MassPIRG Pushing to Increase Voter Turnout at MCLA

It's a given that young people don't vote. Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts is hoping to buck the trend.

iBerksires.com reports in one good sign, the nearly two dozen students and others attending a voter information session on Wednesday, at least those of voting age, raised their hands to indicate they were registered and would be voting on Tuesday.

While turnout was low in the last mid-terms in 2014, only 16 percent, MCLA students turned out in numbers of 47 percent and 55 percent for the presidential elections in 2012 and 2016, respectively.

Wednesday's Halloween-themed event was the culmination of a voter drive on campus by Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group to ensure that students knew about this year's mid-term and were ready to vote. Birge was joined by Mayor Thomas Bernard and City Clerk Marilyn Gomeau to talk about the importance of

The voting behavior of students seems to be high in presidential elections but even then, certain groups aren't taking advantage of the right to voice their concerns that previous Americans fought hard to obtain. In particular, African-American and Hispanic students had far lower rates of voting than white and Asian Americans at MCLA.

Tuesday's election is unique in that it features an incumbent mounting a write-in campaign.