Opinion: Staying engaged and connected makes our city better

Cheers, Springfield. You rocked this year’s midterms.

Our Queen City increased voter turnout by an impressive 27.6 percent compared with the last midterms in 2014. It was the highest turnout increase among cities of the same name in Illinois, Massachusetts and Oregon. The friendly competition to boost Election Day turnout, Springfield Votes!, was put together by the League of Women Voters.

The local campaign targeted primarily young professionals in social posts and a video with familiar faces from “The Mystery Hour.”

It was a plea to millenials, typically the slackers among voting groups by age, to get informed and get to the polls.

Hard voting data broken down by age isn’t available; Census data estimates voter turnout based on self-reporting. A report from the Pew Research Center found 51 percent of eligible millenials nationwide said they would vote in the last major election, the lowest among the voting population’s generations.

As I guessed in my last column, millennials helped vote ourselves out of that slacker label with last month’s turnout in Springfield.

Voting is, or at least should be, what levels the playing field of our democracy – one voice, one vote. It’s a tremendous civic duty and privilege, and this notable increase in turnout can be added to the list of what makes our city great.

Being an informed voter is truly just one way to benefit our fair city. The next elections will be here before we know it, but in the meantime, here are some other ways we can stay engaged in community betterment.

1. Give and volunteer.
The holiday season is a great entry point into volunteerism and giving back, but it’s not the only time to be generous. People in our community need help paying for groceries year-round, kids need to visit the dentist even in the summer months and women fleeing situations of domestic violence need a safe place to rest their head all year. We know this, but many of us still concentrate our generosity around this time of year.

A survey from the nonprofit Insider Network shows much of the funds raised by nonprofits are concentrated in the fourth quarter, as nearly 30 percent of charities raise almost half of their annual operating budgets in year-end donations.

Let’s continue with year-end giving, but consider also creating an annual day to give back as an office or a family in January or February. Generosity of time and treasure is more impactful when given regularly.

2. Don’t zone out.
As much as I love listening to NPR on the way to and from work, some days it’s tough to keep it on. Lately, national news seems like a track on repeat.

But we only work well as a country when we stay informed, and not just for the sake of elections. The power from civic engagement goes beyond one day.

Numerous boards, commissions and committees need citizens to lend their voices. A Rosie panel last winter with city, county and state representatives specifically encouraged women, young professionals and people with diverse backgrounds to get involved.

3. Enjoy local offerings.
Each time we go out to eat, grab a coffee or buy a gift, there’s a choice to shop local. Springfield has no shortage of businesses to chose from. Certainly some items could be found with a lower price tag, but what’s the larger cost?

The Business Alliance for Local Living Economies finds that for every $10 million spent at a local business, 57 jobs are created. The same money spent with Amazon creates 14 jobs. Spending locally matters economically, and it creates a richer experience personally when you know your spending habits are helping fuel a neighbor’s dream.

We all get the same 24 hours each day to spend. Let’s commit to devoting our most precious commodities to civic engagement and supporting our community.

Springfield Business Journal Features Editor Christine Temple can be reached at ctemple@sbj.net.