If you read one thing: About 1 in 5 registered voters in Houston typically participate in municipal elections. As a result, the voting base collectively looks far different from Houston's broader population, skewing dramatically older, whiter and more conservative.
By the numbers:
The median municipal voter in Houston is over 60 years old, while voters 65 and older only make up about 14 percent of Houston's voting age population.
Plus, in a city where 47 percent of residents are Latino, only roughly 18 percent of the city's voting base share that background.
Why are older residents more likely to vote?
For one, older residents are more likely to be homeowners and directly pay city property taxes or interact with municipal government's most recognizable arms — more likely to have trash and recycling bins, to pay water bills, take ambulance rides and worry about neighborhood safety and policing.
Another leading predictor of voting is a person's duration in their community, according to researchers, and older voters naturally are more likely to have established long roots in their home.
What does this mean for municipal elections?
The result of low turnout is a heavier focus on quality of life issues that senior citizens tend to prioritize, with an emphasis on crime, infrastructure and neighborhood concerns. However, their preferences in those areas do not always align with the broader population.
Read Dylan McGuinness' full story here.
Houston has an election on Nov. 7. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 10. Check your registration status here.
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