Partisan politics is a rampant design of democratic bureaucracies. They exist on federal levels in nearly every country worldwide—from the United Kingdom to Brazil, South Korea to Iceland, Canada to Russia, and even in places like North Korea—which has adopted a unilateral, partisan approach (Boulding and Brown 2015; Copus 2004; Gnarr, 2014; Yoon and Shin 2017). In the United States and Canada however, a new approach to partisan politics is being tested. Although rare, public movements (mostly by popularly “Conservative” constituents and politicians (Hawley, 1973)) have increased over the past three decades across the United States and Canada. In the United States, municipalities across the Western Hemisphere have adopted a partisan approach. In these contexts, non-partisanship at the local level is often seen as a legacy of the "Reform Era," when business-minded urban progressives aimed to reduce the influence of political parties and the immigrant communities that typically supported them. High-profile cases of party-backed corruption in the United States were cited throughout the Anglosphere as proof that partisanship in local governance led to corruption, greed, and disorder (Hawley 1973).

Few jurisdictions have demonstrated as consistent a commitment to municipal non-partisanship as Los Santos. In Los Santos, we’ve been enacting our democracy under a partisan flag for the better part of a decade now, with many associating our politicians with outright “Democrat” or “Republican” ideas. Although these ideas are sanctified and commonplace, the actual concerns of our elected leaders are far from the “mainstream” partisan politics of the federal parties. But to what effect does partisan politics at the municipal level take place? Members of our current political representatives, namely Hank Preston and Josely Martinez have made several public posts across social media during times of election to associate themselves with the Republican Brand (Republican Party of San Andreas Facebrowser, 2024). For the common citizen of Los Santos and foreign/domestic observers however, it is uncommon for individuals to associate these candidates or members of the government with the party that they represent, unless their party affiliation had been brought into controversy, or they had previous experience with a State or Federal position that brought scrutiny during the election cycle (McGregor, Moore, and Stephenson 2016; Lucas and Santos 2022).

Throughout recent comments across posts that I’ve made on my social media platforms, as well as those of whom that I have mentioned (Josely Martinez & Hank Preston) have received comments targeted towards their party status, which begs an even deeper question as to how in-depth partisanship affects municipal politics? To begin this investigation, one can first analyze the different policies enacted by both the municipal and state governments.

To understand the nature of partisan-driven voting, we must first look to our northern neighbors. In Alberta, Canada, the United Conservative Party (UCP) has spent its time in power pushing through a series of policies focused on partisan issues. One such issue that emerged was the UCP's lack of visible support in urban areas. While cities like Edmonton leaned toward the UCP, Calgary—the largest city in the province—voted overwhelmingly for the opposition party, the New Democratic Party (NDP) (Elections Alberta, 2023). From an outside perspective, the UCP's push to implement partisan politics at the municipal level may seem like an attempt to consolidate power within political movements and standardize agendas. However, when viewed in the context of the UCP's relatively low levels of support, the apparent need for partisan politics becomes much clearer. Simple identification of parties leads to a higher turnout, with a fear that the “other guy” that a constituent may not want to represent them may take office.

We also see that through the introduction of partisan politics, it’s easier for constituents to establish expectations of potential policies that their elected officials may enact, and what kind of policies they may oppose (Lee, 1960). This difference in turnout may generally be a product of the work partisan groups put into mobilizing voters and ensuring their identified supporters participate in the electoral process (Karp 2012). Political parties offer a wealth of expertise and resources to help candidates mobilize their supporters. In non-partisan systems, however, candidates must depend on their campaign teams or their understanding of canvassing, advertising, messaging, and "get-out-the-vote" strategies, which can be more limited.

Political parties also affect the local information landscape. Municipal elections are often described as low-information events, particularly in the context of consolidated media and limited local news coverage. Political parties not only have the incentive to convey their policy commitments and “brand” to voters but once established, they also provide voters with an easy heuristic with which to identify suitable candidates (Crowder-Meyer et al. 2020). By “producing a set of reference points for the individual elector,” (Lightbody (2006, 231) notes, municipal political parties would offer “a bridge between a list of candidates and voters.”

In Los Santos, the bridge between the list of candidates and the voters is rather thin. Social Media is used prominently by our politicians. Hank Preston utilizes social media as a platform to openly discuss matters of policies and further his agenda, while straying from the personal highlights, while many of the councillors currently active on City Council still share their daily lives, intertwining it with their political agendas. The posts made by the members of the council and government rarely mention their affiliated party. Many members of Congress and Senate make it a point to brand themselves, especially around election season. But in Los Santos? It’s the party that’s utilizing these candidates as their representatives, not the representatives utilizing the party, which creates an intriguing mixture.

Partisan Politics in Los Santos is therefore only used for the branding that it provides during election season. It isn’t used as a guiding principle and by no means has the conventional methods applied to it when compared to the federal party. There are no publicly known events held recently by the Republican Party, and the Democratic Party of Los Santos has yet to make itself openly known. It’s to the point that it’s becoming a question whether or not Los Santos is a partisan-political municipality, which, even though it is, does not function according to one. The importance of partisanship is therefore lost when the party cannot even openly disclaim its unity outside of primarily party platforms. Even in the elections, federal politicians have announced their public support for candidates in the Federal Republican Party and even addressed individuals that they believe would be fit for president. However, the Los Santos Republican Party has yet to make any form of official nomination or comment on federal politics. Furthermore, they have yet to express any specific agenda that their politicians should be abiding by, or express policies that are their expressed concern.

The absence of a clear, consistent party infrastructure in Los Santos further highlights the lack of real partisanship in municipal politics. Unlike federal or state levels of government, where party platforms and policies shape decision-making and party lines provide voters with a reliable heuristic, Los Santos’ local government operates without the substantial organizational backing that typically defines partisan politics. Political parties at the national level in the United States, for example, are expected to bring cohesion to policy debates, with clear, well-defined agendas and loyal, active party members. In contrast, the lack of such infrastructure in Los Santos leaves party labels hollow, failing to inform voters about the actual priorities or stances of the candidates. This superficiality allows candidates to co-opt party names without any meaningful commitment to the values or policies typically associated with those parties, further diminishing the role of partisanship in local decision-making.

This disconnection between partisan identity and local governance has significant consequences for both candidates and voters. For candidates, aligning with a party without the support of a well-established local infrastructure is a double-edged sword. They can gain some recognition or legitimacy by associating with a national party but, without the backing of a robust local party structure, are often left to navigate the complexities of municipal governance with little more than personal brand recognition. This can lead to a lack of accountability, as candidates may hide behind their party affiliation rather than engage with the local community on specific issues. For voters, the real danger lies in the misconception that partisanship equates to competence or alignment with local values. When voters rely on partisan labels to make decisions, they risk supporting candidates who may not genuinely represent their interests or address the issues most pressing to their community. In a city like Los Santos, where party platforms and local governance rarely overlap, the focus should shift away from party lines and toward a more informed, issue-based approach to voting, one that values substance over superficial labels.









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Editorial Note
A statement was made regarding an alleged support of Mayor Preston towards the SHAFT Act. Hank Prestor has openly stated in the comments of this initial publication that he does not support the act. An error in research was made by the original author and her staff. The comment has been removed from the article, and other sources have been reviewed by other members of our team, which determined the article maintains its integrity as a piece of academic literature.