Tuesday, November 20, 2018

“You’d think there’d be a bigger interest but the numbers are never as large”

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Early voting and polarizing political views helped fuel robust turnout across Massachusetts, even though fewer people are voting than past decades. 
More than 2.7 million Massachusetts residents cast ballots on Nov. 6, representing the highest amount for a midterm election in two decades. Early voting accounted for 21.6 percent of total votes and proved popular for the second consecutive election. It was first allowed in 2016. 
“People were able to vote any way they wanted,” explained Marlene B. Chused, town clerk of Sharon, where overall turnout totaled 70 percent of registered voters. 
Statewide turnout totaled at least 59 percent of registered voters, marking the highest turnout for a midterm election since 1994 when Republican voters across the country turned out in droves in a rebuke to then-President Bill Clinton, a Democrat."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20181119/controversial-politics-early-voting-fueled-turnout-in-massachusetts-elections

I love the quote from the Waltham City Clerk that opens this posting. It comes from the same conclusion that I reached when looking at our voter turnout results over the years. It is no surprise that Franklin is not unique. Controversy and money drives election turnouts more than civic duty. It will help if early voting can be continued for our local election in 2019.


Election Information for Nov 2018
Election Information for Nov 2018

The election collection for 2018 can be found here

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