The Changing Tide — Is the Age of Voter Apathy Over in Cameron County?

By Diego Garcia III | Editor of The Brownsville Beacon

Are we witnessing a change in voter apathy in Cameron County?

For years, Deep South Texas has been notorious for abysmally low voter turnout. In a city of over 180,000 people, being able to string together a few thousand votes has usually been enough to get you elected to office. 

That trend appears to be slowly changing. Voter turnout has been on the rise over the last few election cycles. Obviously numbers are higher in presidential election years, but 2018 saw an increase in voter participation in a non-presidential election cycle. In 2014, 21% of registered voters participated in the election. 2018 saw that number jump to 39%. 

2018 also saw the number of registered voters in Cameron County jump to over 203,000, up almost six thousand from two years before. We've seen an increase in both registered voters and the percentage of those registered voters actually casting their vote.

There seem to be several different factors driving this change. Social media and the internet have definitely played a role in this. Since Brownsville doesn't have a legitimate daily newspaper, the people have turned to social media pages and the Brownsville Blogosphere to get their local political information. Local reporting is usually covered more completely by bloggers like Juan Montoya, Jerry McHale, and Jim Barton. Frank Mar's Nomorecheezmeh Official page does a live stream dedicated to Brownsville, and recently Erasmo Castro has resurrected his live stream with Roman Perez as his co-host. Castro's show has been re-branded as Brownsville Talk. Several other Facebook pages dedicate themselves to posting local news stories and political information.

The blogosphere and social media have also provided a platform for several community activists to begin educating the public and shedding light on issues that desperately need our attention. Never have the people been more able to call attention to things they believe local politicians have neglected. 

I can only hope this trend continues. The more people register to vote, and the more votes cast, the more local politicians will be forced to listen to their constituents. If the voters hold politicians accountable for their actions and demand actual, tangible results, maybe politicians will begin to enact policies and pass legislation and ordinances to help move Brownsville and Cameron County in the right direction. 

Politicians can no longer afford to sit back and rely on their regular voting base. The era of politiquera politics may very well be coming to an end. Voters are demanding more transparency and more results. 

Incumbents are starting to realize they won't be able to cruise to their usual election victories. Some politicians who normally run unopposed or with hardly any serious competition are starting to see some pretty serious primary challenges. Early indications show several potential upsets may be just around the corner whe the March primary season arrives. There is already a lot of aggressive campaigning taking place. Several candidate forums are on the books leading up to the start of next month's early voting. 

I challenge you all to do research on any candidates you're thinking about voting for. They probably have some sort of social media platform where you can contact them. Ask them their position on issues that concern you. Attend a candidate forum. Join a community organization that represents your views. Educate yourselves and be informed before you darken in that bubble next to their name on the ballot. Find the candidate that best represents your interests and support them. 

The last day to register to vote for the March 3 primary elections is February 3rd. Early voting starts on February 18th.

You can register to vote here:
www.cameroncounty.us/elections/index.php/register-to-vote/

You can find the early voting locations here:
www.cameroncounty.us/elections/index.php/early-voting-election-day-polling-places/

We here at the Beacon aren't encouraging to vote for one candidate over another. We're simply encouraging you to vote.  

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