Spring is on the horizon. Voter Services/GOTV will have a calm, quiet spring election season. The only election event is April 22 for a Meridian School District bond issue.
Please be aware of the importance of Local Elections in August and November. THEY are important to Whatcom County.
County governments have two roles:
1) They provide certain services to people who live inside the county but outside of any town or city (This is called an “unincorporated area”). For instance, Whatcom County Sheriff agents patrol the roads and respond to crimes committed in unincorporated areas.
2) Counties provide some services to everyone in the county, regardless of whether they live in a town or city or unincorporated area.
The Services county governments provide for everybody in the county include collecting property taxes, protecting public health, providing human services, (i.e. Help for the elderly, and the people who are mentally ill) and conducting elections.
County governments are also responsible for superior and District Court and the county jail.
Local governments provide services right up to the driveway and sometimes inside most people’s houses: the streets people travel on, the water that comes out of the faucets, the sewer that takes away everything that goes down the drain, and garbage and recycling service are all provided by local governments.
Local governments also keep us safe in many ways. Building inspectors make sure the houses we live in and the schools we attend are built properly and don’t fall down in an earthquake. Health departments make sure the restaurants are clean and that they don’t service food that makes us sick.
Local police and sheriffs protect us from crime, fire departments put out fires and promote fire prevention. These are just a few examples of the importance of local government services.
School board members are often part of a local ballot as well. Whether you have children in school or not, the quality of schools impact ALL of us.
Local governments are closest to us and usually the first place we turn when we need help. Because they are so close to us, local governments are also the easiest for citizens to contact if we want to change something in the local area.
Your vote is very important for the protection and the services In Whatcom County.
Every Vote Locally Matters.
