MANSFIELD — There is no such thing as an “off-year” election, especially in Mansfield and Richland County in 2023.
The many, many decisions area voters make Nov. 7 will have great impact on local lives, perhaps even more important than national election votes cast in 2024.
Mayors. Finance Directors. Judges. City and village council members. School board members. Township trustees. Many tax issues, including school levies.
Just in the City of Mansfield, voters will select the first new mayor and finance director in more than a decade. There are two contested races for City Council and a contest for municipal court Clerk of Courts. Two new municipal court judges will be elected and two new Mansfield City School board members will be chosen.
Richland Source city editor Carl Hunnell, who covers local government and politics, began his journalism career more than 40 years ago.
These are the people and decisions that will impact your life more than anyone sitting in Columbus or Washington, D.C.
Keep in mind, just one quarter of eligible voters in the city of Mansfield participated in November 2019, the most recent election in which Mansfield residents picked a mayor.
You really need to participate
Off-year election?
I think not.
That’s why we are already a week into election preview stories at Richland Source, starting more than a month before Election Day.
I covered my first local election in southeast Ohio four decades ago and am not a fan of starting pre-election coverage as early as we did this fall.
Everyone has a busy life. It’s hard to keep track of all of the candidates and issues. Memories are short, especially mine.
I would prefer to start publishing stories and related content closer to Election Day.
But there were just too many important races and issues to hold off as long as we usually do, including a pair of state issues on abortion rights and marijuana legalization that will attract a great deal of attention.
The fact is more and more people are choosing to vote early, which requires us to get information out sooner.
So let’s get a couple of important dates out of the way quickly.
— In order to vote during this crucial election cycle, you must be registered by Tuesday, Oct. 10.
— Early in-person voting and absentee voting both begin Wednesday, Oct. 11.
Answers to your questions are a click away
There are many online resources available to you in terms of election information.
Not sure you are registered? Check here.
Not sure how to register? Check here.
Want to see the complete list of candidates and races around the county? Check here.
Want to see the complete list of issues on the ballot? Check here.
Want to keep track of all of the pre-election stories we published at Richland Source? Check here.
We will preview many, but not all, of the races on the ballot. We are working on a couple of “Candidate Conversation” events at Idea Works Oct. 25-26, similar to what we did for the May primary.
The important point to all of this is you. You need to register. You need to educate yourself on the candidates and the issues.
And then you need to vote.
It’s a lot of responsibility. But that’s Democracy for you.
