THIS year’s Local Government Elections will be held on Monday, June 12. These elections allow people to elect members of their communities to represent their interests and solve existing problems. It brings decision-making, advocacy, and problem-solving to a community level instead of national and regional level actions.

Despite the perceived importance of these elections (though I’m not saying the general and regional elections are less important), voter turnout is usually low. In 2016, it was about 39 per cent based on local reports; in 2018, it dipped further to 36.3 per cent.

Several reasons have been proffered for these low figures. Not knowing the candidates in their respective constituencies and a lower sense of importance are among the reasons local commentators and analysts provided over the years.

The June 12 Local Government Elections are being held after delays and up to two weeks ago efforts were made to delay the elections further. Still, in the last two weeks or so, we have seen a ramp-up in political campaigning across the country, especially from the two larger parties: the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), the party currently in government, and the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) a major constituent of the parliamentary opposition.

Smaller parties and independent candidates have found ways of promoting themselves. Some have turned to media with national coverage, others have found advantages in going door-to-door and connecting with people. Some have leveraged social media more.

Whether the heightened engagement recently leads to a higher voter turnout will be something we see after the elections. Maybe this year, we could see greater voter turnout for the elections. Maybe we could also see changes in voting patterns. However, that can only happen if more people are encouraged to go out and vote. And people, I think, are encouraged to do so if they know more about the elections.

I’ve seen groups and bodes attempt to engage in the public education required to motivate people to exercise their franchise at these elections. The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has also engaged in public engagements, but it can be argued that this constitutional body can do much more for public awareness and sensitisation.

There are nuances in the messages, but fundamentally, the driving point has been that you can elect people who are expected to work directly in your communities. And you can hold those people accountable because they are from your communities and, ideally, well-known to you. These elections result in or should result in, electing people who tackle those burning issues in communities, like poor garbage collection, the development of community spaces, and a more efficient delivery of services and interventions.

Still, we can’t look at these elections and the responsibility of the people elected with rose-tinted glasses only. Local government bodies have long complained about limited resources, more so since it is difficult for them to raise their funds. In some cases, political interference has been said to stymie the work of these councils. We may have great expectations from these councils, but there are challenges to consider.

With greater turnout and interest, these local bodies would be better positioned to lobby for greater support and resources. At the very least, it should mean that more people are willing or interested in supporting these local bodies.

Nevertheless, we are hours away from these elections and those of us eligible should go out and vote.

If you would like to connect with me to discuss this column or any of my previous work, feel free to email me at vish14ragobeer@gmail.com.