By: Marshall Guthrie Guest Contributor
Don’t get sidetracked by the presidential election. If you care about
the cost of your rent and tuition, your access to high speed internet and marijuana policy, then you’d better be prepared to #votelocal. I say this as a Western employee and former city councilor.
It’s easy to think that the presidential election is the only reason to turn up at the polls. There’s no shortage of media coverage when it comes to that embarrassing circus. But the reality is, for students at Western, your lives are much more directly impacted by state and other local elections than by anything any of the presidential candidates can do for or to you. Not only that, 
but if you, the students of Western, organize your votes, you could choose the winner of every local election. Yes, every local election.
Let’s start by looking at the state representative position. This is a position that helps decide funding for higher education in Oregon and, therefore, how much your tuition will have to be to cover what the state doesn’t fund. Do you think tuition is too high? Then you’d better #votelocal.
In the last election, Rep. Paul Evans won by less than 800 votes in House District 20, which is where Western is located. There are thousands of students eligible to vote at Western. You can easily determine who represents you when tuition and education funding are determined if you #votelocal.
That same power, the power to use a student voting block to pick your elected officials, is even more true the more local you get. The Monmouth/Independence City Council sets electric and water utility rates, and influences MINET Internet rates. City Council also addresses local marijuana policy and taxes that affect your rent. In the last election, a little over 100 votes would have been enough to sway the results.
The County Commission also levies taxes and policy that affect your rent, among many other things. Things could have been different in the last election with only 11 votes. That’s not a typo, eleven votes. Do you know eleven people who didn’t vote in the last election? If so, you’ve started to clue into why students aren’t taken seriously by many politicians.
You may be wondering how you get informed about local elections; after all, it’s not like there’s a lot of city council coverage on CNN or in your twitter feed (unless you follow @marshallguthrie). Start with a google search; check out local papers like the Itemizer-Observer, Salem Weekly and Statesman Journal, or find the candidates on Facebook. Read the Oregon Voters’ Guide or talk with your friends and professors.
None of this is to say that the Presidential Election doesn’t matter. My opinion is that it has never mattered more than it does this year. But local politics are equally important, and if students get together, you can run this place. Make sure your friends are registered and voting, start conversations around local issues and get informed about the candidates. Heck, maybe even run for office next time. I have; it’s not tough. And your election will be pretty much guaranteed if you can get Western students to vote for you.
Contact the author at marshall@marshallguthrie.com.
