As qualifications end Friday, local candidates are officially gearing up for the upcoming November elections. Across our community, thousands of campaign dollars will soon be poured into signs, radio spots, digital ads, and direct mail. Yet, beneath the financial flash, a stark numerical reality looms over this election cycle: many of these pivotal local races will be decided by just a few hundred voters.
The stakes could hardly be higher for the future of Monroe and Ouachita Parish.
- Monroe City School Board: All seven seats are up for election, with only two incumbents expected to seek re-election. This guarantees a massive leadership shift for local education.
- District Attorney: A new District Attorney will be selected to helm the parish’s legal and criminal justice system.
- Judicial Races: Voters will choose candidates to fill key bench seats—including three minority district judgeships and one non-minority judgeship.
- Monroe City Marshal: At least two candidates will be vying for this critical law enforcement post.
Despite the monumental decisions on the ballot, voting data tells a troubling story. Over the last several election cycles, minority turnout in state and local elections across Louisiana and Ouachita Parish has consistently trended downward. While turnout in high-visibility presidential elections can reach 60% or higher, local and off-year elections suffer from severe voter drop-off.
We saw the extreme end of this trend earlier this year when minority turnout hovered at a disheartening 12 percent for the Monroe City School tax millage election.
A democracy functions best when a broad cross-section of the electorate participates. When turnout collapses into the single digits or low teens, decisions that impact tens of thousands of residents—and millions in public funds—end up being dictated by a tiny fraction of the population.
This reality creates a clear strategy for any serious candidate: invest in the ground game.
In the coming weeks, voters’ feeds will be flooded with an unprecedented wave of digital media. From polished videos to AI-generated campaign ads—some authentic, others deceptive—the digital space will be louder than ever. Roadways will be lined with political signs, posters, and billboards. But candidates must remember a fundamental truth: signs and AI-generated memes don’t vote.
It makes very little sense for campaigns to spend thousands of dollars trying to win over public sentiment without committing even greater resources to direct voter engagement. For candidates seeking minority support in particular, the winning strategy won’t be found in a viral video; it will depend entirely on identifying, reaching, and physically getting voters to the polls.
The ground game is not t-shirts and rallies, photo opts and appearances at churches. The ground game specifically involves:
–Providing rides, reminders, and polling location info on Election Day to maximize turnout.
–Door-to-door canvassing: Volunteers chatting with voters at home prior to the election
–Phone banking & texting: Contacting voters directly to share information.
A ground game requires an organized team. It is costly, but effective.
Minority candidates have ignored effective ground games in most elections and fallen in defeat at the polls to those who know how it is done.
When races are settled by narrow, three-figure margins, every door knocked, every phone call made, and every ride provided to the precinct matters. The leaders we elect this November will shape our courts, our classrooms, and our streets.
Candidates must earn those seats on the pavement, and as voters, we must show up to claim our voice.
