take responsibility for the failures in our electoral process. We need complete honesty, not gas lighting and not apathy. If party leadership will not engage, then the voter must take the extra steps to find the best candidates and help them win their elections. If party leadership truly wants to win elections, they must win the hearts and minds of its electorate. They need to work to inspire and engage more of them. When new people inquire, return the emails and the phone calls. See where they are in their knowledge of the process and get them plugged in.
Our small rural county (and counties across this state) will be lost to Democratic Socialists (Communists) in a few short years simply because they are energized. They have younger candidates who show energy and charisma. Republicans run campaigns with an attitude of business as usual and the seats belong to the party, not to the voters. If the goal is to keep the Republican seats we have and to work to gain more, we have to take an honest look at what the party needs to do:
Work harder in every local election to find and support candidates (including committee seats). Build up to the state level representatives from these local offices.
Encourage primaries to help candidates engage with voters and solidify what kind of a candidate their electorate need and want.
Invigorate the base through more events and other types of interactions.
Fund raise more effectively and consistently.
Encourage young people in civics; hold Constitution classes, basic government presentations and invite them into the process…this is where our future leaders will come from.
Be available and approachable, even if someone has nothing to offer the party or a candidate.
This list is based on my own experience in campaigns. This used to be part of our American culture and needs to be again. This will rebuild a strong legacy for our kids and grand kids. We may not see a cultural shift in our lifetime, but we can rebuild the foundation so they can see it in theirs.
They are self-proclaimed communists. I did not ascribe any titles to politicians they did not already give themselves. 13 state reps in Albany have themselves claimed to be communists. Facts matter and I only deal in truth.
And I 100% agree that government schools should teach students HOW to think, not WHAT to think. I spend a lot of time...A LOT of time reading school framework, guidelines, curricula, laws, policies, school board agenda, attend meetings, professional trainings, talk to teachers, admins, school board members, town reps, county reps, state reps, national reps...
For that reason I am well-informed of what is happening in public schools. This is why it MUST change. There is very little (if any) freedom of thought in public education. Of course there are exceptions. But this is also one reason why we are hemorrhaging for good teachers and staff in public education. They are stifled and re-educated regularly to tow the line of progressivism.
I stand by every word because I can prove what I say is true. I don’t speak from ignorance, but from a plea to wake people up.
Jennifer, you write very well for the future of elections, the need for local participation, and the express need to end gaslighting, etc.
But when you start flame throwing at those at the other end of the political spectrum you destroy the argument. Describing Democrats as commmnists shows your misunderstanding of political terminology and historical perspective, your own personal gaslighting, and lack of candor for your stated purpose.
And to define the need for educational changes in our public schools as a neoliberal agenda is sad. Education’s purpose is to teach people to be independent thinkers not to teach people certain beliefs and political bias, as you actually complain of school districts today.