The primary election is one of the most important events in Massachusetts politics &- a day that dictates much of the political climate in the state for the coming years. And yet for many state citizens, it is an event that is consistently neglected. Students fail to register to vote on time, adults forget to take time out of their busy days and many others just don't care enough to make the trip to the polls, thinking that their votes are insignificant or the outcomes of the elections for smaller positions won't make much of a difference on the overall political scene.
The low attendance rates that typify primary elections are a sad commentary on the apathy of our electorate. Early predictions pinned the number of voters in Tuesday's election to about 14 to 17 percent of the registered voters in the state. When less than one-fifth of voters care enough to actually exercise their right to vote, there is obviously a problem.
Although many of the positions that were voted on in Tuesday's election may not be the most glamorous jobs, they are by no means unimportant and deserve some attention from the entire population of eligible voters. You may not think the vote for auditors or district attorneys is particularly riveting, but in actuality, these people play vital roles in how the state is run. The state auditor, for example, is in charge of controlling state spending to make sure money is spent efficiently. In tough economic times, this job has more of an effect than most people would think.
One of the reasons that people don't typically vote in state primaries is because they don't have enough information to make an informed decision and don't want to put in the effort necessary to research that information on their own. If local media organizations put more effort into presenting readers and viewers with the facts about different candidates and their platforms, Massachusetts might see an increase in voter turnouts the next time around.
Primary elections aren't like general elections. They receive less press coverage and see less money spent on flashy advertising and therefore garner less of our attention. But that also means that primary elections have the opportunity to be a situation rare in the political arena &- one in which the issues can actually take center stage over the personalities. Hopefully next time more people will pay attention.
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