Cities like Worcester — where the poverty rate is twice as high as the state’s — may have trouble getting people to the polls this November. The state’s most disadvantaged and diverse urban communities often have some of the lowest voter turnout rates. In the last midterm election year, nine of the 10 municipalities with the lowest voter turnout were Gateway Cities.
civic participation
Posted inGateway Cities
‘We are America’: Chelsea named All-America city for the second year in a row
Nearly half of Chelsea’s predominantly Latino population was born outside of the United States — the largest foreign-born population of any community in Massachusetts. The city’s award application highlighted its community-centered policing, food distribution system, and youth development initiatives – efforts that have helped strengthen residents’ trust in local government amid a federal immigration crackdown that has had Chelsea in its crosshairs, according to city officials.
Posted inOpinion
Voting Rights Act ruling can harm belief in fair representation, even in bluest states like Massachusetts
Civic participation is shaped as much by trust as it is by policy. That’s why leadership at the state level must be proactive, visible, and unequivocal in the face of federal rulings that set us back.
