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Think globally, vote locally

In 1994, Republicans took over Congress. People look at that election and assume voters just pulled the lever for Republicans, but they forget a key qualifier to that election, this election, and every election. To win, you need a candidate, and in 1994, the Republicans had candidates.

The Republican Party had spent years prior to 1994 harvesting candidates for offices from state Representative down to school board. Those candidates for local offices ended up becoming members of Congress. The fact is elections matter, all of them.

We are frequently told that local candidates are the ones who most affect our lives on a daily basis. Whether it is in the state legislature, the city council, or the school board, they are the ones who make decisions with an immediate effect on our community and generally have a better understanding on local needs than a U.S. Representative or Senator. However, what is also true is that the local candidates today are the Senators and Governors of tomorrow.

Either Dan Onorato or Tom Corbett will be elected Governor this year. Neither of them became statewide names out of thin air. They both have careers that started with local government as evidenced by this week’s story on pa2010.com about Dan Onorato pointing out Corbett’s votes for higher property taxes a whopping 22 years ago. Onorato himself likes to tout his experience as the Allegheny County executive, but even that only came after he made a name for himself on Pittsburgh City Council.

My point is that while we give attention to the races for Senate and Governor, the battle for the future is really fought on the local level.

This summer, I volunteered for Mary Lou Readinger’s campaign for state Representative in Montgomery County. I personally like her because she is smart and a nurse with a real understanding of how the laws in Harrisburg impact families in her district and across the state. In actuality, supporting Mary Lou and quality local candidates like her, in both parties, has an even greater impact than you know.

Firstly, it is my personal belief that political activism doesn’t trickle down, it percolates up. Sure Barack Obama got people to vote Democratic in 2008, but coattails don’t last and it is just as likely that local candidates helped to get more people to vote for the top of their ticket than Obama or McCain got new people to vote down ticket. Very often the marquee races cloud out the rest of the ticket so that when people vote, they know about the race for President or Senate, but, because they know little about the election for state representative, they leave that race blank. However, if a local candidate gets new voters to the polls, they will not only vote for that candidate, but they will likely vote up ticket as well.

This also shows why you get more bang for your buck donating your money and time to local candidates. Small campaigns, unlike the top races, really cannot afford to waste a dime. If you can give $100, the Senate candidate might put that towards a bigger chunk of money towards mail television ads, but that same $100 going to a state house candidate might make the difference in whether they can afford to send any more mail at all or if they can get pizza for volunteers to knock doors on a Saturday. Also, when volunteering for a top ticket race, you will undoubtedly only talk about that race when at the doors, but more local races are more than happy to mention other candidates so to create awareness, which doubles the impact of your volunteerism.

Secondly, local government is often a model for the national debate. The debate over gay marriage, for instance, is largely being waged because of the actions in states like California and Iowa and not over anything in Washington. Likewise, many state legislatures are making their voices heard on the new healthcare law. The examples set by state legislatures and cities and counties make a tremendous influence on national laws concerning the economy, labor, education, gun control, and civil rights.

Thirdly, the state legislature controls the battle for redistricting. Sure, you may care about your election for Congress in 2010, but if you don’t pay attention to your local elections, you might not have the same choice for Congress in 2012. While I wish that the redistricting process in Pennsylvania were nonpartisan, the fact remains that it is not, so your vote for the legislature will make a huge difference in 2010, and maybe more so than your votes for Congress as they will make more lasting decisions.

Lastly, while people love to criticize career politicians, the truth is that we judge candidates based on prior experience. It is also how we hire potential employees. Local experience helps to make better candidates for higher office. The better officials we get at the local level, the better options we will have in the years to come. No matter what your party, that helps everybody.

So this November, don’t just think about the present. Think about the future. Vote locally and think globally. Your vote for local office will have a ripple effect for years to come. After all, the person you elect for state Senate could be President in less than a decade.

Just ask Barack Obama.

August 27, 2010 at 7:00 am

--Tony Heyl

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