I voted today in the Hawaii primary election today via mail-in ballot. It's the first "local" election I've participated in since moving back to the US after an extended stay in Japan, and the experience was a bit unsettling. I work in finance and keep abreast of the news, so I'm WELL aware of everything going on in the national election conversation. However, I'm of the opinion that local elections will have a much more significant impact on my day-to-day life, so I try not to get too caught up in who the next president of the US will be. Unfortunately, there are SO MANY CANDIDATES for local office with such small campaign operations that's it's pretty hard to figure out who stands for what. I had to rely on this bio page in the local newspaper, which was horribly incomplete.
I guess I'll have to spend the next 2 years getting more familiar with local politics and politicians in general if I'm really going to feel like my vote counts for anything. Anyone else have similar experiences?