PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Voters in Clearwater and nine other cities in Pinellas County will go to the polls next week to participate in municipal elections. But if they’re like most local elections, voter turnout will be relatively low.

That’s why Kathleen Beckman was knocking on doors once again Tuesday. The Clearwater City Council member — who is not on the ballot next week — has, for the past two months, been single-handedly doing her part to raise awareness about the March 15 election by canvassing in different neighborhoods in the city one day a week.

“Not only do I inform them about the election coming up — and I have voter registration forms to leave with them if they’re not registered to vote — but the obvious question is there anything that you have questions about with the city, any ideas or suggestions or problems?” Beckman said while knocking on doors in the Clearwater's North Greenwood area.

Beckman heard plenty on Tuesday from a man named Andre, who complained about the escalating costs of rent in Clearwater, a familiar refrain heard throughout the Bay area over the past year.

“There are about 10 families going into the homeless system each week,” Beckman told him. “It’s really heartbreaking.”

She went on to refer to the fact that Clearwater has received $22.4 million from the American Rescue Plan Act that city leaders intend to use to help shore up the housing situation.

When a young man told her that he wasn’t registered to vote, Beckman appeared to almost take it personally, asking him why that was the case, and searching for a voter registration card that she could leave him with.

While Beckman’s efforts to increase awareness about Clearwater’s local election are evident, whether that will makes any difference at the polls next week is uncertain.

Nationally, only 27% of eligible voters vote in the typical municipal election, according to Zoltan L. Hajnal, a professor of political science at the University of California San Diego.

There were several municipal elections in the Tampa Bay area held on the more traditional first Tuesday of November last year, an off-year election.

Sarasota County led the region with 37% participation. 

Pinellas County had the next largest level of participation with 36%, which was boosted by a mayoral election and five city council races.

However, less than 25% of registered voters participated in the municipal election in Manatee County last year and just 20% of voters voted last November in Polk County.

In Tampa in 2019, voter turnout was less than 21% in the election for mayor and several city council seats.

Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard said last year he had interest in looking at moving the city’s elections to the fall, and Beckman said she’s had recent conversations with city manager Jon Jennings about that issue as well. That would require putting a charter amendment on the ballot, but Beckman said it’s something that deserves serious consideration.

“My gut tells me, ‘Yeah, if we have it in November, it will be better turnout,’” she said.

Clearwater voters will weigh in on two city council seats next Tuesday. In Seat 4, incumbent David Allbritton faces Maranda Douglas and Gerry Lee. And in Seat 5, Aaron Smith-Levin is running against Lina Teixeira and Pastor Jonathan Wade.