OPINION

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Pay attention to your local elections

LINDSEY SPENCER Opinion Columnist

Every four years, we are hounded with constant reminders to vote in the upcoming presidential election. Phone calls, television advertisements, news segments, social media posts and more are indicators that we should head to the polls and cast our ballots for a specific candidate to take the highest office in the United States. We deem this measure, voting for a single government official at the top of our government, to be the most important impact we can have on democracy as voters, and I would agree that this is somewhat true.

While electing federal representatives — such as your president, your senator and your district’s U.S. House representative — are key choices, the most important choice we can make at the ballot box is choosing our local representatives. For the past few weeks, the lawns in my neighborhood have become littered with signs advocating for certain candidates, and the sheer number of advertisements I have seen and voicemails I have heard sponsored by hopeful contenders make me feel flooded with information. Still, no matter how many commercials and informational flyers we are exposed to every day, we are never as rallied to vote in our local elections as we are in national ones. If we don’t focus on local politics with equivalent enthusiasm, we fail to fully engage with the issues that matter the most to us.

As opposed to the federal level, where there are typically longer waits between election cycles, local elections occur every year. Although they take place more often and there are more positions up for grabs, there is a certain level of confusion as to which roles in government are available at the local level and what exactly they do. In order to better immerse ourselves in politics, we must be able to clearly understand what we are voting for; a major reason why voter turnout is low is because of uncertainty about who and what we are voting for, along with unclear voting rules. We tend not to notice that the local level of government almost exactly resembles the structure of our federal government: each city and town has its own executive, legislative and judicial branch. Not only are their foundations similar, but their importance can be equated as well — local politics are just as important, if not more important, as the contests on the national stage.

The outcomes of local elections determine the fate of the issues that are most impactful in our everyday lives. The officials that we elect to our city councils and mayoral offices directly serve our community interests: matters such as schooling, housing and public safety are affected by the decisions made by our local representatives. Local elections are concerned with local issues, which, whether we acknowledge it or not, are policy choices that we interact with every single day. The decisions that our municipal and county officials make are essential in determining our quality of life as we interact with our neighborhoods. Often, the closer the representatives are to us, the more meaningful their policies are to our day-to-day lives.

Despite the essential nature of our local government, voters still tend to pay less attention to these elections as compared to those at the national level. We tend to view the presidency as the most important position in the U.S. government, but, in reality, our state and city officials are the ones assigned to protect and care for their community members in a more attentive fashion. Local politicians are responsible for the welfare of their localities and must pay attention to the needs and interests of a much smaller number of constituents. In taking our votes in our local races more seriously, we can make real change in our neighborhoods and elect officials whose sole responsibility is to act in accordance with our best interests.

Not only do the outcomes of local elections mean more for our livelihoods, but our votes tend to mean more as well. A recent upsurge of voter apathy is a result of the lack of faith in the democratic process, especially at the national level. Voters are becoming increasingly unsure if the casting of their ballot makes any real difference, but, when it comes to voting for a city council representative or district attorney, our voice at the polls is much more effective. With fewer voters involved, as compared to a presidential election, a single vote for a local politician has the potential to affect who gets a seat at the table. Not only do local politics impact us personally, we as voters have the power to alter the future of our communities when we cast our ballots.

With continuously high voter turnout rates, the voting population of Ann Arbor must actively focus their energy into local races. This election cycle, nine Washtenaw County commissioners, the mayor of Ann Arbor and Ann Arbor City Council members were up for election — all positions that will impact both University of Michigan students and permanent residents of the city. A ballot measure concerning public transportation funding was also approved in Tuesday’s election, a choice that will drastically impact the community and improve current transportation services. These choices weigh heavily on the county, the city and the University, and it is essential that those able to vote in these elections take the time and care to do so in future election cycles.

While political disinterest grows each day at the national level, we must avoid complete detachment by turning the conversation towards the importance of local issues.

Republicans are out of touch with Americans on the most polarizing issues. History says that won’t matter this November

DEVON HESANO Opinion Columnist

This week, amid urges by Justice Clarence Thomas to look at overturning cases such as Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized gay marriage nationwide, the House of Representatives voted on a bill that, among other provisions, would guarantee marriage equality for LGBTQ Americans. While the bill passed easily, the vote helped to once again illustrate a harsh reality: The Republican Party is completely out of touch with mainstream America on the majority of hotbutton issues.

Just 22% of House Republicans voted in favor, while all House Democrats supported the bill. The 22% number serves in stark contrast to American support at large. A record-high 71% of Americans support marriage equality, including 55% of those identifying as Republicans. That means the House GOP isn’t just out of step with America — it’s out of step with Republican voters. And while it’s too early to tell how many Senate Republicans will vote in favor of the bill, or if the bill will even have the 60 votes to pass, it’s virtually guaranteed that nowhere near 55% of Republican Senators will support the bill, let alone 71%.

But the Republican lack of awareness on marriage equality isn’t the exception — it’s the norm. Republicans have, over the past few months, consistently acted way out of the American mainstream on a variety of issues. Gun control, which once again became a major point of political focus, has long been an issue where the GOP is out of step — even multiple mass shootings didn’t change that. Attempts to include universal background checks, ban military-style assault weapons and raise the purchasing age to 21 all fell out or were never even considered for the recently passed gun control bill, due to Republican opposition.

Read more at michigandaily.com

The way our society socializes men is not only disappointing but heartbreaking

ANNA TRUPIANO Opinion Columnist

From the time they are young boys, men are taught not to talk about their feelings for fear of showing weakness. This mentality robs them of the opportunity to explore their feelings and ultimately causes them to push those feelings aside or reject them entirely. Those emotions tend to become bottled up rather than talked about and worked out in healthy ways.

Many statistics are available to demonstrate this learned emotional repression. For instance, only about one-third of people in therapy in the United States are men. In 2020, the suicide rate among men was nearly four times higher than that among women. Most alarmingly, 98% of recorded mass shootings in the United States have been committed by men. Over 93% of federal inmates are men, compared to 6.8% being women.

The problem lies in our society’s association of masculinity with athleticism, power, money and sexual conquest. It is not far-fetched to think these associations could be related to historical gender roles, which still prevail today. Men were historically entitled to power while women were subordinates. This power dynamic has caused disturbing gender inequality impacts across the globe. These impacts range from female genital mutilation to removal from the home during menstruation and “honorable” murder as a way to rid families of the shame from a woman’s rape.

While we are less likely to experience those extreme examples of gender inequality in the United States, the flawed characteristics we associate with masculinity are constantly reinforced in pop culture, thus creating a breeding ground for hypermasculine values to flourish. For example, the language in hiphop music leans toward violence and sex, including derogatory remarks toward women and homophobic slurs.