Elections are coming up in November, with early voting and mail-in ballots starting this month. While most people are focused on what a particular presidential candidate might mean for you and your family, it’s crucial to remember that our lives, wallets, and future opportunities are significantly more impacted by local government.

It matters who you vote for in your local elections, whether it be for mayor, county judge, city council, or any other position. Those who run our local governments will make decisions about our economy, infrastructure, education, small and new business, taxes and so much more. Whether you work for a hotel, a bank, a refinery, a restaurant, or small business in the Coastal Bend, when local governments and elected leaders support business growth, we all benefit!

Let’s dig into how local elections influence our economy, future growth opportunities, and your wallet.

1. Local governments set the tone for business. They can directly impact their jurisdictions’ attractiveness to business leaders, affecting which areas can attract and retain investment. Whether we’re “open for business” or “closed for business,” it’s up to you and your vote to decide.
2. Local governments influence taxation and financial regulation, which can affect business profit margins and future hiring and investments. Local governments can increase or reduce the financial burden on businesses of all kinds, from small businesses with 25 employees to large industries with 500 employees. It’s up to your local government and the people you vote for to determine whether that impact is positive or negative.
3. Local governments have approval authority over many small- and large-scale projects. When businesses look to invest in the Coastal Bend, local governments can approve or reject zoning and tax incentive requests, ultimately deciding whether we’ll benefit from new construction and permanent jobs, tax revenue, and overall economic impact.
4. Local governments have taxing authority and the ability to reject or accept economic incentives for businesses. Tax incentives for businesses have historically been a powerful way to grow and attract new investment to the region and, in turn, new jobs and tax revenue for our communities. Incentives are evaluated based on how much value a particular company would bring to the community, including total investment, number of permanent jobs, and type of industry. Incentive agreements are performance-based and reflective of the return on investment to the respective taxing entities.

Local governments work for you, so make sure you go to the polls this upcoming election and vote like your community and wallet depend on it—because they do! Click here to check your voter registration status.

Amy Granberry is the general manager of Port Royal Ocean Resort and chair of the United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce.