To the Editor:

Local elections impact our day-to-day lives in the most direct way, but ironically, they typically experience the lowest voter turnout rates. In the 2020 general election, where voters cast their ballots for president, 68 percent of Bostonians turned out. But in the 2017 municipal election, when voters last chose their mayor and city councillors, only 28 percent of Boston voters cast a ballot.

This gap is enormous and startling, especially considering the immense role local officials play in our daily lives. The mayor, for example, controls how city funds are spent. She or he decides how much funding goes to our 2,000-member-plus police force, 125 schools, and dozens of additional city departments. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the mayor has proven instrumental in deciding which businesses can reopen, as well as when and how they can reopen.

Given the immense impact that local officials have on our lives, we must strive to improve turnout in our municipal elections. District 5 City Councillor Ricardo Arroyo recently introduced home rule petitions to the City Council that would permanently implement reforms like early in-person voting and voting by mail, as well as entirely new reforms like same day voter registration.

We seek to see these reforms implemented state-wide, specifically through the VOTES Act, now under consideration on Beacon Hill as H.805 and S.459. Nevertheless, we are thrilled to see Councilor Arroyo prioritize discussion of these issues in Boston. We must waste no time in making them a reality.

Cheryl Clyburn Crawford
The letter writer is executive director of MassVOTE, a non-profit, non-partisan advocacy organization dedicated to voting rights, voter education, and social justice.