Local Politics

In Jan. of this year, I attended the Williamson County Democratic Primary Convention.

At the convention, there was much excitement over the upcoming presidential election. Speech after speech was primarily focused on the national candidates running for office with little regard given to local elections. So, when a candidate gave a speech on the importance of local officials, my interest was sincere.

He reminded the audience that it is not the president of the United States that will be involved on the particular amount of taxes you pay on your house, provide you with sewer services, or help enforce many of the laws.

While obviously the issues on a national scale are important, they are not as immediately felt as local issues.

A great example of this having directly affected Austin Community College students this summer was the vote on whether or not to allow Round Rock students to be considered in-district students.

As a student who lives in Round Rock, I was greatly interested in this issue due to the big difference in the cost of tuition for in-district and out-of-district students.

Yet, I have to admit, when I think about voting and elections, I only think about the presidential election.

While I understand that the presidential election is like the Olympics of politics, it is not rational, logical, or productive as a member of society to not inform yourself on local issues.

Like it or not, the political process continues day in and day out without the glitz and glimmer of Tina Fey impersonations or debates.

I strongly believe that people are interested primarily in presidential elections because it's exciting and highly publicized. While we regularly see John McCain and Barack Obama on everything from Newsweek to Fox, most people would not be able to identify local politicians.

Therefore, we should take the initiative to inform ourselves on local matters. Information is pretty easy to come by if you only take the time to look.

Earlier this month, the Austin Chronicle printed its endorsements of candidates and propositions for the upcoming election. If you are looking for perhaps a less biased approach on the candidates and what they stand for, refer non-partisan organizations like the League of Women Voters.

On a national level, we as citizens are affected by the presidency, but on a local level, there is no trickle down effect as we wait for policies to become effective here in Austin.

Our lives are what we make it, so let's get informed.