A June debate and concerns about the candidates already have most Americans sharply focused on the presidential race to be decided in November. Historically voters tend to tune in after Labor Day, but this year’s White House campaign is nearly Inescapable in the heart of the summer rather the start of autumn.
Such enthusiasm is good, by and large, and reflects an uncommon level of political engagement leading up to the general election. But it’s important for Hampton Roads to remember that more than the Oval Office will be up for grabs this year, and that down-ballot races deserve voters’ attention as well.
Presidential election years routinely present a challenging environment for those running for other offices. The major national campaigns consume considerable oxygen from the political discourse, leaving those seeking to win seats in the U.S. House and even the Senate clamoring to cut through the din.
If the challenge for federal candidates sounds daunting, consider the women and men vying for municipal offices. With smaller campaign budgets, they cannot afford expensive advertising efforts but must instead rely on mailers that are often discarded and in-person rallies that may be sparsely attended, among other efforts.
That’s a shame because the people who serve on city councils and school boards arguably have a larger impact on residents’ day-to-day lives than does anyone in Washington. Local authorities set property tax rates, fund public education and public safety, make planning and zoning decisions, deal with sanitation and other services, and are responsible for a host of duties that profoundly affect a community’s quality of life.
For instance, in Virginia Beach, the commonwealth’s largest city by population, residents will choose a mayor and members of the City Council and School Board. Beach voters will also elect a sheriff to complete the unexpired term of Ken Stolle, who retired from his position in 2023.
Those races have already drawn a number of candidates, including six people running for mayor, so voters will have an array of choices. It also means Beach residents have plenty of learning about the candidates to do before casting a ballot this year.
The city’s elections are scheduled to be conducted using the 10-district system first used in 2022 and formally adopted by the council in 2023. Known as the 10-1 system because of one at-large member, the change to representation remains the subject of legal challenges so that may well change before November.
Other Hampton Roads cities will have similarly compelling choices on the ballot this year, albeit without the lawsuits pending in Virginia Beach.
Portsmouth, which has struggled to establish continuity in City Hall, will elect a mayor, three City Council members and five School Board members, giving residents a chance to shape municipal government in line with their aspirations for that community.
Chesapeake voters will see a similar ballot, with the offices of mayor, three seats on City Council and four seats on the School Board all up for election this year.
Newport News won’t have a mayor on its ballot this year — Phillip Jones won the office in 2022 — but voters there will select three City Council members and three School Board members when they head to the polls this fall.
In each of these cities and the others in Hampton Roads, most voters will have to seek out information about those running. It’s a task made easier by campaign websites and social media, and The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press recently published stories about many of these races, setting the table for the November vote. You can find a compilation this election content online at pilotonline.com/election2024 and dailypress.com/election2024.
But it’s still incumbent on the public to carve out time in the coming months to do their due diligence about the candidates before them in order to make informed choices at the polls. The presidential election will overshadow all else, but given the importance of these municipal offices voters cannot make the mistake of letting these important local races fall through the cracks.
