Voters usually turn out in large numbers to cast their ballots for president and vice president … and then they go back home and gripe for the next four years until the presidential election rolls back around.

But while they’re sitting back and complaining about what’s wrong with the government, they’re giving up the best chance to do something about it.

In this past year’s presidential election, more than 72 percent of registered voters in Virginia cast their ballots, and voter registrations had increased by 6.02 percent compared to the year before. In 2015, only 29.1 percent of Virginia voters went to the polls. And in the last gubernatorial race—2013—only 43 percent of eligible voters participated.

While the presidential races grab the headlines, and the passions of the electorate, much of the day-to-day operation of government is decided in off-year and mid-term elections. 

Take schools, for instance. The lion’s share of the...