In addition to deciding the outcome of Peabody’s mayoral race, voters will determine the fate of several City Council, Selectmen, and School Committee seats in this Tuesday’s local elections.
Winning candidates will help set municipal agendas and therefore priorities in their respective communities as they serve out their terms. In many cases, these elected officials will be stewards of taxpayer dollars, responsible for appointing other town or city leaders and greenlighting community-development projects.
But high voter turnout isn’t exactly expected.
Credit social upheaval, the pandemic, or former President Donald Trump’s sheer existence, but the 2018, 2020, and 2022 elections all saw record-high levels of voter turnout. Two-thirds (66%) of eligible voters turned out for the 2020 presidential election and the 2018 and 2022 midterms’ turnouts each exceeded that of all midterm elections since 1970, according to Pew Research Center.
However, when it comes time to elect community leaders, such as city councilors or School Committee members, voter interest and enthusiasm seem to waver. A Knight Foundation study showed that in 20 of the country’s largest 30 cities, voter turnout in local municipal elections rarely exceeds 15%. Similarly, voter turnout at school-board elections is often between 5 and 10%, according to the National School Board Association.
This year, I’m voting early by mail so I can be in the office all day to ensure our news team adequately covers elections in Lynn, Peabody, and Saugus for our readers. Still, I’ve always been in the small minority who think it is important to cast a vote in local races.
Often, more is at stake in these elections than initially meets the eye. The choice between two candidates could mean the difference between long-term and short-term planning for a city, or the difference between diversity and uniformity in a town’s school system.
For example, while Saugus becoming a city rather than a town is not a ballot question this year, Charter Commission seats are up for grabs, and winning candidates will ultimately help make that decision.
While they might feel insignificant now, voting in these elections can also play a vital role in deterring the elevation of candidates entangled in conflicts of interest — a crucial step considering elected officials often hold the power to determine the allocation of contracts, licenses, and grants.
Join me in casting a local ballot this month and find your designated polling location by visiting the secretary of state’s website at sec.state.ma.us/WhereDoIVoteMA/WhereDoIVote.
Rachel Barber is The Item’s news editor. Her column appears every Thursday.
