Every election matters — we’ve all heard this truism, mostly right before a plea to get out the vote. “Every vote can make a difference,” we are told, in order to get us to overcome our apathy and walk to our polling location.

But one of the biggest factors affecting turnout, especially in the years without a presidential election, is that national issues draw more voters than local ones do.

It’s a paradoxical situation, as local issues tend to impact voters much more. One would imagine that turnout should be much larger in Pittsburgh for a mayoral election than a presidential one: After all, our mayor sets the city’s priorities which impacts the surrounding cities and counties as well.

Yet, local elections in places like Pittsburgh, where one party has a fivefold registered electoral a

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