Political Action
Political action is a critical aspect of broader civic health as it reflects the ways in which individuals engage with and seek to influence the institutions that govern their lives. Political action refers to conventional political engagement: mainly efforts to influence the government and other large institutions through voting, discussing politics with others, reaching out to public officials about certain issues, and using purchasing power to take a stance on a certain issue. Overall, residents of Massachusetts participated in political action at a slightly higher rate than the national average. However, in Massachusetts there were some disparities along demographic lines worth noting.

While political action among African Americans and Whites came close nationally, in Massachusetts, the average number of political acts by Whites in 2010 far exceeded the number for African Americans: 71.5% of Whites took part in at least one act, versus 38.5% of African Americans. Latinos lagged even further behind with only 30.9% taking part in a political act. The age disparity in civic engagement was notable nationally but more pronounced in Massachusetts. More than three quarters of Massachusetts residents ages 55 and over participate in at least one political action as opposed to less than half of those residents ages 16-34. Also worth noting are the geographic disparities. The central cities of the Commonwealth have much lower political participation than in the suburbs—in fact, 46% of urban residents were not engaged at all. Educational attainment also proves to be a sharp dividing line in Massachusetts. College graduates reported an average of 1.47 political acts, and more than 80% of them did something political. High school drop-outs, on the other hand, reported an average of 0.5 acts and 60.5% did nothing.

Voter Turnout in Massachusetts
The degree to which people vote is an important indicator of the composite political action scores described above. With a voter turnout rate of 52.2% for citizens ages 18 and over, Massachusetts ranked 11th nationally for turnout in 2010. This is compared to a national turnout rate of 45.5% for citizens ages 18 and over. The state has maintained its 11th place ranking despite experiencing a drop in voter turnout from 55.4%, as measured in 2006. The 2010 drop-off in voter turnout might be due to “the lack of a governor’s contest, long-standing apathy about preliminary elections, and a growing number of independent voters.”(4) National turnout has also fallen since 2006 when turnout rate for all eligible citizens nationwide was 47.8%. While Massachusetts is still in the 25th percentile, voter turnout across the state needs to increase as it is a tool by which citizens can interact with government and hold elected officials accountable.(5)

From the graphs that follow, it is evident that Massachusetts typically sees greater voter turnout than the United States nationally. However, we see that Massachusetts and the nation tend to follow a similar rise and fall trend with a few notable exceptions. For example, in the 1990 midterm election, the country’s average voter turnout was roughly the same as the previous midterm election (~50%), while Massachusetts turnout jumped to 64.7%. This may be explained by the state’s contentious gubernatorial race, which resulted in the election of William Weld—the first Republican Governor of Massachusetts since 1975.

Below are the historical trends on voter turnout in midterm and presidential elections (1972-2008) in Massachusetts and the United States.




Furthermore, while overall voter turnout in the state is higher than national trends, it is important to look at divides in participation demographically. For example, echoing the dramatic divide in political action between White and African American residents, we see a greater disparity between White and African American voters in Massachusetts than national trends. In Massachusetts, 57.0% of Whites voted in 2010, while only 41.2% of African Americans did. This presents a much starker disparity than national trends in which 48.6% of Whites voted and 44% of African Americans voted. Furthermore, 14.0% of Latinos in Massachusetts voted in 2010, relative to 31.2% nationally.

Massachusetts demonstrates similar trends to the nation in voting disparities along the lines of age and educational attainment. However, these gaps are worth noting. Only 29.9% of Massachusetts residents with less than a high school diploma voted in 2010, while 66.4% of college graduates did. Furthermore, only 22.4% of 18-24 year olds voted in 2010, while 68.5% of 55-64 year olds did. These demographic trends shed valuable light on where the state is capitalizing upon citizen input and engaging citizen voice, and where there are serious gaps that must be addressed.



Voter Registration in Massachusetts
While voter registration is not explicitly factored into the composite score for political action, it is still an important indicator of civic health to be considered.

In 2006, the Massachusetts voter registration rate was 72.4% compared with a national rate of 67.6%. In 2010, however, the Massachusetts voter registration rate had decreased to 68.6%
compared with a national rate of 65.1%. In 2010, Massachusetts ranked 14th among all states in the rate of citizens who are registered to vote.

While these high rates of voter registration are promising, research shows that voter registration doesn’t always correlate with voter turnout.(6) This bears out in comparing statewide registration to turnout rates, as well. Too often, voter turnout efforts morph into purely voter registration efforts without addressing other significant barriers to casting a vote such as having to take time off work, facing long lines, or having limited time. These barriers need to be considered and addressed if voter turnout is to be increased.

Talking Politics with Friends and Family
In addition to voting, another important indicator of political action is the frequency with which individuals discuss politics with family and friends. Interestingly, this category marks a significant difference between the 2008-2009 and 2010 results across the state of Massachusetts. In 2010, 28.7% of Massachusetts residents reported that they talked about politics at least a few times a week, while 26.0% was reported nationally. By contrast, in 2008-2009, both the state and nation had much higher rates with 42.3% of Massachusetts residents reporting positively and 39.3% of national residents doing the same. Perhaps the notably high number of political discussions in 2008-2009 is due in part to the monumental Presidential election in late 2008. Whether or not this is the case, it’s crucial to stress the importance of discussing politics with family and friends at all times—not just during election years. After the 2008 election, only 14% of Americans “were confident they would try to change local policies regarding schools, work or neighborhoods.”(7) This is just one reflection of the challenge in sustaining input and engagement from citizens outside of high-profile election cycles. Building avenues and interest for individuals to discuss politics creates a cycle of information, self-efficacy, and motivation that might translate into other forms of political and community engagement.