Despite the number of registered voters continuing to increase in Montgomery County, participation in local elections lags behind national and statewide elections, according to Montgomery County election office statistics.

While there were 265,675 registered voters in Montgomery County as of November 2013, less than 6 percent of registered voters participated in the November 2013 joint election, compared to 66 percent in the November 2012 presidential election and 46 percent in the November 2010 gubernatorial election, according to election office statistics.

Montgomery County Elections Administrator Suzie Harvey said that while voter turnout remains steady but distinct between different election types—such as presidential and non-presidential election years—she has noticed an increase in early voting. In the November 2013 joint election, about 8,980 of the total 15,042 votes cast were early votes.

"The main change that I have noticed is that more people seem to be turning out for early voting," Harvey said. "The overall turnout is pretty consistent between election types, but turnout for early voting seems to be increasing."

Voter Awareness Council

The recently formed Voter Awareness Council seeks to increase voter participation in local elections throughout Montgomery County. The council, composed of about 30 community leaders, wants to become a resource for residents by partnering with other organizations to coordinate public events, such as political forums, providing information on its website, and speaking to interested parties, Voter Awareness Council President Steve Leakey said.

"Two hundred and sixty five thousand is a pretty big number, so registration is not the issue," Leakey said. "The real issue is the people who are registered just aren't voting."

Amy Lecocq, Voter Awareness Council executive committee member, said that turnout during primary elections is a critical component of the election process in Montgomery County, which is known for its established Republican majority.

"In Montgomery County, the primary basically determines the outcome of the election," Lecocq said. "We had roughly [17] percent of the voting age population make that determination for us this year. That is a small percentage."

Voter turnout, though, can also be affected by dissatisfaction with national-level elected officials or ballot items, Montgomery County Republican Party chairman Walter Wilkerson said. On presidential or gubernatorial election years, Wilkerson said local election results might be affected by party-line voting or voters who simply aim to remove all incumbents from office.

"A lot of what has happened locally in some elections has been dictated from that discontent that spilled over from the national level to the local level," Wilkerson said. "I think there is not a lot of unhappiness about the way things are at the county level or even on the state level; it is on the national level that we have a lot of discontent."

Bruce Barns, chairman of the Montgomery County Democratic Party, said it is difficult to convince residents of the importance of their vote, especially for offices that are tightly held by one political party.

"One of the big factors is voters think that they don't make a difference," Barns said. "They see that the county is heavily Republican—so whoever wins in the primary will probably be their representative—so [voters] don't really care to come out for any elections that are predetermined for them."

Montgomery County Tea Party chairman Ken Vaughn also said many local voters believe their votes do not matter, but said that low turnout can create an opportunity for new candidates.

"The key is to try to convince some people that even if you think [a candidate] is going to win, their vote is still important because if enough people don't show up to vote, that is when you have an upset," Vaughn said. "That is the biggest challenge."