GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — The winners of the local state primaries on Tuesday could one day make decisions that impact our daily lives. But Green Bay City Clerk Celestine Jeffreys says most people don't even vote in these elections.
"For February in the last half dozen years, our turnout has been less than 10%. November of '24, our turnout was more like 60%," said Jeffreys.
In Tuesday's primary, not every resident has an election to vote in, which Jeffreys says is a major factor in the lower turnout.
There are only 17 races on the ballot across Northeast Wisconsin. These races are mostly for seats on a city council, county board and school board.
Professor David Helpap is a political science professor at UWGB and says the responsibilities of the positions on the ballot aren't as captivating.
"Where there's a really controversial issue, there's a topic that comes up that seems to draw a lot of interest. People pack meetings, they get involved, they get engaged. But the daily operations of a city or school district, people are less engaged. They elect people and just sort of let those individuals do their thing," said Helpap.
Unlike elected officials at the federal or state level, experts say there's a greater chance for in-person interaction with the people who most directly affect your daily life.
"These are the governments that provide the services that we really interact with on a daily basis," said Helpap.
"Especially in Wisconsin, you can actually meet your elected official in the grocery store. You can come to a meeting and talk to them afterwards. You can go up to them and talk to them," said Jeffreys. "Your local elected officials, they matter, and they're literally your neighbors. Literally, your neighbors. What they do affects you every day."
To find out what's on your ballot, or if you even have an election to vote in, you can visit myvote.wi.gov.
