Our republic only works as designed when eligible citizens register and then actually show up at their polling places to vote on election day. In Louisiana, the simple act of convincing people to vote in local and state elections has proven to be a challenge in recent election cycles. In the 2023 election for governor, only 36% of registered voters statewide bothered to vote. The numbers were even worse in New Orleans, where only 27% of voters cast votes. 

Recent New Orleans municipal election turnout has not been much better. In the most recent year without an incumbent in the mayor’s office, 2017, turnout was only 32% in the primary, in spite of a robust field of 18 candidates vying for the open seat. Turnout only improved one point to 33% for the runoff between Desiree Charbonnet and winner LaToya Cantrell. The city seems to be stuck in a rut where two-thirds of the population refuse to participate in local or state elections.

This pattern does not hold for presidential election years, when turnout is always much higher. In 2020, voter turnout was 70% statewide and 66% in New Orleans. These results expose irrational behavior by local voters for two reasons: 

First, Louisiana is not a swing state. It has not been one since the presidency of Bill Clinton. From the 2000 presidential election forward, Louisiana has been a reliable red state and firmly in the Republican column. Its allocation of electoral college votes to the Republican candidate is a forgone conclusion. The votes of Louisiana residents will not affect the outcome of the presidential election.

Second, from a pragmatic political viewpoint, the actions of a mayor have a far more direct impact on the day-to-day life of the average resident than the actions of a president. The president of the United States has nothing to do with paving your street, picking up your garbage, providing water and electricity to your home and workplace, or providing police protection to keep your family safe. Those services are all provided by a city government run by a mayor and city council. 

To be clear, it is the civic duty of citizens to vote in every election, local, state, and national. 

However, local voters seem to have their priorities backwards. They are not voting when it counts most. They vote in high numbers in elections where they will not determine the outcome, but vote in low numbers when they can directly affect the outcome. They also vote in lower numbers in the elections most likely to affect their daily lives. 


Voters need to understand that in a city with vulnerable electric grids and water utilities, and periodic spikes in violent crime, voting for the people who decide  basic health and public safety services needs to be their first political priority. 

Voters are not solely to blame for apathy. Local elected officials also bear much of the blame. In polling done over the last few years, the number one reason survey respondents give for not voting is that they don’t think it will make a difference. Voters are jaded because politicians are not keeping their promises. Ineffective public officials do not deliver the benefits they promised, which leads to more apathy and even lower voter turnout. Louisiana is stuck in this loop. 

How do we break out of this loop? It begins with voter education and changing priorities. Many people vote in presidential elections because they were taught in high school civics classes that it is their civic duty to vote for president. We need to teach people that voting in local elections is the same civic duty, especially since local elections affect their quality of life more than national elections. 

Based on past voting behavior, we can expect a 65%-70% local and state turnout in the upcoming presidential election. We should require our friends, family, and neighbors who we know are voting for president, to make the exact same civic commitment to vote for mayor and city council in the same high numbers when those elections are held next year. 

Once we get past the presidential election and enter 2025, we will be in a municipal election year. The candidates for mayor will announce their intentions and begin rolling out their platforms. Voters must engage with the mayoral candidates with the same level of enthusiasm they show for their presidential candidates. Vote for mayor as it has more impact on the health and safety of your family than your vote for president. Because, in fact, it does.

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Robert Collins is a professor of Urban Studies and Public Policy at Dillard, where he holds the Conrad N. Hilton Endowed Professorship. He previously held positions as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences...