Constance Chien ’10
Features Editor
The first “My Town, My Vote,” a voter information event organized by the Westport League of Women Voters, was held at Jesup Green outside the Westport Public Library on Oct. 17 from 1-3 p.m. in an attempt to raise voter awareness of town politics and to increase election participation in years when there are only town elections, such as 2009.
“We want people to vote in local elections,” said event organizer Lisa Shufro. “For some reason, when there is just a local election, turnout goes down.”
For this reason, the Westport League of Women Voters decided to set up a committee of twenty members in order to attempt to “look in why voter turnout changes so much depending on whether there is a state or national election,” said Alison Rivard, co-president of the League.
Shufro continued to state that local elections have more impact on Westport citizens than state and national elections because they have a “direct impact” on issues that affect Westporters locally, such as education.
“Local elections affect the lives of those in town,” Board of Education candidate Michael McGovern said.
Cecile Newberg, vice-president of the Democratic Town Committee, agreed.
“I think it’s one of the most important elections because all the boards are important,” Newberg said. “It will decide the town future.”
In addition to attempting to increase voter awareness of town issues and elections, the event sought to bridge the disconnect between voters and town politicians.
“We try to make it very personal and speak to self-interest,” said current RTM vice-chair Jonathan Steinberg. “The idea was to make it as accessible as possible.”
And, indeed, some Westport residents came to the event to do simply that.
“I came here to find out more information about the elections,” said Nicole Winder, a Westport resident who plans on voting in this year’s election. “I think it’s very important.”
The event also involved music from local bands, food—brownies and ice cream from the Democrats, coffee and munchkins from the Republicans—, hand sanitizer, and a general celebratory air of democracy and town politics amidst the brisk autumn air, a conscious attempt to create a communal air.
The downtown location was not accidental.
“We thought it was the most central and highly trafficked part of downtown,” said Steinberg. “Hopefully, as we all build up to the election…we’ve built up enough ruckus.”
