As of Monday, 1.7 million people in Massachusetts had voted early or cast absentee ballots for today’s election of a new president of the United States. If trends hold, turnout statewide could set another record.
That’s important. Democracies are strongest when eligible residents register and vote. Presidential election years typically bring out the most voters. But regardless of turnout, today’s election will produce winners and losers up and down the ballot, from local and state contests to Congress and the White House.
Secretary of State William Galvin notes that even with recent high marks for turnout in Massachusetts, many people let the opportunity to vote in consequential elections pass them by. That’s been particularly true in two of Hampden County’s largest communities, Springfield and Holyoke.
