Local Elections Are More Important Than You Think

National politics gets more airtime, headlines and attention, local elections affect residents much more than what's happening in Washington.

But importance of local elections doesn't always show at the polls.

"Unfortunately ... local elections often fall victim to low voter turnout as a result of either public ignorance or simple complacency," wrote Ashley Weber in an article that appeared in The D.C. Spotlight in 2011.

Local elections determine what happens in your neighborhood, from your water to your recyclables, from your city center to your local police force.

"Low turnout is most pronounced in off-year elections for state legislators and local officials as well as primaries," says an article about voter turnout on FairVote.org.

Mayors of major cities are often elected with single-digit turnout from voters, the article reads, explaining that a recent turnout that determined a recent Dallas election was only 5 percent.

Do you vote in the local election, or do you stick to national and state elections? Why?