Vote Local, Vote Often Because maybe that’s all it takes.

Current State

We love to blame the system. It’s too broken. Too polarized. Too rigged. So what do we do? We dream up giant fixes — electoral college reform, new parties, term limits, rank-choice voting, ending gerrymandering. All noble, but unlikely to happen. But what if the fix is simple, easy, and affordable

What if we just… showed up?

The Secret the Extremes Already Know

Let’s be honest: the “fringe” isn’t winning because it’s the majority. It’s winning because it shows up, especially in primaries and local elections.

Moderates? The pragmatists? The people who want to solve problems and keep things from burning down? They don’t vote in primaries. They skip school board elections. They forget midterms.

And here’s the truth: we did not learn civics in class (were they even trying to teach it?). Most national politicians began their careers in local government, serving on city councils, school boards, and state legislatures.

That’s the pipeline. And right now, it’s clogged with candidates who won by 300 votes because no one else showed up.

What Happens When Everyone Votes?

Let’s examine countries where local turnout is strong and the voting culture is well-established.

🇸🇪 Sweden: Turnout: ~85% (national), ~80% (local)

• Proportional representation helps, yes. But cultural civic participation keeps extremists from dominating.
• Far-right parties exist, but coalition constraints limit their influence because moderates tend to vote.

🇦🇺 Australia: Turnout: 90%+ (mandatory voting)

• Voting is treated like taxes — a civic duty, not just a right.
• The result? Less extreme polarization, more centrist governance.
• Bonus: People know who their local Member of Parliament (MP) is.

🇩🇪 Germany: Turnout: ~76% national, 50–70% local

• Post-World War II Germany structured its politics to inoculate itself against extremism.
• Voter education campaigns keep participation high. Even with far-right surges, the system tempers extremes via coalition-building.

🇩🇰 Denmark, 🇳🇱 Netherlands, 🇳🇿 New Zealand

• Higher education, media literacy, and voting in all elections combine to starve the extremes of oxygen.
• Local politics is not a sideshow — it’s where the public tests ideas and promotes leaders.

So Let’s Run the Experiment Here

Instead of bitching, moaning, and now existential crises. Let’s stop dreaming of structural change that might take a generation — and start changing who gets through the pipeline.

Let’s try everyone voting in every election for a decade. Not just presidential.

When the middle emerges, the extremes fall quiet. Let’s let the middle emerge.

The Challenge

No revolution. No redistricting. No nearly-existent third party. Just you, voting in the elections that don’t make the news. In yoga, we learn that the most challenging poses (for many of us) are just showing up.

We hold our founders in respectful esteem. While they were not perfect, I do not think they ever considered that those who could vote would choose to bury their heads in the sand and hope for the best.

What if that's all it takes? Let's find out. Join the experiment. Vote local. Avoid the next <PRESIDENT’S NAME HERE> derangement syndrome.