VOTE November 7th!
Sierra Dearns, Advocacy Coordinator
I have seen firsthand the lack of voting in local elections across the state of Massachusetts. Many people in the Commonwealth fail to see the power in their vote, especially in local elections. I vote because you can't determine who represents YOU without voting for them. Getting out to vote and supporting these efforts is important to me because most local elections have far less than a 50% turnout, meaning that less than half of the registered voters in the community come out to vote; many don’t even bother. After working as a Field Director in a local campaign, it shocked me to see the number of candidates who don’t do outreach because the handful of existing voters already knew who they were. This is a concerning pattern and unfair to the underrepresented majority or new voters.
Through talking to people at Get Out The Vote (GOTV) campaigns, I have learned that their biggest obstacle is getting to the polls. This is a clear sign as to why these GOTV efforts are significant. Through talking to those running for office, I've learned that a sign of voter transparency starts with their attempt at these efforts. The passionate candidates working for change often work out in the community to spread their message, which is a huge reason why communities can see the difference when electing these active candidates. However, when a community lacks these leaders, it can be catastrophic to voter turnout.
Voting is essential because in order to help determine who represents your community, YOU need to exercise your right during every election. I strongly detest the attitude of ‘well, nothing will change’ or ‘one vote doesn’t matter’ because it DOES. Julia Mejia won by one vote on the Boston City Council in 2019. Cambridge has established a far more democratic system of ranked-choice voting to ensure every vote counts towards these elections. If your first candidate doesn’t win, your voice is automatically transferred to your second choice, meaning more minor candidates can win with YOUR votes. Yet, only 33% of Cambridge voted in the 2021 local elections.
Getting out to vote doesn’t just mean getting out to vote; it means exercising your right to representation. YOU have the individual right to avoid getting the candidate you don’t like out of office. This strong anti-voting attitude is so prevalent in our younger generations. Yet, no one realizes we’re just allowing other generations and the same people to keep leading the way in our democracy because of this harmful ideology that it’s ‘not worth the time.’ It takes an hour of your time to make a lifetime of a difference. So, YWCA Cambridge, let’s get out to vote, whether in person, through the mail, or early voting.