The League of Women Voters Massachusetts focuses on many matters, namely getting people to vote on election days. This year in Springfield, with its chronic low voter turnout, the LWVMA put energy into getting residents registered to vote, including those who fell of the rolls.
With with nine ballot questions LVWMA Springfield Director Tracey Carpenter said people are likely showing up for the issues, not the candidates. She said this could be the first time in the league's history in Springfield that people are registering to vote to respond to the ballot measures.
"You know, usually if you're just doing get out the vote work I might have one conversation with you," Carpenter said. "This time I had to have several conversations with you because you asked me about the ballot questions and you needed a little bit more information. What a yes is, what a no is so."
Too many people have landed on inactive voting lists, Carpenter said, and they don't know it.
"Why they don't know — that's many, many reasons — but they go to vote and they're sort of turned away, Carpenter said, "or they're discouraged and they don't follow through with the necessary steps [to re-register]."
For the LWVM, Carpenter said success this election would mean that Springfield is no longer seen as “the city with low voter turnout," and that young people show up to vote.
They have the most to lose and gain Carpenter said, if they can just make that connection between voting and their futures.
