Unbeknownst to many Tufts students, primary elections will be held today in the race for the U.S. Senate seat vacated after the death of Sen. Edward Kennedy. Although publicity for the election has been sparse, its results could hardly be of greater import. Aside from assuming all the responsibilities characteristic of a U.S. senator, Massachusetts' new representative will enter Congress in the midst of the most important debate over health care reform in decades. Every Tufts student registered to vote in Massachusetts is urged to head to the polls today and again on Jan. 19 for the general election.
It is standard procedure for the Daily to encourage students to vote on election day. But this particular circumstance requires an especially emphatic call to action, as voter turnout is expected to be unusually low. Some reports attribute this to unfriendly weather and timing. But the fact that in last month's 7 News/Suffolk University poll, 93 percent of registered Democratic voters reported not even knowing the date of the primary highlights a greater problem with this special election: It has been severely under−publicized.
While candidates have attempted to encourage voter awareness, they alone can hardly be expected to shoulder the entire burden of informing the public about when the election is to be held. The special primary and general elections will cost the city of Somerville approximately $130,000. The statewide costs of administering this election are estimated at approximately $7.2 million, according to a report from State Auditor Joseph DeNucci. This money will essentially be wasted if over 90 percent of registered voters don't turn out for the primary.
It is the responsibility of citizens to stay informed regarding political happenings, but it is the responsibility of their government to ensure that taxpayers' money is not being wasted on an election of which no one is aware. Both the state and local governments should have put more effort into ensuring that every voter knew the date and importance of this election.
Although most still might not know much about them, the candidates in today's elections come from starkly different backgrounds and hold varying views on the issues.
Martha Coakley, the state's attorney general, is the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, according to recent polls. The only woman in the race, Coakley recently received an endorsement from former President Clinton.
U.S. Rep. Mike Capuano, a six−term congressman, is the candidate closest to Coakley in the polls. His campaign has emphasized his Washington insider status and his ability to get things done.
The other Democratic candidates are Alan Khazei and Steve Pagliuca. Khazei's campaign emphasizes community service, and he asserts that as a political outsider he will challenge the status quo. Paglucia, a co−owner of the Boston Celtics, is a wealthy investor who claims that his financial prowess will give him an edge in dealing with the state's economic problems.
The health care bill has been one of the greatest points of debate among the four Democratic candidates. Coakley and Capuano have recently announced that they would not have voted in support of the House of Representatives' recently passed health care bill because it included the Stupak−Pitts amendment, which bars government funding for certain abortion payments. Khazei and Pagliuca have criticized this position, and said they would have voted in support of the bill despite the Stupak−Pitts amendment.
The Republican Party's frontrunner is State Sen. Scott Brown (A ‘81). Unlike his Democratic opponents, Brown does not support a so−called public health insurance option, like the one passed by the House last month. He says that he would instead support expanding health care coverage by strengthening the current private market system.
Some hold the opinion that there is little need to vote in Massachusetts, since the state has such a strong tendency to elect liberal Democrats. But especially given the major bills currently being debated in the Senate, the special election for the commonwealth's new senator deserves voters' attention −− and action.
