Since local election winners are often determined by tens or hundreds of votes – these vote total differences speak loudly in political candidates’ field plans and in afterelection agendas. The good news for these wards is that significant numbers of voters do participate in general elections, especially when electing presidents. In 2004, wards 6, 5, 3 and 2 saw huge jumps in turnout and vote totals with ward 6 posting a 77 percent voter turnout and 4,617 votes; ward 5 with a 69 percent turnout with 3,248 votes; ward 3 with a 67 percent turnout and 4,367 votes and ward 2 with a 65 percent voter turnout and 3,697 votes. These numbers bust the myth that people in these wards simply will not vote.

How to get them to vote, however, is a key question. Generally get out the vote efforts are led by political parties and special-interest groups. Maybe neighborhood leaders from Springfield’s older areas need to put more skin in the game. Some of these neighborhoods are already asserting newfound power and influence through local issue advocacy. Another strategy to add to the neighborhood revitalization arsenal is to get involved in regular, ongoing, neighborto-neighbor voter mobilization efforts.

Because if you don’t vote, you won’t count.

Sheila Stocks-Smith is a special projects consultant and adjunct professor at UIS teaching a class on public policy.