Early voting for the May 2 local elections began Monday with two places on the Frisco ISD Board of Trustees, Frisco mayor, and Frisco city council among the contests on the ballot.

“Early voting is an opportunity for you to participate in the election process ahead of time and on your own schedule rather than relying on just the election day,” AP Government teacher Amanda Peters said. “If you know you’re going to be out of town, or you have a hectic schedule, then early voting gives you the opportunity to have about two weeks beforehand to fit that civil responsibility into your schedule.”

Unlike November’s election that features state contests, the May 2 election is all local. 

“Local elections are actually the most important,” Peters said. “Those are the ones that are going to impact you proportionally closer to more of your day than, say, national elections.

For junior Hailey Buster, it is important to fulfill your civic duty and take advantage of Constitutional rights. 

“I think it all goes back to the amendments,” Buster said. “You have the right to vote, the freedom of speech–all of that stuff in the First Amendment, and so it’s important to exercise those rights.”

At the end of the day, voting allows for each citizen to play a role in the democracy, and early voting is a tool that makes this accessible. 

“It’s important that you participate in the process because you want your voice, your opinion, your ideas to matter,” Peters said. “For a local official to truly represent you, which we have in our representative democracy, they have to have your vote.”