On May 18, we will have the opportunity to vote in the Municipal Primary. This primary and the general election on Nov. 2, are significant elections for voters, but many people fail to participate in municipal elections because they don’t understand the impact the offices on the ballot have on our lives or know anything about the candidates.
The League of Women Voters of Bucks County, in collaboration with the Bucks County Herald, would like to remedy that situation.
On May 6, the Herald will publish the LWV Voters Guide with information about many races and candidates. This year there are 572 candidates running in 304 races in Bucks County alone, so there will be insufficient room to print long answers from every candidate. However, responses from every candidate who submitted one will be included on the League’s election information website: Vote411.org. Here you can enter your address and see just those candidates who will be on your ballot.
Note that in a primary, candidates for school board, county judicial courts, and district magistrate courts can cross-file, which means that they can run in both the Republican and Democratic primary races. This is allowed because these positions are considered to be not political, or at least less political than other positions being voted upon.
So what offices are on the ballot and why are they so important?
School Board Directors. Whether or not you currently have children in school, the taxes you pay, and the quality of education being provided to the children of Bucks County have an impact on our community. Three quarters of our property taxes are dedicated to schools and we should know the priorities of the people spending that money.
School directors not only oversee the school properties and hire the school superintendents, principals, teachers and staff but also set policy for the district. School directors recommend and adopt textbooks and programs and they can influence whether history is taught from a Eurocentric point of view or a global perspective, whether or not topics such as climate change and evolution are part of the science curriculum. All of these decisions will affect our community as a whole.
Borough and Township Officers. Your local legislators – mayors, council members or township supervisors – make decisions affecting your local community. They enact ordinances, adopt budgets, levy taxes, maintain infrastructure, oversee police and fire services and enforce environmental protection. Other elected municipal positions, such as tax collectors, auditors and constables provide valuable services for their communities.
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