by Aris Talamantez (Posted on April 15, 2026 @ 8:55 a.m.)

When people choose not to vote, it creates problems that affect everyone in the community, not just the individual who stayed home. This is a serious issue that many people don’t fully understand. Dr. Alfaro explained this concept factually when he said, “If a majority of people aren’t voting, they aren’t participating, which means that they don’t have majority rule.”

What Dr. Alfaro means is that democracy depends on having enough people vote so that they can clearly see what most citizens actually want. When too many people skip elections, we lose this important foundation of the democratic system. Without majority rule, the elected officials can’t be sure they’re making decisions that reflect what most people in the community truly support.

This creates a complicated cycle that affects everyone. When voter turnout is low, politicians and local leaders struggle to understand what policies and changes the majority of citizens actually want. As a result, they can’t effectively address the issues that matter most to people in our community. This means that important problems like school funding, road repairs, public safety, and community programs might not get the attention they deserve.

The situation becomes even more complicated when people complain about these unresolved issues. When something is wrong in the community, they should work to fix it. However, without strong voter participation creating clear majority rule, it, for instance, becomes extremely difficult to determine which solutions most people would support.

“Everyone is affected every day by the decisions that are made, whether you voted for the people making them or not,” Dr. Alfaro said. He made this point because when people vote, it affects the whole community. The choices that voters make can change things for everyone. So when you vote, it doesn’t just affect you—it affects everyone in your community, too.

“Statewide, it doubled the amount of people who voted in primary elections; more people voting is a celebration,” Dr. Alfaro said. He said this because when the community votes, it allows more people to suggest and to freely ask for fixes or problems. This allows for everyone to get what they would like, making voting a celebration. It isn’t just a day about voting; it can help things to make everyone’s lives a bit better.

Dr. Alfaro said, “The negative outcome of people not building consensus is that a few people make the decision for the rest of us, and it doesn’t really reflect what everyone thinks.” He said this because when people vote, they vote for what they want. A lot of people want to fix the same problems, but some people don’t want to fix the same things. Everyone has to remember that what people vote for isn’t always going to help you personally.

This happens because people have different ideas about what’s most important. In voting, the group that gets the most votes wins, even if other people disagree. Sometimes the winning choice might not be what you wanted. We all have to accept that we can’t always get exactly what we want, and sometimes you have to go along with what most people choose, even if you don’t like it very much.

Dr. Alfaro’s point shows that democracy isn’t perfect. Sometimes a few people make choices for everyone, and the results don’t always help each person individually. Even though this can be frustrating, it’s important to understand that this is just how voting works. We all have to accept that we won’t always get what we want, but participating in democracy is still the best way for people to have a voice in decisions.

Bexar County had a 44% voter turnout during the November 2022 midterm elections. Alamo Heights voters are part of specific voting areas called precincts, which are located in north central San Antonio. Public data from the county shows that higher-income areas like Alamo Heights usually have much higher voter turnout than the county average. In 2022, these areas typically had turnout rates between 55% and 70%, based on precinct reports and voting patterns across north-central Bexar County. This means Alamo Heights had above-average turnout compared to the county’s 44% average—it was 10 to 25 percentage points higher than usual.

This is exactly why voting is so important for everyone, not just certain groups. When they say “everyone needs to vote,” we really mean it.