When life throws local elections at you, you vote. 

If you’re anything like me, you probably haven’t heard much about early voting for the next Coppell mayor and city council positions starting today through April 27, with election day falling on May 1. At least not in the same way you hear about the presidential ones. 

Before I had the right to vote, I couldn’t have cared less what happened in my city, but now that I can, I see an urgency to do so every time.

City councils are responsible for allocating the money they receive to the appropriate places. For example, if Texas experiences a huge storm which impairs several Coppell buildings, the city council gets a say in where the money given from state authorities will be spent to fix it. They are in charge of city projects such as building new infrastructure and they act as the wheels for new legislation when its need arises.

An appropriate place to spend money can be very subjective, however, and what is important to one member of the council might not be as important to you. Local elections get considerably less turnout than any other kind of election, which means that you have less of a chance to be represented accurately. 

The same way we vote for a presidential candidate who we believe will represent our political views, we have to vote for city council members who have the same vision for our city as we do. If we are negligent in our voting, we can’t complain that the council is filled with people who don’t do what we want them to. Your right to vote is a precious one, use it to its fullest extent. 

Voting will take place at the Coppell Town Center. To view who is on the ballot, you can click here. A detailed calendar for this election can be found on the City of Coppell website. 

Missed your chance to register? Mark your calendars for the next local election – which won’t be until next year – and make it a priority to do your research and go to the polls. 

Follow Camila Villarreal (@fliipthewriter) and @CHSCampusNews on Twitter.