Mississippi County Elections: Election Prep 101

Information recorded in 2019

Interested in running for local office? Want to learn more about the offices you are voting for?

The government closest and most impactful to the people is local government; the county and city are governed by friends and neighbors.

About Local Government

The original role of local government was limited. The county was merely a subdivision of the state, and its role was to assess and collect taxes, provide for the local courts, and maintain the roads. Today, if you woke to find that your local government had closed, you would not be able to call the sheriff or police for protection, your school bus would not arrive, and your schools could be closed. There would be no fire protection. The health department, which inspects restaurants, milk, and food, would be closed. You could not check a book out of the public library or secure a license to get married. Soon the roads and bridges would become impassible from disrepair; criminals would roam free since there would be no police, no courts, and no jail. As you can see, we rely on local government and the public services it provides every day and in many areas of our lives.