Increasing voter turnout must be a priority

It’s a fact of every election season that whoever is on the ballot and whatever offices may be contested, the number of nonvoters is likely to outnumber the people who supported any particular candidate.

Even in presidential years, nonvoters are more common than Democrats or Republicans. In 2016, when Donald Trump was elected president by virtue of the Electoral College and Hillary Clinton won the national popular vote, nonvoters accounted for some 44 percent of those eligible to cast a ballot. That compares to 28.4 percent who voted for Clinton and 27.2 percent for Trump.

Reasons for not voting can vary. In presidential elections, the Electoral College in effect provides a disincentive for people living in noncompetitive states to cast a ballot, since California, Oklahoma and other solidly red or blue states are all but predetermined as to where their electoral votes will go.

But looking locally, there is a clear pattern when examining voting trends — poverty. According to a Hearst Connecticut Media analysis, “statistics show that for every one-point increase in the percentage of people living below the poverty line, the percentage of voters decreases by 1.1 points.”

That means some of the communities in the state with the greatest needs, such as Bridgeport and New Haven, have comparatively low voter turnout. Well-off communities, of which there are many, especially in the state’s southwestern corner, have much higher rates of voting. For instance, in Derby, 13 percent live in poverty and 53 percent of registered residents have voted in the last four years. In Trumbull, 1.8 percent of residents are under the poverty line, and voter turnout is 74 percent over the same period.

This trend raises a number of concerns, all of them troubling. People who don’t vote could be more likely to be overlooked as constituents, both for local and statewide offices. Places that have the most need could see less in return from their representatives because the potential gains from focusing on areas with fewer voters are not as clear. More attention is likely to go to communities that need less help.

All of these are reasons why every jurisdiction should take steps to make it easier to vote. Connecticut, despite its progressive reputation, does not distinguish itself in this regard, and is one of the few states that has no form of early, in-person voting. Absentee ballots will be used widely this year, but only because of the health crisis caused by COVID-19.

Reforms that were instituted this year for the coronavirus should be extended, and lawmakers should move to allow early voting in future elections. Steps should be taken to make voter registration as easy as possible. All laws should be written to make it easier to cast a ballot, not harder. That’s the only way to improve turnout in the long run.

Beyond that, candidates and office holders must ensure they are reaching every constituent. No one can be ignored. When potential voters get the message that everyone will be treated equally regardless of income, education level or other status, turnout will rise accordingly. No one expects that to be an easy task.