Election season continues, and as promised, here at the Austin EcoNetwork, we are keeping things local. Over the next several weeks we’ll be sharing all the info you need to make an educated vote in this year’s local election. Because the truth is, local elections matter and too often, we completely ignore them.

That brings us to today’s topic – voter turnout in local elections.

We already know that voter turnout is low. In the 2014 Austin City Council and mayoral elections, turnout was 40 percent. But when you dive into the results district by district, you get an even stronger picture of just how low participation really is.

Take District 6 for example. The 2014 election was so tight in that district that the race went to a runoff between two candidates – Jimmy Flannigan and Don Zimmerman. In the end, the runoff election was won by Don Zimmerman. He won by only 189 votes. Voter turnout in that district’s runoff election was about 15.9 percent. In essence, 189 people tipped the scales and determined the leader for a district that includes over 80,000 people. (FYI – Don Zimmerman and Jimmy Flannigan are facing off once again for the District 6 City Council seat this November).

These kind of close races are not uncommon in local elections. So, if you’ve ever wondered if your vote really matters, the answer is yes. You can make the difference. You can decide the future of your own neighborhood.

But you can’t do any of that unless you register to vote. Remember that the last day to register to vote in this upcoming election is October 11th. You can download a voter registration application here>>