Tuned out

All politics is local, or so the adage goes. But new evidence of civic apathy is putting that adage to the test this spring.

The election season has produced regular reports of unusually light voter turnout, scores of uncontested races, and rows of empty seats at Town Meetings. The examples have poured in from across the region, even in civic-minded towns such as Hanover, where for the first time in more than a century the spring election had no contests.

"It seems like 300 people are all making the decisions for a city of 25,000," said Eric Merithew, 31, of Dedham, a town that initially had trouble enlisting enough candidates for its representative Town Meeting.

"Nobody wants to offer their services for the town," said Tracy Kenney, town clerk in Canton, where only one of six open seats was contested this spring. "I don't know what it is."

Theories abound. For one thing, being in town politics is not fun these days. Protracted budget battles and the thankless duties of raising school fees, lobbying for tax increases, or handing teachers and firefighters pink slips just isn't worth it, many observers say.

"In most communities the choices are either to raise property taxes or cut services, and it's very difficult to attract new candidates to run for office during that time," said Geoff Beckwith, executive director of the Massachusetts Municipal Association. "Serving in office in times of austerity is always a challenge, and we're impressed by the number of folks who do step forward when the news they have to deliver is bad or worse."

But what about voters simply going to the polls to vote on local matters, or to Town Meeting? Why are there turnouts in the single digits?

With the country at war and an upcoming presidential election, many eyes are focused on matters far from home, some observers speculate. Add to that busy work and home lives -- factors that have been eroding civic involvement for years -- and you have a formula for low participation.

The local experience runs counter to a national survey released in March by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. It found that more than 80 percent of Americans said they were "pretty interested" in local politics -- the highest mark since the center included the question in its surveys 20 years ago.

Yet in many towns, local politics is losing out to Beacon Hill and Washington. In Marshfield, well over half of registered voters head to the polls for state and national elections, but only about 15 percent cast ballots in local races. Turnout has steadily declined for several years, as has the number of volunteers for local boards.

"There's a lot of apathy out there, that's very obvious," said Patti Picco, town clerk in Marshfield. "You see it in the list of openings in boards and committees in town. They're just not getting filled."

Hingham, known for its active political culture, mustered competition for just two of 14 open seats in the April 28 election, with an open selectmen's seat drawing a lone candidate. Cynthia Coe, president of the Hingham League of Women Voters, was dismayed by the lack of interest, which she gauged at an all-time low.

"I was absolutely appalled," she said. "The consequences are very alarming. Good roads, good schools, good police department, they just don't take money, they take time."

Even after just one term in office, incumbents rarely face challenges, giving them little incentive to be responsive to their constituency. With voters only vaguely aware of current affairs, Town Meetings, lauded as a last vestige of direct democracy, often rubber-stamp measures backed by town leaders with minimal discussion and attendance.

In Easton, for example, the turnout for last week's annual town election was just 4 percent. It matched the previous year's total as the lowest that Town Clerk Janet Linehan can remember.

Even getting town meeting quorums is difficult these days. It took Abington three tries, on three evenings, to get the required 150 people to conduct the town's business.

Perhaps most alarming, a narrow elite of elected officials and informed residents wind up wielding enormous, nearly unchallenged, influence over town affairs. Others just back away.

The average voter ends up having "pretty limited knowledge of the issues," said Merithew, who moved to Dedham three years ago. Settling in a town for the first time as an adult, he felt obligated to follow local affairs, but soon found his interest was not widely shared. Frustrated with local news coverage, he started a political blog, hoping to spark involvement through information. And he volunteered to be a Town Meeting member.

That kind of willingness to step into the civic breach holds out hope for change, said Dimitria Sullivan, who resigned from the Dedham School Committee this spring. In what could be a silver lining to the civic low point, she said, voters -- especially parents -- disillusioned with the political process -- are launching grass - roots efforts that can make a more immediate difference. With school budgets so tight, many parents figure that raising money for a new playground makes more sense than lobbying school officials to fund one, she said.

Coe, too, sees a possible silver lining as frustration over civic disinterest pushes people to get involved for the first time. "People are saying, 'If not me, then who?' " she said.

But all is not woe. Indeed, the apathy that marks most local races often fades in a hurry when tax overrides are on the ballot. Nearly half of Scituate voters turned out to approve a $2.7 million measure, and about 35 percent cast ballots in Randolph, where voters recently rejected a $4.1 million override. With a robust 56 percent turnout, Westwood voters last week decisively backed a $2.78 million school override.

And some towns this spring bucked the trend by producing sharply contested races. Stoughton's April 10 election included close votes for the Board of Selectmen and School Committee, and Plymouth's ballot boasted contests in five of six races. There were four candidates for a pivotal race on Westwood's Planning Board, and Milton's hard-fought selectmen's race sparked a strong turnout.

But elsewhere, matter s are not so hopeful. Avon Town Clerk Jean Kopke said the recent town election had the lowest turnout she has ever seen. Only 194 of the town's 2,800 voters cast ballots. Usually a stream of voters comes through the polling places, but on election day this spring there were long stretches when there was not a voter in sight, she said, leaving poll workers looking for creative ways to fend off boredom.

Some observers fear that the apathy is breeding more apathy, and have grown resigned to the idea that minimal interest, however regrettable, is unavoidable.

"Unfortunately, it's usually pretty slow around here," said Linda Cole, assistant town clerk in Halifax, where one of 10 races was competitive. "Every once in a while there's a contest, but not too often."

Peter Schworm can be reached at schworm@globe.com. Emily Yahr can be reached at Yahr@ globe.com.

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