On Nov. 4, Massachusetts will once again likely be in the top tier in the nation of voter turnout on election Day but it won't be because of a thriving democracy here in the Bay State.
A recent survey by Commonwealth Unbound, the online magazine of the nonpartisan public policy group MassINC, found Massachusetts ranks dead last in the nation in contested races by the major parties for seats in the Legislature.
Only 17 percent of the 160 House contests - just 28 races - have both Democrat and Republican candidates. MetroWest has four of those contested races, more than most election years because of the retirement of three reps. Six Democratic incumbents will breeze to re-election without opposition, though one of them, Pam Richardson of Framingham, faced a spirited primary challenge.
The numbers aren't much better statewide for the 40-member Senate, with seven races that have both Republican and Democrat candidates. Two of the contested races are here in MetroWest, while three incumbent Democrats get a free pass.
That is an abysmal record for a state that has prided itself on politics being more than a spectator sport.
It cannot be blamed on voter apathy. Not only is Massachusetts consistently above the national average in voter turnout in presidential elections, we ranked in the top 10 in 2006 in turnout.
Nor can the lopsided voter enrollment and registration explain the paucity of races. Dating back four decades, Massachusetts Democrats have dwarfed the number of Republicans and both parties combined are far behind those who are unenrolled. And yet Republicans such as John Volpe, Edward Brooke, and the last three governors before the current administration have attracted voter support.
Many argue the power of incumbency thwarts challengers and they claim term limits would rectify that. Yet Minnesota has no term limits and 100 percent of their seats have candidates from each major party. In fact four of the top 10 states for contested elections and 12 of the top 20 do not have term limits so it is hard to see that as a stifling effect.
But the power of incumbency, combined with Democratic dominance of Beacon Hill, can't help but discourage Republican challengers. We've seen candidates with much to offer give up six months of their lives, invest thousands of dollars of their own money, put their egos on the line - and come out with nothing but a resounding defeat.
If Massachusetts is to regain its political health - which starts by being a real two-party state - there must be a road for challengers that is less steep. That may take public financing of elections, as with the Clean Elections Law approved by voters and thwarted by the Democratic leadership in the Legislature. It may take a revived Republican Party, which now offers little effective support for legislative candidates.
It also requires voters, when given a choice of candidates, to look beyond the party labels. Political insiders are expecting a record turnout on Nov. 4, powered by first-time voters drawn to the presidential race. For the good of democracy in Massachusetts, we hope they will resist casting party-line votes for candidates down the ticket they've never heard of. If we start giving every candidate for state Legislature a fair shot, maybe we'll get more candidates to run.
