Local government has a direct impact on voters’ daily lives, from the quality of the water used to brush teeth, to the roads, to the quality of the schools. Yet voters participate in greater numbers for state and federal elections than they do for local elections.
Since 2015, only a quarter of eligible voters cast a ballot to choose the next mayor and city council.
In Gardner, registered voters are more likely to vote during a presidential election year than not. In 2024, over 60% of eligible voters in Gardner cast a vote to elect both state and federal government leaders, including the president. In 2022, when there was no presidential race, but only state and Congressional representative, senators, and governor, only 45% of eligible voters went to the polls.
Gardner historically has low voter turnout for its city elections.
In 2023, during the previous city election season, only 15% of registered voters participated in the preliminary election in October, and in the general election, where voters determined the next mayor and city councilors at large, only 26% of voters cast a ballot.
|
Year |
Ballots Cast |
Registered Voters |
Percentage of Voters |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2023 |
2087 |
13952 |
14.96% |
|
2020 (Special election) |
2882 |
12187 |
23.65% |
|
2019 |
1759 |
11772 |
14.94% |
“I say this all the time, especially when I’m talking to the people in the community, that local government is the area of government that impacts you the most daily,” Mayor Michael Nicholson said. “If you ate at all today, that food came from something that was either at a restaurant or a grocery store that the Board of Health inspected. Was your trash collected? Did your student learn something today that challenged them? That’s where all of those things are local government, and if you want your day-to-day to improve, then you have to vote to get the best in your local government.”
What are the mayoral candidates doing to get people out to vote
Ann DeBarros, a first-time mayoral candidate, said she wants to emphasize the importance of local elections. Offering people rides to the polls on election day is one way Debarros said she’s motivating people to vote. She said when she is canvassing, she hands out cards with not just information about her campaign but instructions on how to register to vote.
“I feel as though people don’t understand the power they have and how important it is to get out there and vote,” she said. “When I go door to door knocking, I do let them know that this is your right that you need to exercise. You have a voice.”
|
Year |
Ballots Cast |
Registered Voters |
Percentage of Voters |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2023 |
3735 |
14072 |
26.54% |
|
2021 |
2887 |
12885 |
22.41% |
|
2020 (Special election) |
3065 |
12228 |
25.07% |
|
2019 |
3271 |
11879 |
27.54% |
|
2017 |
2325 |
11440 |
20.32% |
|
2015 |
3038 |
10843 |
28.02% |
Kimberly Blake, another mayoral candidate, said people need to start taking their civic duty seriously if they want to see change.
“If you see issues and you’re complaining online, you have to get out and vote and let your voice be heard,” she said. “Change will not enact if people are not going out to vote. Your vote is your voice, so if you don’t like the way things are going in Gardner, right, you have the opportunity to change it.”
DeBarros, Blake, and Mayor Nicholson are the three candidates on the ballot on Tuesday, Sept. 16, in the preliminary election, which determines which two of the three appear on the city general election day ballot, on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Upcoming city election deadlines
The last day to register to vote for the preliminary election was Saturday, Sept. 6.
The last day to register to vote in the Gardner city election on Nov. 4 is Saturday, Oct. 25 at 5 p.m. To check your voter registration status and register to vote, go to the Secretary of State’s website. Residents can also register to vote at the City Clerk’s Office during operating hours: Monday to Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
What to know about Gardner’s preliminary election
Gardner voters will decide on Tuesday, Sept. 16, which two of the three mayoral candidates will be on the ballot in the November city election.
Incumbent Michael Nicholson, Kimberly Blake, who is launching a campaign for mayor for the second time, and first-time candidate Ann DeBarros are all candidates on the preliminary election ballot.
The top two vote getters will move on to the city’s general election on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Voters’ wards and precincts determine the location of their voting poll. Polling locations for the preliminary election are posted on the city’s website. All polls are open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. in Gardner. Anyone standing in line at 8 p.m. will be permitted to vote.
This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Mayoral candidates urge Gardner residents to cast their ballots
