By | The Lumberjack Editorial Board
Civic engagement doesn’t just end with the presidential election. ‘We the people’ have a duty to stay engaged in politics year round.
The beautiful thing about a democracy is the citizens somewhat have a voice. For a democratic government to function in service of the people, the people must be more active in all levels of government, including the local level.
Though voting in the presidential election is one of the greatest political actions available to citizens, the president’s actions alone don’t represent all the ways in which government can affect our daily lives. Local officials sign in laws that impact our day-to-day lives the most.
The citizen’s voice is not only reflected through voting, but also through communicating with our local officials. We have a constitutional responsibility to watch over these officials and check them when they are not advocating for the people.
While the opportunity to elect a new president may be four years away, the opportunity to affect local levels of government come and go every year.
To live under the belief that if the president is right that the country will be right, is wrong.
We have seen just how much every vote matters on the national scale. It is time to think about how much they matter on the local governmental level.
If you are upset by what is happening on the national scale then, by all means, keep protesting, demonstrating, rallying and assembling.
However, the next time your local government has a city council seat open, try to take a step back from the global and national scene and take time to ensure that your local government is in check as well.
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