We’re trying to understand why more Wilton residents don’t turn out to the polls when what’s up for a vote—the annual town budget and the resulting tax rate increase—has a direct impact on the town residents’ wallets. After last week’s budget vote, Wilton’s 18-percent voter turnout was lauded as something GOOD—including in our own coverage. But playing devil’s advocate, there were some readers who noted that feeling happy about an 18-percent turnout undershoots what Wilton should be able to achieve in getting residents to fulfill their democratic responsibility and show up at the polls to vote.
So we’ve put together a survey we’re asking those who did NOT vote on the FY 2017 budget to answer. Help us understand what keeps people away from the polls. On Monday, we published the survey as part of the article we ran on the results of the election, but now we want to draw more attention and get more people to answer our survey questions. And we’re extending the survey answer period until Friday May 13, at 11:59 p.m., to see if more people will take part.
If you were eligible to vote last week but did NOT, help us try to understand what keeps people away from the polls. Answering the questions are completely anonymous so no one will know if you didn’t vote, but you may help Wilton figure out what can get you to vote next time. And of course, this isn’t scientific, but it can be helpful nonetheless. Readers can only participate one time, and, again, the survey answer period will end on May 13, at 11:59 p.m..
[yop_poll id=”15″]
good idea Heather. Hope you get a lot of participants.