New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
When you enter your respective polling location on November 8th, it’s likely you will see the names of the same candidates you saw two years ago running for the state legislature.
Nearly two-thirds of candidates running for a seat in the Massachusetts Senate or Massachusetts House of Representatives are running unopposed this year, though it’s quite common in the Bay State.
Here on the Southcoast, Bristol County more specifically, 17 of the 20 incumbents running face no opposition. A 21st seat (Norfolk, Bristol & Plymouth District) will be decided in the September 8th democratic primary, though incumbent Brian Joyce is not seeking re-election.
As a whole, 79% of races in Massachusetts in 2016 will be unopposed as of June 19, according to Ballotpedia. The state average from 2010 -2014 was 61%, while the national average for that same time period was only 38%.
Also according to data analyzed by Ballotpedia, 94% of Massachusetts races feature an incumbent, up from 89.7% from 2010-2014, and 88.8% feature incumbents without primary challengers, down slightly from 90.7% over the last three elections.
National averages for those categories are 81.1% and 77.5% respectively.
So, why is nobody challenging most of the politicians on Beacon Hill? Is it because voters are happy with their representatives? Is there a lack of civic engagement among today’s voters? Or does running against a well-established candidate just appear as a daunting, impossible task?
Some experts believe it comes down to incumbents holding the upper hand entering the campaign season.
According to an article published by the MetroWest Daily News this past July, incumbents typically have thousands of dollars stored in war chests and hold greater name recognition than new candidates attempting to break into the political fray.
There are also countless hoops to jump through to establish a campaign from scratch. The state’s elections division outlines the path to becoming a candidate with a helpful guide, filled with key filing dates, requirements, rules and tips, though without much name recognition it can be very hard for a “Joe Somebody” to make their way onto a ballot, let alone win a seat.
Now, if it’s so hard to get yourself on the ballot and you’re looking for change, what can you do about it?
Becoming engaged at any level will yield surprising results.
Politicians want to be re-elected, and they can only do so if you vote for them. They want to make sure you will keep checking off the box next to their names every two years or so. If you reach out to them and share your concerns, many times you will hear back from them or their offices.
If enough constituents call for change by their representative, change may likely come. On the other hand, if those elected to office are doing a poor job, their constituents are responsible for keeping them in check via the ballot box or public opinion.
You don’t need to know everything about the votes they are or are not casting, but periodically check in to see what they are up to. This can be done by checking in with your preferred news publication as well as other resources, such as Ballotpedia.org and the state’s legislature website.
The best thing you can do is vote. This year’s primary elections will be held on September 8th and the general election will be held on November 8th. You can find out your local polling location here, while you can check your voter registration status here.
Who’s running in your district? A look at candidates from 2012-2016.
Hitting the nail right on the head in regards to why people so not run for public office. It costs too much money and the people in the offices have their war chests and their financial backers who keep their war chests full. I have thought about running for an office but know without financial support, people to run fund raisers etc. there is no chance to unseat people who have been in office for years. Plus I have a moral dilemma because I wrestle with the amount of money it takes to run a campaign and the number of people who are homeless, out of jobs that the money could be used to help. I feel the whole system needs to be looked at and fixed but I know it is not going to be done by the incumbents for it will affect their jobs and their lifestyles.