Group Aims To Address Low Woburn Voter Turnout

WOBURN, MA -- Building on the theme of civic disengagement that manifested in record low turnout for Tuesday's municipal election in Woburn, a local civic group said it will spend the next year trying to make local politics more participatory. To do that, Woburn Welcomes plans to sponsor voter registration drives, sponsor civic awareness events and cultivate "and support of strong, bold, progressive candidates who can build a movement behind them."

"Tuesday’s low turnout is not simply a result of uncontested elections. Rather, the lack of competitive races is itself part of the problem," the group said in a statement posted to its Website Friday. "When local politics seems to operate outside of daily life for most city residents, fewer become engaged, and fewer are inspired to run, to vote, or to pay attention. That is what we face in Woburn today."

Just 3,696, or 15.7%, of Woburn's 23,500 registered voters cast ballots Tuesday. On Wednesday, Woburn Patch explored the voter indifference to this year's races. A lot of respondents said they felt candidates -- whether they were running unopposed or in a race -- should have done more to reach out to constituents to help them feel connected to the local political process.

"I was very disappointed in the lack of communication from those running. Even in an off-year, every election counts," Jen Hess said. "I hope all our officials know we are watching, and even if we don't have a lot of competition for office, that doesn't mean we're satisfied with the status quo."

When Patch asked candidates running in the three contested races for their platforms, we heard from the three challengers in the contested City Council Races in Wards 3, 6 and 7. We also heard from Alderman-At-Large Michael Concannon and Ward 5 Alderman Darlene Mercer-Bruen, who ran unopposed. But the three incumbents in the contested races -- Mark Gaffney in Ward 3, Edward Tedesco in Ward 6 and Lindsay Higgins in Ward 7 -- did not respond to our request. The three incumbents were reelected.

"That races were unopposed is not a great excuse," Andrew Lipsett said. "Politics in Woburn also seems strangely divorced from issues - it was very difficult to get a sense of where candidates stood on specific points, and elections seem based more on name recognition and local cred. This can only be damaging to civic progress, especially in a city that is changing as fast as Woburn is."

Woburn Welcomes describes itself as a group that works to make sure that Woburn is a city that welcomes, values and protects all residents and families. It does this through education, collaboration and political advocacy.

"We should look hard at these results. We should ask hard questions: about how our city is run; about complacency at a time when local politics is so critical; about access to voting for lower-income or non-native citizens; about how we’ve come to view politics as something done to us, rather than something we – together – do," the group said.

More on this story:

• It's Official: Woburn Election Turnout Hit A Record Low Tuesday (11/9/2017)
• Cause For Concern? Voters React To Low Turnout In Woburn (11/8/2017)
• No Surprises In Woburn Voting As Incumbents Roll To Reelection (11/7/2017)
• Election 2017: Woburn Voter's Guide (11/6/2017)

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Patch file photo.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).