I will be the first to admit that I

pay more attention to national politics

than I do local politics. I didn’t take an
interesting into local politics until this
past year. So it didn’t surprise me when
Druman (2019) stated that “The
overwhelming majority of Americans
consume disproportionately more news
about national politics than about state
and local politics. In one analysis, 99
percent of respondents in a typical media market never visited websites dedicated to local
news. In a typical local election, fewer than one in five citizens bother to vote.” I didn’t realize
how important it is to be more involved in our local government. During the 2016 election, I was
so surprised by the turn out. I do recall missing class the next day because I was so sad. I was
disappointed because I felt like I could have done more somehow, someway. So when this past
year of local elections were going on, my mom and I got more involved with local elections here
in Tahlequah.

My mom was on the UKB Tribal council for 2 years (one term). I helped her make a Facebook
page to inform her constituents of her passions and goals for the tribe. We made signs all
around Tahlequah just so her name would get out. When Sarah referenced canvassing, phone
banks, turnout, and GOTV, it made me immediately think of my mom and Jason Nichols.

So first it made me think of my mom because she loved using direct contact to get to know who
her voters were and what they wanted for the tribe. She would hold campaign rallies so her
voters could get to know her and her beliefs on things.

Jason Nichols did the same thing while he

was campaigning. I actually attended a
few of his campaign functions. My mom
even signed up to make phone calls to
remind people to go vote.

It is really important that local politics

need to be focus on direct contact in
politics because it gives you an idea of
how the person is. As Sarah said in her
video, it humanizes the person. We have
this persona of how politicians are. For
me, I do feel that when I think of
politicians I think of them as being mean,
selfish, and greedy. Direct contact can
eliminate that idea for a local politician.
When I met Jason Nichols, he was so kind and caring! He asked me what my name was, if I
was going to school, what I want to use my degree for, etc. I know it may not seem like a whole
lot, but he did give the impression that he was interested in me, as a person.

In conclusion, we all need to be more immersed in our local politics. Social media has huge
contribution on why we focus on national politics more but perhaps we could use social media
more when local elections are about to take place and emphasize on direct contact as well.