La Plata's Local Elections Are Decided By Only A Few: A Call To Action For Residents & Town Council
By: Paul Guttenberg, Candidate for Town Council Ward I
Our Challenge:
Nationally, local elections typically see an average voter turnout of 15% of registered voters. In La Plata's May 2021 town election, approximately 500 out of 7,000 registered voters participated, representing a 7% turnout of eligible residents.
In La Plata’s 2021 town election 7% of registered voters cast a ballot
The 2021 Ward IV election was decided by a margin of less than 6% of the cast ballots, meaning just 27 votes determined the outcome. The Ward II election was even closer, with a margin of less than 1% of the cast ballots, resulting in a mere 4 vote difference.
Ward IV’s 2021 margin was less than 1%, and was determined by just 4 votes!
This low voter turnout highlights why each vote cast in La Plata has a significant impact. Conversely, when residents choose not to vote, they give disproportionate influence to those who do.
A Call To Action For Residents:
People are passionate about La Plata.
Talk to people about water or traffic, you will hear passion.
Talk to people about the restaurants & parks they love, you will hear passion.
Talk to people about sidewalks or new neighborhoods, you will hear passion.
Talk to people about the Mayor & Town Council, you will hear passion!
We should bring the passion we speak to each-other to the ballot box.
It should be our goal for La Plata to have the highest municipal voter turnout in the state!
Imagine how that would look to businesses considering investments in our town…
Imagine how that would put additional emphasis for elected town leaders to engage and respond to concerns expressed by residents…
Imagine how it could impact the state legislature to know La Plata has the highest percentage of people voting and participating in local issues compared to anyplace else in Maryland…I want that for us, and I hope you also come to see the benefit of high resident engagement for La Plata’s future.
Will you Vote?
In the Ward II Primary on Monday March 17th (noon - 8pm) ?
In the General Election on Tuesday May 6th (noon - 8pm)?
A Call To Action For The Town Council:
Increasing voter turnout in our elections is a shared responsibility, not solely an individual one. The particularly low voter turnout in 2021 should serve as a clear call to action for the Town Council.
The Town Council should see especially low voter turnout in 2021 as a call for their action on this topic.
If elected as a Town Council member, I will advocate for amendments to Chapter 17 of the Code of Ordinances, which pertains to elections, to advance the goal of increasing voter participation in La Plata's local elections. To support eligible voters and help achieve higher engagement, I propose expanding voting hours, exploring alternative voting days, and establishing additional channels of communication to inform residents about election processes and procedures.
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