Mass. 2022 midterm: Why did the poorest communities have a low voter turnout?

Democratic Massachusetts Governor Elect Maura Healey (R) and Lieutenant Governor nominee Kim Driscoll (L) celebrate victory during a watch party at the Copley Plaza hotel on election night in Boston, Massachusetts on November 8, 2022. (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)
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A little over half of Massachusetts residents voted in the 2022 midterm election, but in the state’s poorest municipalities voter turnout was well below the state average.

In cities with high poverty rates like Lynn, New Bedford and Lawrence, no more than 35% of voters cast their vote in the midterm election. Meanwhile, in wealthy communities like Eastham, Carlisle and Mount Washington over 70% of registered voters turned out to the polls.

Officials in some of the state’s poorest areas cite a high number of uncontested races in their municipality as one of the root causes behind their low voter turnout.

In New Bedford, where the median household income is nearly $49,000 a year, according to the 2020 census, just 33% of residents voted in the midterm election.

This election cycle, there were eight local races went uncontested in New Bedford. State representatives like Rep. Antonio Cabral, Rep. Christopher Markey and Rep. Christopher Hendricks ran unchallenged in some of Bristol County’s larger districts.

“If you have a lot of unopposed races, people aren’t going to show up to vote,” said Manuel DeBrito Jr., the chairperson of the New Bedford Election Commission.

According to DeBrito Jr., the only race that drew a substantial amount of attention in the city was the Bristol County sheriff’s race, where Attleboro mayor Paul Heroux defeated incumbent Thomas Hodgson by a small percentage.

During his 25-year career as sheriff, Hodgson oversaw Bristol County jails, which many advocates and inmates have criticized for their poor living conditions and health care. In May 2020, more than 60 inmates staged a hunger strike at the Bristol County House of Correction that lasted over 24 hours, Dartmouth Week reported.

Although Hodgson hasn’t faced an opponent in 12 years, this year’s midterm election data show that Heroux won due to a shift in how Bristol County’s northern municipalities voted. Towns like Mansfield, Easton and North Attleboro, which usually voted for Hodgson in past elections, voted for Heroux this year, according to an analysis from WBUR.

“I think that with Hodgson having been there for 25 years, with the constant controversies, people are just ready for change,” Heroux said in an interview with WBUR.

State representative races are an especially large driver for local voter turnout, according to Greg Pappas, the Lowell Director of Elections. Constituents are closer and more familiar with their state representatives than their local congressperson, which gives voters a greater incentive to go to the polls during a contested race.

In Lowell, where only 29.7% of people voted in this year’s midterm election, the 16th Middlesex District seat was the only state representative race that went challenged. Although Rep.-elect Rodney Elliott won against his opponent Karla Jean Miller, he was also partially running in Chelmsford, according to Pappas.

Meanwhile, representatives Rady Mom and Vanna Howard won their respective races unopposed.

But in Lowell’s wealthier neighboring areas – Dracut, Tyngsborough and Billerica – where there were also few contested state representative races, each municipality had a voter turnout of at least 50%.

People in wealthy communities tend to have higher levels of education which can help them consume political information easier, according to Econfact.org. In Billerica, where the median annual income is $113,239, roughly 43% of residents have at least a bachelor’s degree, according to 2020 census data. Meanwhile, in Lowell, nearly 27% of people have at least a bachelor’s.

“Beyond resources and skills, education might also provide people with a social context that makes it more likely to participate in voting,” Econfact.org said. “If those with higher levels of education feel a greater sense of civic duty, or have a stronger belief in the benefits of voting, this would contribute to the correlation between income and voting.”

Lawrence had the lowest voter turnout in the state, with only 22.8% of registered voters casting a ballot in the 2022 midterm election. According to Richard Reyes, Lawrence’s assistant city clerk, many people didn’t vote in the city because they weren’t aware of the candidates.

“I felt like if those politicians really came out and learned and knocked on doors and to get to know the people, maybe we would’ve known who they were,” Reyes said. Reyes also mentioned that he noticed during November that he didn’t see a lot of campaigning from the midterm candidates.

“People got flyers by the mail, yes, but people here I think when they see candidates in person, it kind of helps to know who they are and they all come out and vote,” Reyes said.

Another reason behind the low voter turnout in Massachusetts’ low-income communities is voter apathy.

Residents of municipalities that are predominately low-income, people of color and immigrants are more apathetic toward the electoral process than their predominately wealthy white counterparts, according to Cheryl Clyburn Crawford, the Executive Director of MassVOTE. Traditionally, underrepresented groups cite the lack of change in their communities as the reason behind their apathy elections.

“If you don’t see the changes involved if you don’t feel like you’re involved in the change if you think everything’s above your level, why are you then going to take the time? And that’s what I hear from folks.” DeBrito Jr. said. “You know, they don’t trust the system, they don’t trust the government, they don’t like government. A lot of its just lack of knowledge and lack of understanding to what’s going on.”

Voter apathy in cities like New Bedford also leads to fewer people wanting to run for their local offices. To combat the lack of voter engagement, DeBrito Jr. started a youth empowerment program dedicated to getting the city’s teenagers interested in voting.

The program called NB Votes pays high schoolers who are of age to work at election polling places with experienced poll workers. In some polling locations, teens provided translating services for non-English speakers, other teens helped elderly residents use voting technology, DeBrito Jr. said.

DeBrito says when he goes down to the local schools and colleges, the percentage of students interested in voting decreases as the students get older. That’s why he allows teens to accompany him to elementary schools to teach young children about the importance of voting.

High schoolers conduct exercises like mock elections where elementary students can vote on their favorite color or m&m. NB Votes also provides students the opportunity to tour New Bedford City Hall and the State House in Boston.

“I think over time, hopefully, we get more and more kids involved, that can improve voter turnout, because again, those kids will go, and maybe they would be the ones to vote anyway,” DeBrito Jr. said. “But now they’re gonna go and talk to their friends. The thousands of kids that might not have voted, they might go home and talk to their parents [and ask,] ‘Mom, Dad, how come you don’t vote?’”

DeBrtio Jr. says in the future he hopes other cities and towns across the country will reach out to him to run programs similar to NB Votes.

“We’re not telling them who to vote for just that it’s important to vote,” DeBrito Jr. said. “Let’s give them the tools to you know, make those decisions, let’s make them excited about going to vote. I think a lot of people are actually missing the tools. Media is driving who they vote for and what they believe. So, you know, let’s get these kids to be free thinkers, and really drive turnout themselves. That’s the best way to do it.”

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