Surveys show Americans are getting increasingly concerned about the future of our democracy. You see it at political rallies. It can feel like civic engagement has never been greater.
But at the local level, where the government can have a much greater impact on our lives, it's often much different.
In the spring primary elections in McLean County, most county, state and even federal candidates had no opposition. Largely as a result, turnout was only 21%.
Mike Straza is one year into his first term on the Bloomington City Council. His background is in business and finance. He said he ran for the city council out of a desire to serve and to solve problems for the public he represents.
“When I do get comments, emails, phone calls, texts from the community, they [ask] ‘How do I do this? Who do I need to talk to?’ That’s the part I like, connecting them to the right person,” Straza said.
Straza’s path to elected office was many years in the making. He got started in public service by serving on various planning committees and the Bloomington Zoning Board of Appeals.
In 2019, Straza participated in a free, city-sponsored program called Bloomington 101. It's a 10-week program where residents get an up-close look at each city department, everything from police to public works to the zoo.
Straza said he learned a lot about the inner workings of city government – and it affirmed his desire to get involved.
“Hearing the things going on and understanding this is the next step, I definitely want to be involved in some type of fashion to help the city, help the people, the community. So that was one of the deciding factors,” Straza said.
The city has since put its Bloomington 101 program on hiatus. It did not have enough participants sign up this year.
The Town of Normal has a similar program, called All About Normal, which is still active.
Jacob Smith runs it for the town. He said participants do learn about government, but they get to see some cool things too, like watching live feeds from cameras that run underground to inspect sewer lines.
“It feels kind of like a video game,” Smith said.
Smith said it's one of the modern efficiencies that taxpayers don't hear much about and hopefully gives them more appreciation for what public servants do.
“When people see clever solutions like that – that you would never think about with something like sewer piping – I think those are the really fun moments throughout the entire program that people are always really excited to see,” Smith said.
Smith said those who participate in All About Normal are enthusiastic – but participation is light. Seven residents completed the program last year. The town is considering changing the schedule this year in hopes of getting more to sign up.
Pulled into public service
Programs like All About Normal and Bloomington 101 are just one way to prepare for run for higher office. For some, a particular issue thrusts them into public life.
Susan Schafer of Bloomington has found various ways to serve her community but never imagined running for office.
“I’m not an extrovert. I am not that kind of person. It’s not about me,” Schafer said.
Back in 2010, Schafer became involved in an effort to stop a gravel pit from coming to her neighborhood. She became the face of the movement.
“I got known as the gravel pit lady,” Schafer recalled. “I’m like, great name.”
Schafer helped convince McLean County government not to approve the gravel pit. Through this effort, she built a coalition. And she said one of her county board members at the time didn't talk to their group. So, the next time county board elections came up, she ran. Schafer won and would serve 14 years on the county board.
Schafer's example of political engagement is more typical in this part of the country, according to a researcher of local governments.
Nathan Lee is a political scientist and the founder of the nonprofit CivicPulse. He said the Upper Midwest and New England states tend to have more candidates for local office and more civic engagement.
He pointed to six characteristics generally linked to more civic engagement. First, it happens in communities where there's more civic networks and ways to build social capital – think PTA, churches, even rec softball leagues.
“We had one school board member in New Jersey who thought that families involved in rec sports were more present in other decision-making aspects of a community,” Lee said. “So civic networks is kind of a squishy concept but does seem to be very important.”
Lee said the data shows the single best way to boost public engagement is to hold local elections for offices like mayor, city council and school board at the same time as the higher-turnout state and national elections. Illinois doesn’t do that.
“If this were a disease you were trying to treat, this is a very well-established intervention that would unambiguously improve voter turnout. Then there’s the interest question about what the spillover benefits would be between voter turnout and participation more generally,” Lee said.
Finding those willing to serve
Lee said communities with more homeownership, wealth and religious groups also tend to have more public engagement and more candidates. He said those who own a home may feel more invested in a community. People with money can more easily take time off work to run for office and to serve.
And wealth gets to another common factor: Smaller communities tend to have an easier time finding candidates. Lee said that's because about half of local races don't require much, if any, fundraising.
“The most important barrier is having to fundraise. No one likes fundraising,” Lee said.
Candidates often have to raise money to campaign, and campaigns, even at the local level, can be personally challenging.
Mike Straza didn't have to campaign when he ran for Bloomington City Council last year. The incumbent decided not to run.
But Straza was in a heated three-way race for mayor four years earlier. And even in a nonpartisan race, Straza said he learned early on you need thick skin.
“When I first ran for mayor years ago, [I] didn’t realize the passion that people had to their candidates or to your ideas or what they thought you were or what they assumed. There’s a lot of social media out there. People assume one thing or another.” Straza said.
“If you look at threats and harassment, it goes up at every level of government. And within local government, it goes up the higher the population. So why the hell would you want to do this?”Nathan Lee from CivicPulse
Nathan Lee from CivicPulse said political polarization, and a sometimes-aggressive public, is a big reason why fewer candidates run for public office.
“If you look at threats and harassment, it goes up at every level of government. And within local government, it goes up the higher the population. So why the hell would you want to do this?” Lee said.
Normal Mayor Chris Koos, who helps find people to serve on town boards and commissions, said he tries to convince people anyway by encouraging them to balance helping the community with the risk even though most of the harsh rhetoric is empty.
This happened to some extent even before the advent of social media screeds.
“When I first became a council member I had fellow business people … I had been president of the Downtown Normal Business Association and two years later I am a council member and I am the enemy,” said Koos. “I was perceived as a different person.”
Lee said when more good people are turned off from the political process, what's usually left are what he calls ideological zealots who only drive polarization further, leaving fewer people satisfied.
And Lee says when communities have fewer choices on the ballot and less civic engagement, policies end up favoring those who campaign, organize and vote – generally those of greater wealth.
While McLean County is in area with many characteristics of a highly engaged community, it still has a shortage of candidates for elected office. When Straza ran for city council last year, the council had three uncontested races. The ballot in the City of Bloomington had 21 candidates for 19 seats. Three offices had no candidates.
This article was produced through the Healing Illinois: Democracy Lives Here Reporting Project with the Medill Solutions Journalism Hub at Northwestern University. Healing Illinois — an Illinois Department of Human Services initiative managed with the Field Foundation — supports storytelling and community collaborations to address racial and systemic inequities across the state.
