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Pittsfield city clerk: turnout low halfway through non-mayoral election day

A stone building with a colonnade.
Josh Landes
/
WAMC

The city clerk in Pittsfield, Massachusetts says turnout is low so far in today’s municipal election.

Michele Benjamin – who is running unopposed for re-election today – said only 7.27% of the city’s 29,000 registered voters had made it to the polls as of noon.

“Four years ago, there was a similar election where there was not a mayoral race," said the city clerk. "We had 23.1% turnout for the entire day. So I'm really hoping that people get out there and we at least have a 20% to 25% turnout. I mean, it's important.”

Benjamin expects an after-work rush to bolster the low numbers. The election will determine the city clerk seat and the makeup of Pittsfield’s city council and school committee.

Josh Landes has been WAMC's Berkshire Bureau Chief since February 2018, following stints at WBGO Newark and WFMU East Orange. A passionate advocate for Western Massachusetts, Landes was raised in Pittsfield and attended Hampshire College in Amherst, receiving his bachelor's in Ethnomusicology and Radio Production. His free time is spent with his cat Harry, experimental electronic music, and exploring the woods.
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