Every Vote Builds a City
Understanding municipal elections and why housing depends on them
What the heck is a "municipal" anyway? A simple question I’ve gotten a few time recently, with a simple answer, municipal means city. These are the local races that decide who represents you on city council or town commission. Local municipal elections are a really important part of shaping the future of our communities.
And believe it or not, these elections are often decided by just a small number of votes, a few hundred ballots, or even fewer. Hometown Holler recently pulled the statistics from 2023 and it shows clearly how a minority of voters actually vote in off year municipal elections.
If you already vote in every election, thank you! You know how powerful your ballot is. What we want to do here is break it down for the people in your life who may not realize how much is at stake in a municipal election. If you are a regular city voter, think of this as a tool you can share with a neighbor, a coworker, or your niece or nephew who just turned 18.
If this is your first time paying attention to local races, welcome! Many people are turning to municipal elections for the first time because they are frustrated with Washington and want to make a difference closer to home.
So why are we talking about elections on a housing publication? Because housing is local. City councils and planning boards decide whether duplexes and backyard cottages are allowed, whether a coffee shop can add apartments upstairs, whether a church can build affordable homes on its land. When leaders fear change, they shut out new neighbors. When they choose to grow, they build stability, affordability, and resilience for all of us.
Housing is decided one local vote at a time.
We believe voting and participation are part of how citizens build cities. That is why local elections matter. They set the stage for whether our cities make room for new people and possibilities or cling to stagnation. Every citizen is part of citybuilding. Every hairdresser who knows her clients, every barista who remembers your order, every neighbor who tends a garden or opens a small business is a citybuilder. These everyday acts of care and contribution shape a city just as much as votes on zoning maps, alongside the work of developers and elected officials. And when residents and small businesses are supported by local policies that welcome growth, those daily contributions add up to stronger, more resilient neighborhoods.
Local elections give us the power to show up for our values: housing choices for everyone, walkable neighborhoods, resilient communities, cities and towns we build together.
This is not our first election post, back in July, I wrote a run-down of who’s running locally, if you missed that post, you can catch up here: Municipal Election Season Has Begun.
We’ll continue election coverage so stay tuned! Our housing focused voter guides for Durham are coming out soon! And we’re hosting a discussion on Durham candidates with our members at next week's Carolina Policy Talk and a Housing Candidate Forum in Durham, after the primary on October 14. More details soon, so follow us here or on your preferred social media for event updates.
A couple of key voting reminders:
Here in Durham, it is worth noting that there is a primary election. That means you will be voting earlier than you think - this month! Details from Durham BOE here. This non-partisan primary narrows the field of candidates down in each race before the general election, so participating in it is essential if you want your voice heard when the choices are first being made.
Across North Carolina, we also have early voting for each election. How it works, you have a time period before each election (a little over a week) where you can vote, not just election day. During the early voting period you can vote at any early voting site in your county, not just your assigned precinct. Plus, you can register and vote on the same day during early voting if you are not yet registered.
Now, to the practical part.
If you have never voted in a local election before, here is what to do:
Make sure you are registered to vote and that your information is up to date.
Find out when and where you can vote. In North Carolina, you can look this up here: North Carolina Voter Lookup. Your county Board of Elections website is also a wealth of information. Here’s Durham, Wake and Orange.
Plan ahead! Early voting is often the easiest option. You can register there too! Mark your calendar, set a reminder, bring your ID, and make time.
Talk to someone else about voting. Invite a friend to go with you or remind your neighbors’ kids who are new voters that their ballot matters.
Because when we all show up, we do not just cast ballots. We build cities.
