Group works to inform voters

With Tuesday’s election over and the winners declared, some voters’ rights groups are patting themselves on the back for a job well done. Others are thinking of ways to improve Election Day awareness.

Before the election, Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin predicted that 70 percent of the state’s 3.5 million registered voters would visit the polls. While that estimate fell about 300,000 people short, more than two million Bay Staters did trek to their local precincts to carry out their civil duty on Tuesday.

Malia Lazu, director of the group Vote Boston, said this election was successful because of the number of people in the inner city who cast ballots, especially in Chinatown.

‘We set out to increase voter turnout in under-represented areas,’ Lazu said. ‘What we have seen is that Chinatown is leading the way with increasing amounts of voters while places like South Boston are seeing decreasing turnout.’

Vote Boston was founded in 1999 as a non-profit group specializing in efforts to increase voter education and motivation in urban communities. Along with simply urging people to get out and vote, Lazu said increasing political alertness is crucial.

‘I’ve had people call and ask us what the difference is between a governor and a mayor,’ Lazu said. ‘Your average person with a high school diploma doesn’t know how a bill becomes a law. That’s why education is so important.’

Lazu also said poor voter turnout is not a result of people being lazy.

‘Some people have time and some people don’t,’ she said. ‘We have to show people that voting is worth their time.’

However, education about elections was not limited to local advocacy groups.

Aaron Brock, news director for Project Vote Smart, an organization that tracked 42 candidates from around the country in Tuesday’s election, said people want to be informed when they enter the voting booth.

‘Project Vote Smart was started as a test to see if non-partisan, factual information would be effective to the average voter,’ Brock said.

Brock said his group allows people to compare background and past performance of candidates through extensive research. During the 2000 election, three million people per day were visiting the group’s website. That number grows by about one-and-a-half percent annually, according to Brock.

But in Tuesday’s election, according to an article in the Boston Globe, nearly 10 percent of the people who voted for governor in Massachusetts made up their mind while in the voting booth.

‘People are more likely to vote when they are better informed,’ Brock said in response. ‘We can’t ram information down people’s throats, but for democracy to work, people have to know a lot about the candidates they are voting for.’

At least one area voter agreed.

‘Voting is part of being a productive member of society,’ said Chris Pike of Somerville who voted at the Myles Standish Hall polling location on Tuesday. ‘I think it’s important that no matter what you believe, you should come out and vote.’