2 Responses to 2013 Senate v. 2011 City Council Elections: Who voted?

1. Linda Copp says: July 5, 2013 at 8:51 am

   Voter Turnout is low but voter participation in the process of choosing candidates and electing them is even less. When there are over 50,000 registered voters in Lowell and we see 9901 turn out to vote, naturally the question is Why? There are many reasons offered for the lack of participation. It was too hot, it was a time of vacations and graduations, people were otherwise engaged, Neither Markey nor Gomez inspired voters, canvassing targets were off and the beat goes on and the list of questions along with it. We will never know definitely why, these numbers, low as they were, were the culmination of all this time and energy spent trying to connect with the voters, or in the Markey campaign, our democratic voters. You talk to people, you tell them why you care and what you care about and why your guy, is the one and you hope it resonates. Sometimes you walk away and you know you made a difference and the voter is going to think about what you said and you hope it is a vote. Or you walk away and know you changed their mind because you gave them that elusive something to consider, that issue, you did not know would be the deciding factor before you knocked on the door. However, you found your voice after you heard theirs and your input about your candidates position on the matter resonated in their book of concerns in their lives. Voter turnout to me depends on the voter having a concern, an issue that is important enough to galvanize them into action and turn them out at the polls to make those feelings both felt and heard. Perhaps if we network more and really listen carefully, in our daily lives, we will be better able to discern the voters concerns, versus our own and find common ground. This is what I will be doing in the days ahead listening and learning as we work in the local elections where turnout is usually even lower than a normal national election, but certainly not in this case, a Senate special election. It would seem a majorty of the electorate seems to feel these local elections do not matter much to them and fail to see the importance of them. They do not see good people and good candidates for our future direction as a nation come from such elections and they do not see the need to engage because the government, that entity they may eye with much disdain and suspicion is beyond them. When in reality the government is actually of them, depending on whether they vote or chose not to. Someone will run and someone will win, it just remains to be seen if they will represent your views or someone elses. In short, more people will bother to vote when more people are bothered!

2. kad barma says: July 5, 2013 at 10:08 am

   My thoughts are less concerned with Belvidere’s turnout, (which always returns to be robust whenever their direct interests are on the line as with City Council elections), and more encouraged that Downtown and the Acre are continuing their trend for greater participation. Not for nothing, but the city’s grudging improvements to downtown poll access are indeed showing positive benefit, though there is still great need for further progress towards achieving adequate facilities with reasonable access and signage.