Federal elections get the most attention in US politics, but here is why local elections deserve more of your focus.
Look at these sources for information on important issues, what candidates believe, and election updates.
The easiest way to learn about local candidates and issues is through the local news sources. The local news will have journalists who understand local issues and political structures and be able to directly cover these elections in detail. Unfortunately, there has been a loss of local news sources across the United States in recent years, which results in less coverage of local elections and even news deserts with little or no coverage in some areas.
This page has a few good, all-purpose Memphis-area news sources. However, you can find a longer list with more coverage by going to the News Literacy & News Sources guide and selecting the Memphis News Sources tab.
Another way to learn about local elections is to look for political endorsements. An endorsement is when a person or group publicly says to vote for a specific candidate or ballot issue, and they will generally explain why they are endorsing the candidate or issue. If you trust that person or group and feel their values and interests match yours, then you might be inclined to vote for who they endorse.
Some examples of people and groups who might give endorsements are:
These endorsements might be shared on their websites or social media and reported on in local news sources.