By: Kevin Dube – July, 2024
With the first Presidential debate in the books, I noticed a trend on social media. Many people were complaining they didn’t care for either candidate. “Is this the best we can do?” was a frequent type of comment.
This is nothing new, it is a comment I’ve heard as long as I’ve been involved in politics. People show up to the polls, or watch a debate, and ask “why are these the candidates I get to pick from?” There is, in fact, a very good reason for this.
The largest growth in party affiliation is “unenrolled,” meaning people that don’t belong to any party. In just the last 3 years here in North Andover the percentage of unenrolled voters went up 5% from 63% to 68%. During those 3 years the total number of registered voters increased by 1,512, and the total number of unenrolled voters increased by 2,063. That represents a 15% increase in the number of unenrolled voters while every other party, even the minor ones, lost voters in both real numbers and as a percentage of those registered.
The reason for this drop in party enrollment is clear; people are unhappy with the partisan nature of both parties. However, this becomes a self-reinforcing cycle. As people leave the parties, the parties become more calcified in their ideology, which leads to more people leaving the parties, rinse and repeat. The solution to this problem is equally clear; people need to join and engage with the parties more!
Both major parties, Republican and Democrat, follow the same structure here in MA. This structure is outlined in law, specifically chapter 52 of the Mass General Laws. Each town and each ward in every city has a committee consisting of up to 35 members. Statewide there are 80 elected members of the state committee for each party consisting of one man and one woman for each of our 40 state senate districts. The local committees are responsible for recruiting local activists and helping candidates get elected to office.
The state committee members are responsible for being liaisons to the local committees and the state party. The State committee also elects the state chairperson and the national committee man and woman that work to drive the national party. Long before you have seen a name on a ballot these are the people that have worked to recruit and promote those candidates.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that while the Republican State committee only consists of the 80 elected members, the Democrat State Committee has over 400 members. The law allows for the parties to choose the composition of their respective committees. Much as the national Dem party has “super delegates” at their convention to make sure the Presidential candidate they want gets in, likewise the Mass. Dems have packed their state committee with members, many unelected, to dilute the will of the voters. This is the party that screams about protecting democracy?
Regardless which side of the political spectrum you fall on, I urge you to join a party and get involved if you want to see real change. That said, given that the Democrats hold supermajorities in the Massachusetts government, as well as the anti-democratic policies I’ve pointed out above, your voice will carry far further in the Republican Party.
Ready to get involved? Send me an email @ northandovergop@gmail.com. ◊