U.S. Politics is more than the Presidential Elections
With America’s size, influence on the global stage, and
status as an economic powerhouse, it’s understandable
why the whole world tunes in to find out who the
next President of the United States of America will be.
This coming fall, we will all spend a significant
amount of time reading, discussing, and speculating
about the results. It’s easy, in the light of this detailed
coverage, to overlook that U.S. politics are more than
Presidential Elections. We would all do well to remember
that local elections can also have a global impact
just as much as the Presidential elections can.
How many elected officials does the US really have?
Elected officials in the United States of America serve
on three levels of government: Federal, State, and local.
Most are familiar with the federal level, where the President,
Senators, and Representatives serve. State and
local officials vary, but most states carry a governor,
lieutenant governor, attorney general, state supreme
court justices, comptroller, treasurer, state senators
and representatives. These officials are elected by the
voters in their own districts. Local officials, such as
mayors, town and city council members, county commissioners,
school board officials make up the majority
of elected officials in the U.S.
With all of those positions, “How many elected
officials does the US really have?” Most people I’ve
asked this question have guessed wrong, some have
noted 542 - the exact number of federal offices that
global news media follows during the Presidential and
midterms elections.
Would it surprise you to learn that there are at least
half a million elected officials in the United States of
America? That means that over half a million people
have to a greater or lesser degree campaigned, had
their name on a ballot, and then waited on election
day to see if they would find themselves elected to
public office. For scale, this is roughly the population
of Helsinki. That means, potentially, there are half a
million people that could make decisions that impact
far beyond their local scope.
California’s targets can set the tone
An illustrative example is the State of California’s commitment
to taking measures against climate change.
Although President Donald Trump pulled the United
States out of the agreement in 2017, the California state
legislature remained committed and have governed
accordingly. The state of California is the world’s fifth
largest economy. They have set a goal of being carbon
neutral by 2045 - their participation led by state and
local officials, on scale, will have a larger impact than
most European countries.
This illustrates how decisions in local elections and
in state elections can have an impact globally. How
California achieves their targets can set the tone, not
just for the rest of the United States, but for countries
around the globe.
Not just what happens in the White House
Pew Research’s 2018 year-long study, “The Public,
The Political System, and American democracy,” delves
into America’s differing views on local, state, and
federal elections. When asked about local elections
67% of respondents had a positive view of their local
government, while only 35% felt the same for the
federal government. 73% of respondents felt that the
quality of political candidates running for local office
was excellent, while only 41% said the same about
presidential candidates.
Most decisions that impact daily life for Americans
are made at a local political level. On issues such as
climate change, it may be that strategies for solving
global problems are tackled on that local level too. So
for Americans, but also everyone else, U.S. politics isn’t
just about what happens in the office of the Presidency
or Congress, but about state and local politics as well.
If you’re looking for resources on local US elections,
I recommend visiting: www.usa.gov/election-office,
or for information about voting: www.usvotefoundation.
org.
Did you know?
“All Politics is local.” This familiar proverb in U.S.
politics was famously used by the 47th speaker of the
House of Representatives Thomas “Tip” O’Neill Jr
(1912 – 1994), but is attributed to Associated Press
Washington Bureau chief Byron Price in 1932. It refers
to the fact that votes are concerned most about issues
that affect their own lives and communities and vote
according to that, rather than national or global issues.
ALEXANDRA PASTERNAK-JACKSON, CEO at Amcham Finland, is working to make Finland a more open and
international place to do business and to help Finnish companies navigate the US market. She has taught on the
importance of networking as well as held non-profit board positions, both in Finland and the US. Alexandra holds
an MBA from Haaga Helia University of Applied Sciences and a BA from the Elliott School of International Affairs
at the George Washington University. She lives in Helsinki with her Texan husband and two kids.
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