Masked ICE agents who terrorize immigrant communities. National Guard troops deployed into blue states for little reason. A federal government in shutdown mode because Congress and the President can’t play in the Washington sandbox.

These current national political experiments with dysfunction may have a trickle-down effect in municipal elections on Nov. 4. Why? Because while local voters might feel they have little impact nationally, they can easily head to the polls on the first Tuesday in November and make their voices heard to make a bigger-than-usual difference.

In fact, this season’s municipal elections feel even more important than usual. Five of six Charleston City Council seats are competitive. Nine candidates are vying for four seats in Mount Pleasant, where the incumbent mayor

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