Could the South End be experiencing election fatigue?

MySouthEnd.com notes that area voters have had to go to ballot box seven times in three years, including the recent special election to fill House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi's Third Suffolk District seat. First there was a May 19 Democratic primary, with South End resident Susan Passoni going up against former DiMasi aide Aaron Michlewitz, a North Ender.

"Turnout was low, even for a special election, and notably so in the South End, where Passoni swept Ward 3, precinct 7; Ward 8, precinct 1; and Ward 5, precinct 1 but couldn’t get out the support that Michlewitz received in his neighborhood, the North End," MySouthEnd.com says. "Only 4,340 of 28,543 registered voters district-wide participated."

For the June special election that followed, 2,747 people turned out to vote.

In the article, both mayoral candidate (and South Ender) Kevin McCrea and MassVOTE chief Avi Green argue municipal elections should be held on even numbered years:

"If you add those people, it’s going to reduce the power of special interests and save money," said McCrea, arguing that a glut of elections "waters down the importance of voting."

According to Green, combining elections could save at least $1 million in tax dollars for each municipal contest.