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Date: 11/22/2022
CHICOPEE – With a variety of local and state issues represented on the ballot, the 2022 election on Nov. 8 drew significant interest from Chicopee residents.
City Clerk Keith Rattell reported a 42.6 percent turnout in Chicopee – a figure that was right in line with his expectations.
“That’s about where I thought it might land, it was a good turnout,” said Rattell in an interview with Reminder Publishing.
The 2022 election turnout is a significant jump from the 12.39 percent attendance for the 2021 election. The 2022 figure also represents a decline from 2020’s 66.47 percent turnout. The variance in results is based on the topical nature of each election.
The 2020 election generated interest due to the presidential race and other national races for the Senate and House of Representatives. In 2021, the ballot featured only local issues, including an unopposed reelection bid for Mayor John Vieau.
Rattell believes that state positions, like the 8th Hampden District state representative election that featured no incumbent due to state Rep. Joseph Wagner’s retirement after three decades of service, garnered significant interest from the public.
“There was a lot of state offices on that ballot. You have what I like to call the Joseph Wagner seat, because he’s held it for over 30 years, so that was a big one on the ballot,” said Rattell.
Other marquee election races were for the Massachusetts gubernational seat, a bid for Congressman Richard Neal’s House of Representative seat and other State House races.
The 2022 election also featured six ballot questions in Chicopee. Voters expressed their support for questions regarding an additional 4 percent state income tax on income exceeding $1 million, a change in dental insurance coverage, the creation of a single payer system of universal health care and changes to make each of the state’s House of Representatives votes publicly available.
Chicopee voters expressed their opposition to Question 3, which would have increased the amount of liquor licenses distributed and Question 4. Question 4 focused on a state-established law that allows Massachusetts residents who cannot provide proof of lawful presence in the United Sates to acquire a driver’s license or permit.
The state income tax question showcased the closest margin of victory, securing 51 percent of the vote – or a difference of roughly 300 ballots.
Of the 42 percent turnout, 14 percent came from early voting or mail-in voting. Rattell said a majority of pre-Election Day ballots came from mail-in votes as in-person early voting drew limited interest.
“The majority of that 14 percent was by mail … By state law now, we’re open for two weeks before election Tuesday. Every day for two weeks we would have 20 people, 21 people, 30 people, and we’re open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.,” said Rattell.
Rattell calculated that of the 14 percent in early voting, only 436 ballots, or .01 percent, came from in-person early voting.
“The state has us incurring a major expense for not much of a turnout,” said Rattell.
For each election year, Rattell and his team spend months of tireless preparation. He said the workload has only increased with the addition of mail-in and early voting.
“It has created a tremendous amount of work for clerks across the commonwealth … the people in my office for months have been working from 7 in the morning to sometimes 10 at night process all these applications and ballots. It is a very labor-intensive process leading up to the election day and election day itself is a very busy day for us,” said Rattell.
Full election results are available at https://www.chicopeema.gov/850/Election-Results.