This upcoming Tuesday, Nov. 6, I urge the citizens of Michigan to do three things: Research the issues, learn about the candidates and vote.

In recent years, turnout for off-year municipal elections is hovering around 25 percent in my hometown of Troy. This number, unfortunately, is considered to be high by statewide standards. Turnout is around 14 percent In East Lansing. In many other communities it is only around 5-7 percent.

Learning about the issues and candidates has become much easier with the accessibility of information on the Internet and through the work of nonpartisan groups which provides information on issues and candidates in most elections. It is in the voter’s best interest to maximize both of these variables. There is really no excuse for every voter not to take an hour out of his or her time to consider what the issues are in local municipalities and make decisions about how these issues affect us all.

Potential voters also should consider that these elections are going to impact their lives, in the long term, much more than just millage rate increases and city planning. While these city issues are certainly important and should, on their own, encourage everyone to pay attention to municipal elections, those who are elected to city council are the future leaders on the state level.

City council members, mayors and county commissioners are the next in line to step up for state representative.

They are the future leaders, and one should consider whether these local candidates are the kinds of leaders we want to be making crucial budget decisions in Lansing in the future. Can they work across party lines? Do they have the political capital to make necessary but unpopular votes? Are they really interested in making good municipal policy, or are they merely interested in a stepping stone into state politics?

I make a special plea to those in my generation: Let’s not show the nonstudent population of East Lansing or any other city that we are apathetic or uninterested. Recent electoral trends in the 2004 presidential and 2006 midterm elections show that turnout in the under-30 crowd is growing.

Let’s continue that and make a statement in this election as well. To those of you planning on voting in East Lansing, you have a special incentive to play a role in this upcoming election. First of all, students should always be active in government because it does affect our everyday lives, and too often students do not become stakeholders in decisions made on their behalf. Parking rules, noise violations, traffic control — these are all issues that seem to affect students on a constant basis.

Don’t just let your nonstudent neighbors make all of the decisions on these issues. Not taking a few minutes out of your day to walk over to the polling place effectively says that you are indifferent to these regulations.

Lending further incentive to student participation in East Lansing is the fact that a younger, new challenger and recent MSU graduate is running. Nathan Triplett has made it clear that he wants to take student concerns to heart and wants to get MSU students involved in council decisions. He has mentioned the proposed East Village project as an example of an issue where student voices should be heard.

For those of you registered to vote in your hometown, your participation is no less important. Despite the fact that you are currently spending time in East Lansing, municipal policy is still affecting your life when you are home and is affecting the future of your city. Good zoning and incentives to attract business to a particular area can improve your local economy and make job creation more feasible.

The bottom line is that there is plenty of incentive to research and vote next Tuesday. Let’s take a lead role in raising voter turnout in these important but overlooked elections.

Eric Gregory is a State News columnist and political theory and constitutional democracy senior. Reach him at gregoryf@msu.edu