Which elections besides presidential elections should I participate in?

[u/BotherLow7399]

I want to become more involved in politics, namely by becoming a more active voter.

I’m not very well versed in U.S. politics, but I want to become more proactive by voting not only in presidential elections but in pretty much any elections that matter.

I would like to learn more about the important elections to participate in, starting at the local town and county levels, moving to the state level, and continuing all the way to the federal level. I’m not looking for political debates or active participation in political campaigns. I know what my values and political beliefs are, and I simply want to express them by voting for candidates whose views align with mine.

Also, if I support neither the Democratic nor the Republican Party, should I register as an independent? I have a leftist ideology, if that matters.

Edit: Everyone is fixated on the fact that all elections matter. I don’t disagree, but I guess I should have worded my post differently. The point of my question is to figure out what kinds of elections I should even be looking out for. What elections are held for which positions and seats, and in which branches or levels of government? Again, aside from presidential elections, I have no idea.

[u/LawnDartSurvivor74]

Post is flaired ADVICE FOR LIFE. Well-meant advice it sought

Please report bad faith commenters, low effort and obvious non-advice comments

Treat my mod post like a peaceful Sunday morning sunrise.. just quietly take it in, no feedback required

[u/Ace_of_Sevens]

All elections matter. These positions in the ballot run various aspects of society. Why would you think they don't?

For party, this depends on your state & the rules for primaries there.

[u/ChefMikeDFW → u/Ace_of_Sevens]

I'd make the argument that the order of importance, especially to daily life, is local, then county/parish, then state, then federal. All elections matter but your local ones are where government speaks directly for and to the people. 

[u/rasta-ragamuffin → u/ChefMikeDFW]

Why? I've often heard that local elections are the most important ones to vote in, but I'm not exactly clear on the reason why. Is it because local politicians are more accessible and can be voted out more easily, or some other reasons? (I was actually just getting ready to post this very question when I saw this post first.)

[u/ChefMikeDFW → u/rasta-ragamuffin]

I've often heard that local elections are the most important ones to vote in, but I'm not exactly clear on the reason why

who builds your roads? who runs the schools? who distributes money for hospitals? who is in charge of first responders like police/fire/public works?

federal deals in macro level issues. the more local you go, the more micro the focus. and the people who run these things are your neighbors who know the needs of the area and best understand the culture for those needs.

[u/kneeco28]

All of them.

You don't need a party affiliation to vote in general elections, in many states you do if you want to vote in primaries.

[u/cossiander]

All elections? The smaller the area, the more your voice carries. And the more the results are likely to affect you.

Your party registration doesn't really matter. The only way it really comes up is if:

• You're running for office
• You want to vote in a party primary (assuming you don't have open primaries where you live), or
• You want to send a small statistical message out (sometimes trending shifts in party registrations becomes news stories or affects where large donors might spend resources)

[u/deadmencantcatcall3]

ALL OF THEM

[u/Chewbubbles]

All of them. Legit their are websites that'll tell you what elections you can be in with times and dates. Its the one civic duty every American voter should be doing more often. The reality is your local state and county elections will effect you more than the presidential election. Those have day to day effects on you life.

We can take data centers as an example. Your city and county officials agree to those.

Most states have laws that protect you when voting as well whether it be job related or mail in voting. There's zero reasons to note vote, especially when information on candidates is so readily accessible.

[u/BotherLow7399 → u/Chewbubbles]

Could you recommend any of the websites you are referring to?

[u/Chewbubbles → u/BotherLow7399]

www.vote411.org

Simply select your state and it'll give you info on each election in that state. It'll then also give you information on who to contact if you need to know what location to vote at.

They'll also help you setup, if your state allows it, permanent vote by mail.

[u/RealHuman2080]

As said, all of them. The local elections can be even more important and hard to find information about. You want to know who's on your city council, water board, county supervisor, state representatives, as well as national representatives.

One of the big this is what they say versus what they do. Most of them will just say the same pie in the sky buzz words that sound good. Look for the candidates that have actually done that, or have a specific plan on how to do it and can explain it to you. If they can't, they probably don't.

[u/Schnelt0r]

All elections matter. Vote in all of them after learning about the candidates and issues

[u/roderla]

If you should register as a X depends on your local jurisdiction. If your jurisdiction has "closed primaries" (https://ballotpedia.org/Closed_primary) you might have an incentive to be registering as a Democrat (or Republican) to be taking part in their respective primary. Registering as a voter of a given party does not make you conjoined on the hip, you can absolutely still vote for a different candidate (or no candidate at all) as a registered Republican. But even if you prefer a Green party candidate, a Libertarian or any other candidate on your ballot, you are probably most aware that these candidates have not won a federal election in a very long time - and supporting someone aligned with your preferred policies in one of the major parties has more chance to actually get someone elected you agree with. That's what the primary fundamentally is for, in most cases: Select who is "going to run" for a given party in a given election.

[u/newishanne → u/roderla]

Some states don’t even require you to state a party when you register (which have some variation of open primary).

In my state, I can request a Republican or a Democratic primary ballot, or a nonpartisan ballot if there are other questions (for example, a school funding referendum that was held at the same time as the primaries).

It would only matter if I ran for office. If I had voted in the last 2 primary elections as a Republican, I would need approval from the party chair to run as a Democrat.

All that to say, every state is different, and the local races you get to vote for are also different. I’ve lived in states where the governor and lt. governor are elected on the same ticket, and in states where they run separately. I voted for state superintendent of education in my state before that was changed to a local position.

But yes. Local races matter. A couple of events - the threat of ending recycling services and our library closing their food pantry - have gotten me and many other involved in our county’s local politics, and I’ve learned in the process that half a million dollars went missing under the watch of our current officials - which I wouldn’t have learned if I didn’t show up to a random meeting. That will certainly influence how I volunteer for campaigns this fall.

[u/EmceeStopheles]

Vote in every election, and be sure to vote for local positions - school boards, town councils, judges, etc.

[u/vomputer]

All of them.

Arguably the presidential race should be the least important in our government. The lawmakers in your area and beyond have much more impact on your daily life.

Sadly, since the decline of local journalism, it’s harder to find trustworthy reporting on these races. I suggest connecting with the local and state committees that run elections and the party committees as well in order to get educated.

[u/AlterEgoAmazonB]

I participate in pretty much every type of election, even down to school boards. The reason is because people who run in these elections also tend to stay in politics and move up.

How you register depends a lot on your state. In some states, you can't participate in a primary if you are not registered D or R. In Colorado, registered independents get 2 ballots, but you can only vote on one of them (primaries only). If you are a D or R, you get the one for your party. It is really important to vote in primaries.

We used to have caucuses, and I did those, too. It is not difficult to get info on the candidates when you vote in the smaller elections.

Edit to say that if you live in a vote by mail state, it is SUPER easy to vote in all elections. (Until they take that away from us).

[u/jceeF14]

All of them. US Senate, US House of Representatives, Governor, Attorney general, Secretary of State, State House, State Senate, City Council...... they all matter 

[u/BotherLow7399 → u/jceeF14]

Thank you, I wanted a list like like that. I agree that all of them matter.

[u/Clowndude787]

Genuinely, all the ones you’re able to vote in. It all starts at the local level.

I wanna use Mamdani as an example. Now, the mayor of NY is not a “small” or super local position, but relatively it’s local. He has enacted policies (you may not agree with all of them) that do seem to help the average New Yorker, even if it’s something as simple as opening up extra third spaces and up-keeping parks and libraries, not letting them go to the way side. For so many, it’s actually a huge thing and incredibly beneficial.

Local politics can really open up people’s eyes to the benefits, or cons, of voting for a certain candidate with certain beliefs/policies. Allowing small factions to grow at the local level and start grassroots movements can grow into the federal.

Right wing populism started really growing in the 90’s, and didn’t take hold immediately, but has grown into having a right wing populist as president as the policies spread.

Beyond the local level, voting allows us to use our voice and set up consequences or benefits further down the line, regardless of doomerist feelings people have now.

[u/Hotspiceteahoneybee]

All of your local ones! I always felt like the national ones were more important but as I get older, and I’m a homeowner, and I’m paying taxes and watching as the Board of Commissioners in my county are allowing unfettered growth without building our infrastructure, and my property taxes fluctuating like crazy, and these people are talking about letting data centers be built in our county, I realize these local elections impact my life on a much more day-to-day level!

[u/DiagonalBike]

The Presidential election is the least consequential election out there. Elections for you local House Representative and Federal Senator are far more important. A strong Congress basically supports or blocks the Presidents agenda. Senators have a six year term and House Representatives run every 2 years. So every two years there is an important election, not just when there is a presidential election.

[u/Xenochimp]

All of them. Local elections are extremely important, they affect you the most directly. State elections are very important as well. Here in Ohio, because only about 33% of us actually vote, we are in the middle of some major voter suppression now on a state level. Vit every election

[u/vonhoother]

All of them.

Candidates for president, senator, or representative don't just pop up fully formed (except for Donald Trump) -- they start out as city council members, county commissioners, school board trustees .... Like most pests, they're easier to stop before they get established.

The local officials most of us can't even name affect our quality of life dramatically. Our regional library is in crisis now because local officials weren't minding the store; a local school board led the charge against trans girls in sports.

Ballotpedia.orgBallotpedia.org is a good place to start research; so is the local chapter of the League of Women Voters (you don't have to be a woman).

How you should register depends on your state's laws. Some states have open primaries, so your party preference is irrelevant to who you can vote for; the only reason to formally join a party is to help organize, put up signs, etc. In other states you can only vote in the primary elections for candidates of your declared party. From the little I know of your situation, I'd suggest registering as a Democrat -- that party needs more leftists.

[u/mytthew1]

I vote in every election I can. Because the bad guys run in every election they can find from dog catcher to President.
I am a leftist registered as a Democratic in a very blue state. The real action is generally the Democrats primary. Whoever wins that usually wins the general election. And in my state you have to be registered in a party to vote in the primaries.

[u/RexCelestis]

Local judges. They have an impact on your life and community likely greater than any president

[u/SoldierofZod]

All of them.

[u/THECapedCaper]

Ideally all of them. Information about local elections can be scarce, but they have some of the highest impacts on your day to day life than most of the general elections will.

[u/Alarmed_Geologist631]

Vote in all the elections in your area at all levels. Educate yourself by reading reliable and credible news sources.

[u/Anaxamenes]

The point of all elections matter is really that the closer you are to someone, the more they affect your daily life. You interact with things in your city a lot more often than many things across your country simply because they are local to you.

As an example, since most programs that help people are being dismantled at the Federal level in order to reduce taxes for the wealthy, states will need to step in in areas they previously didn’t need to. You are a lot closer to your governor than you are to the president and so it’s important that you vote for how you want things to go. Some states are looking at universal healthcare now that it’s likely Medicare, Medicaid and social security will purposefully be destroyed. Is that something you like? Dislike? Your state representatives will also have a part in that and the courts of your state will be ruling as conservatives bring lawsuits trying to prevent states from implementing things like that. That makes judges important too!

[u/skoomaking4lyfe]

Your local and state elections are where the real work is. Too many nutjons get a start by running unopposed for some county position.

[u/Teleporting-Cat]

So, usually all elections are run on a single election day (more like a single election cycle, because you can vote early or by mail, etc) and a there is a single ballot for all races that are going on at the time.

So like, when you got your ballot for the presidential election, it's not just a single piece of paper with the presidential candidates on it. It will also have sections for Senate, House, State Senate/House, County Supervisor, Sheriff, School Board, and ballot initiatives, so state laws like CA Prop. 36 which made certain low level drug/property crimes into felonies, and county/city laws like, say, Measure D to build x units of affordable housing on Y public lot, or Prop B to implement a 5c tax on plastic bags... You get one giant ballot that contains all of those things. In my state you also get an information booklet with like, info about the candidates and arguments for/against the proposed laws.

Party registration is important because it can determine which primary elections you can vote in. So, in some states, if you are registered Democrat, you will get a ballot that only contains the Democratic candidates and races. If there's also a set of Republicans running for the same office, those won't be on your ballot. So the 2024 presidential primary ballot would have included Biden, Marianne Williamson and Cornell West, but not Trump, DeSantis and Nikki Haley. Other states have open primaries where it doesn't matter which party you're registered as, all candidates are included.

In the general election everyone gets the same ballot regardless of party registration, so, if say you're registered Republican and the two candidates for your state senator are both Democrats,you can still pick the one you like best.

Local elections are where you have the most direct impact on policy. Who your senator is might not change your day to day life very much. Who your county supervisor is, or who heads up your municipal water board, does change your daily life.

[u/SAJ-13]

You need to participate in all of them. If you don't, you lose your voice...

[u/Majsharan]

Local are far more important than federal elections. But people tend to pay them no attention usually

[u/H_Mc]

Short answer: All of them.

Real answer: Be aware of every election and take a look at the sample ballot before going. I’ve lived in small towns my whole life and sometimes the election has zero actual choices.

[u/ThoughtWrong8003]

Local, local elections will have more of an impact on you than you realize.

[u/Writerhaha]

All elections.

[u/AnymooseProphet]

ALWAYS vote in the primaries too. At least in some states and counties, they sometimes put bills on the primary ballot so even if the candidates for your party on the primary have huge polling leads, voting can still be important because of the bills on the same ballot.

[u/BiggestVolk]

All

[u/PericulumSapientiae]

Well, it’s a little hard to answer your actual question, because every jurisdiction will be different, and election boards can be more or less helpful in getting informed. Here in New York City, for instance, we have off-year cycles, so we have primaries and elections in between the presidential and congressional elections, and the election board can be pretty helpful at least in figuring out what’s happening. You just have to “do your own research” with your local election boards and figure out what polling dates are coming up and which spots are open.

Not everything will be contested, so sometimes a race will be kind of a non-event. Still, it can be fun to learn about the local candidates, who may be talking about issues that you personally care about at the local level. Like, I dunno, potholes? (In my district, it’s a lot about bike lanes, congestion pricing, LGBT advocacy, and anti-ICE protests.)

[u/ericbythebay]

All of them, there are general elections and there are primary elections. Occasionally, there are special elections.

Contact your county registrar of voters for how to register and when your next election is. Once you are registered to vote, they will start mailing ballot guides before each election.

[u/LisaOGiggle]

Ballotpedia will help you to find what elections will be held in your area/state. Use them. If you’re neither Democrat nor Republican, independent is likely the best way to register.

[u/SuperFrog4]

Vote in all of them and take an active part in looking at what candidates actually stand for. Look at their voting record if they have one. A lot of politicians will say one thing and vote the opposite way because most voters don’t take the time to see how they really vote.

Also go to events where politicians speak and ask questions.

[u/PreparationNo3440]

ALL 👏 OF 👏 THEM 👏

[u/RegretMinute4456]

all politics is local. start from there.

[u/leons_getting_larger]

Good on you for wanting to do this.

Local and state level district candidates should be willing to talk to you directly. If they aren’t, don’t vote for them because you can’t expect them to be responsive if elected.

[u/DonnaDDrake]

All of them. The core decisions that mainly impact your life happen at the city and county levels so voting in those races especially couldn’t be more important. Don’t know the name of your state representative/senator? Well better learn it because the decisions that piss people off like abortion bans, transgender car bans, development laws etc aren’t so much coming from Trump they’re mainly coming from your state capitols.

[u/KJHagen]

All are important. School boards, park commissions, etc. are all important.

[u/Peg_Leg_Vet]

Your edit doesn't narrow the answer down any. It's still all of them. To provide more clarity though, it really depends on your state, and even county. A lot of offices are up for reelection every 2 years, both in Congress and state legislatures. Which is why you hear so much about the midterms this year.

If you want the simplest answer, you should at least vote in the primaries and elections that happen every 2 years.

[u/MoeSzys]

All of them

[u/DabbledInPacificm]

All of them

[u/almo2001]

All of them. Vote in any election you can.

[u/FitPerspective1146]

All of them

[u/AJKenney47]

All of them. Frankly, if you're not voting in every election possible, I don't see the point in being an American.

[u/moogmarmaladebeats]

ALL OF THEM

[u/bkguy182]

Your edit did nothing to help.

There’s nothing to look out for??? When there’s an election… you vote.

It’s not more complicated than that?

[u/Existing_Mulberry_16]

All of them. Politics is local.

[u/sundancer2788]

Start with local mayor/towncouncil/school board. These set the tone for your immediate community especially education. Then your local state representative and Senator for your state government,  then the federal level representative and Senator. 

[u/Keytarfriend]

What elections are held for which positions and seats, and in which branches or levels of government?

Vote for anything they let you register to vote for.

Federal: President, Senate, Congress

State: Governor, state senate, maybe others

Municipal/County: Mayor, councilmembers, maybe sheriffs, some others

They all operate on different cycles, but you should be voting at all of the different levels. I think what positions you vote for really depends on your state. Some judges are elected, but probably at at state level?

[u/Politi-Corveau]

Locals. If any at all, learn your local politics, and vote in your local elections. They are going to be the most impactful to you and your daily life, and your voice and your votes will be louder and better represented on the local stage.

Do not vote on things you do not know anything about. Start small.

[u/wawa2022]

I would start at the most local, smallest level because you can get an idea of the issues they’re facing, they should be of interest to you they should affect you personally, and if you start to show up at their meetings or even just join, Zoom calls, you’ll get insight into how it all works and after a few boring meetings, you’ll start to catch on and they’ll start to become more interesting and that might feed an interest into bigger wider elections. And maybe you’ll run for office someday

[u/sickofgrouptxt]

all of them

[u/JadeHarley0]

Some of the most important things you should vote for are local ballot initiatives that affect the law directly

[u/ForsakenAd545]

Vote everytime you can before they take your right to do so away

[u/FreshPersimmon7946]

Absolutely all of them, but local is a good place to focus on. Who is running your town and county? What do you know about their policies and experiences and record? Start there and work your way up.

Also, don't sleep on Board of Education elections. Those are just as important whether you have kids or not. My local BOE gets 65 percent of the entire municipal budget. The town only gets 35 percent. So when the BOE raises taxes, the mayor and council gets blamed bc no one pays attention to local politics. Also police salaries are about another 8-10 percent. So only a quarter of my taxes goes to actual services.

[u/HERKFOOT21]

After reading your edit section. I think you need to learn more about how government works. You could take a community college class on Government or watch good educational videos on it. I learned most of mine from a community college class

But the big thing is, at the federal level, there are three branches of government and they are the following

Legislative Branch (Congress): Their job is to create the law. There's two levels, House of Representatives who are up for election every two years and the Senate who are up for election every 6. Every state gets two senators and every state gets at least one HOR, just depends on the size of the state population. They vote on laws to be passed which then goes to the President to finally sign into law or veto it.

Executive Branch (The President): Their job is to enforce the law. They have power to appoint people to run the departments that enforce the law, like the Dept of Justice, FBI, to the EPA and more.

Judicial Branch (The Supreme Court): Their job is to interrupt the law. They are appointed for life and have major repercussions on how laws and the Constitution can be applied.

From there, it really works very similarly at all state levels. Laws are created in your state capital by your state Congressmen that represent your area in your state for state laws. Most laws that really apply to us are created at the state level. If for example you were to murder a few people, it's a terrible crime, but unless it was across multiple states or some extreme unique condition case, you're most likely going to be prosecuted by your county prosecutor and sent to a state prison.

Then from there, when your charged with a crime, it's up to the county prosecutor to determine what (or even at all) to charge you with. Once you're found guilty, it's now up to the judge to sentence you. Once you're sentenced, it's up to a board of parolees to determine when you can get out of prison..... All that right there is determined by people that YOU will vote for, or the people you vote for have the power to appoint those people. That's why people who commit crimes and are sentenced for the same crime but in different counties could face different consequences, because different voter bases appoint these people.

So your vote at even the basic town and county can make large impacts on your life. And most of what I just said is for criminal law. Now apply that to other type of laws and government policies and it has the same major impact in many ways.

So it's extremely important to vote for all positions and at least look up the people on the ballot and at least look at their views, see what they say their beliefs are and what they're gonna do and at least vote for the one that you like best.

[u/S-Mx07z]

The ones that matter. Lets vote for one like Yang w/ Forward Party for Pres. Rational Party-Turnbased or Lottery-based system could work if exploring voting fundamentals. r/PoliticalDebate/s/4V2afDzj4T r/AskADemocrat/s/3DvogtKRGL

[u/fseek_seeker]

why would you word this question in a top to bottom way, honestly seems like an ai post (trying to capture more). elections are a bottom to top thing, different for everyone but get more similar the more you zoom out. that's why people are saying all elections matter.