That number was higher than many anticipated, considering about 4,500 votes were cast in the past two municipal elections and that the mayor's race was the only contested one on the ballot. That turnout put Abilene in double figures for percentage. In a city of more than 100,000 that means between 5 percent and 6 percent of the population chose our top elected official. In fact, the reverse is true.
Presidential elections attract about half the nation's voters.
Last year's statewide campaign drew a bit more than a third of registered Texans. At the municipal level, that figure sinks to 10 percent or lower. It's even getting harder to find candidates willing to run for city office. Odessa canceled its municipal election this year after only one person filed for three open council seats. Goodness knows plenty of residents complain about what the City Council does or doesn't do, and voting is the logical way to affect action.