Just months after the last election, it's time to vote again. It's primary day in Pennsylvania.

There are some big races, like for Erie mayor and Erie County Executive. Several school boards also have seats up for grabs.

Erie News Now’s political analyst said don’t underestimate the influence of local governments.

“From where our children go to school and the quality of education they receive, to whether or not we can find affordable housing in our communities,” said Joe Morris, D.A., of Mercyhurst University.

Don’t be surprised if fewer people show up. That’s because it’s an off-year election.

“In off-year elections, where we are just electing municipal officials, we tend to see voter turnout nationwide that hovers around 25 or 30 percent,” he said.

One of the reasons is that people tend to focus on national politics.

“Over the past couple of decades, we have seen…our politics become nationalized, where Americans tend to focus on these big national issues,” he said.

In the last 10 years, Erie County’s off-year primary turnout has been lower than that of a midterm or presidential year. 

The average turnout of midterms and presidential elections since 2015 is 30.6 percent. It’s 25.8 percent for off-year elections. 

But Morris said this year is different. Less federal funding means people might have to rely more on local politicians to get things done.

“The people that we elect in our local communities really matter,” he said.

“These people are going to have more responsibility [for] providing the quality of life that we expect,” he said.