Letter to the Editor: Regarding voter turnout in local elections

To the Editor,

On April 7th, Dartmouth will elect a Select Board member. In a town of 34,000 with roughly 24,000 registered voters, the outcome will likely be decided by 4,000 of them.

Here’s a number that should bother everyone: in the last three local elections, fewer than 80 voters under 55 showed up for all three. Eighty! In a town where the median age is 42, the vast majority of working families and new homeowners are simply not in the room where it happens.

This isn’t a criticism of the people who do vote. Dartmouth’s seniors, veterans, and longtime residents deserve credit for showing up year after year. But when one demographic dramatically outweighs all others at the ballot box, the result isn’t representative government. I know - I was part of that problem. I didn't show up for every local election either. That changed when I started attending meetings and saw how few of us were in the room.

Dartmouth isn’t broken. We have strong finances, a community that cares deeply, and real assets to build on. But we’ve also developed a habit of managing scarcity instead of planning for strength.

School funding now ranks in the bottom 20% statewide. Infrastructure has been deferred for decades. Commercial growth is stagnating while residential taxpayers shoulder more of the burden. These aren’t partisan issues. They’re planning issues. And they require leaders willing to be honest about where we are, not just where we’ve been.

The Select Board is meant to represent every part of this community, not just the fraction that votes. The best candidates aren’t the ones with the most years in the building. They’re the ones who listen broadly, think critically, and have the courage to name problems instead of pretending they don’t exist.

If you’ve ever said the town doesn’t listen, that development happens without your input, that the budget doesn’t reflect your priorities, April 7th is your answer. Not social media. A ballot. Research the candidates. Watch the debate on DCTV. Then show up. Bring a friend. Bring your neighbor.

Eighty voters under 55 in the last three elections. That’s not an election. That’s a forfeit. Polls are open April 7th.

Zak Tavares

Town Meeting Member