When the thought of elections comes to mind, many people would think of the presidential elections. The question of who will be leading our country is a legitimate concern for many people. But what many people don’t know is that, in most cases, local elections have a larger effect on daily life than the presidential elections.

Most citizens don’t even know who’s running in their local area, simply because it isn’t taken as seriously as the presidential election. When politics are taken seriously, people will vote, but if smaller elections aren’t taken seriously, there could be a change that impacts everyone.

All elections are important and will hit home with everyone in one way or another. Depending on how seriously the election is taken, the possible outcomes will vary. If more people took the time to learn about political candidates and voted in the direction they wanted, there would be a better chance of getting someone that will make changes that the public agrees on.

Because local elections don’t get nearly as much media coverage as the presidential elections, most won’t know what’s going on in their community. The only people who would know about the elections would be the ones who are very immersed in their community community as a whole. The more people who are involved with their communities, the higher the chance of a positive change will happen in that area based on involvement.

On Nov. 3, 2015, Pennsylvania had four different elections for important branches of state government. They were for state legislators, school boards, municipal government and judicial courts. What does that mean for the people of Pennsylvania? It means that 91 people were elected onto school boards across the state, and more people were elected to the Supreme, Superior and Commonwealth Courts, as well as many others to the state legislation. With many new faces in state politics, there will be a possibility for change.

Local elections have a high tendency to impact people on a day-to-day basis, more so than the presidential elections. But without much advertising, these local candidates have a slim chance of having their intentions reach the public’s ears.

An easy way to become educated in local area politics is to watch the local news more, read the paper and to be actively engaged in the local community.