Primary Turnout Hits Record Low; Kennedy, Robinson Win Easily

Two days after hundreds of area college students turned out to audition for the game show "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?," less than a dozen Harvard students voted in the Quincy House polling booths in the Mass. state primaries yesterday.

Only 10 out of 576 registered voters, mostly students, cast their ballot in the 13 hours polls were open, for a turnout of 1.7 percent.

Statewide numbers suffered equally all-time low turn-outs. Less than seven? percent of voters made it to the polling booths, far eclipsing the previous low mark of 11.8 percent, set in the 1996 state primaries.

Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy '54-'56, Republican Jack E. Robinson and Libertarian Carla Howell each ran unopposed in their respective U.S. Senate primaries, while only three out of 10 Congressional districts held actual contests.

In perhaps the most highly anticipated face-off, 5th District U.S. Rep. Martin Meehan--breaking a pledge to not run for a fifth term--easily defeated Democrats Joseph

Osbaldeston and Thomas Tierney. With 57 percent of precincts reporting, Meehan captured 73 percent of the vote.

State-wide, however, the dearth of candidates lead to record low voter turn-outs. While some pundits said the low numbers were merely indicative of incumbent holding-power, others were disturbed by the civic implications of a non-voting public.

Whither Democracy?

In 1998, the opening of the Eighth Congressional District seat led to a frenzied Democratic primary where then-Somerville mayor Michael Capuano triumphed over nine competitors.

A gubernatorial race between then Acting Governor A. Paul Cellucci and his Democratic challenger, Scott L. Harshbarger '64 helped buoy the statewide primary numbers as well.

But with Kennedy holding a seemingly insurmountable lead and no gubernatorial race or riveting Congressional race, voters stayed home.

While voter participation would seem to logically decrease with less competition, the paltry turn-out raised eyebrows for some.

"I don't disagree that the absence of contested elections is part of the story," says Stanfield Professor for International Peace Robert D. Putnam. "But the bigger part of the story is that America is caught in this declining tide of political participation."

But Thomas Professor of Government and of Sociology Theda Skocpol says yesterday's low turnout can not be viewed as part of a larger trend.

"We have to look at the general election," Skocpol says. "You can't really draw conclusions on whether Americans are giving up on politics from one election, especially if they're primary elections."

Brian S. McNiff, a spokesperson for Secretary of State William Galvin, says yesterday's record low turnout will not affect voter participation in November's general elections. He refers to 1996, when only 11.8 percent of eligible voters cast ballots in the state primaries.

"Come November, when there was a presidential election, there was a 75.1 percent turnout," McNiff says.

How Low Can You Go?

Turnout at the Cambridge voting location at 2 Mt. Auburn St. reflected the low numbers statewide.

Twenty minutes before polls closed, only 89 of 1370 registered voters had cast ballots, or 6.5 percent of those eligible.

Turnout was also low at Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) headquarters on Garden St., where Democratic voters were offered contested races for only two positions: the Clerk of Courts and Register of Probate.

Republicans only fielded candidates in three of seven races, and only one was contested.

"If there appears to be a contest, people come out," says Howard B. Richardson, an election inspector at the HUPD location. "It's going to be a lot better in November."

Students say the lack of competition and publicity surrounding the elections prevented them from voting.

"I only found out about the primaries yesterday, and I wasn't familiar with any of the candidates," says Zachary M. Subin '03.

"Also, I read in the paper this morning that most of the races were uncontested," adds Subin, a New Jersey native who is registered to vote in Massachusetts.

But at least one Harvard administrator made sure to get out and vote.

"I have never missed an election," says Director of Admissions Marlyn McGrath Lewis '70-'73, who identified herself as a Republican. "You hold an election and I will be there," she told the Associated Press yesterday.

Robinson Tales

In the most widely anticipated race of the day, both candidates for the Senate cruised to an easy victory, as neither incumbent Sen. Edward M. Kennedy '54-'56, a Democrat, and challenger Jack E. Robinson III, a Republican, faced any opponents.

Kennedy is expected to win an easy victory in November, but the race has attracted widespread attention because of Robinson, an unorthodox candidate running an unorthodox campaign.

At the outset of his campaign in March, Robinson, a 40 year-old black entrepreneur, portrayed his own life story as an example of the Republican ideals of hard work and self-motivation.

Born in the inner city of Boston, Robinson went on to earn degrees from both the Harvard Law and Harvard Business Schools and made a small fortune in the telecommunications industry. He estimates his net worth at about $2 million.

He supports the traditional Republican platform of tax cuts, gun rights and school vouchers.

But after the press revealed a series of embarrassing personal details regarding Robinson's past--including allegations of a drunk-driving arrest and a restraining order issued against him by his former girlfriend--he lost support.

Robinson lost endorsements from both the statewide and national Republican establishment, including the endorsement of Mass. Governor A. Paul Cellucci.

Campaign Struggles

Without the backing of official Republican organizations, Robinson resorted to hiring staffers, out of his own pocket, to gather the 10,000 signatures necessary for his name to appear on the ballot.

But even this did not produce the desired results. The Democratic Party challenged the signatures and Galvin withdrew Robinson's name from the ballot.

The Supreme Judicial Court reinstated Robinson, but not before he spent more than $100,000 on the entire signature-gathering and legal process.

Robinson's personal gaffes continued in August. He was involved in an automobile accident while conducting a radio interview from his cell phone, projecting sounds of screeching tires and the accident's aftermath over the air waves.

Later in the month, an officer pulled Robinson over for driving almost double the speed limit in Connecticut.

Last week, Robinson's only paid staff member, Thomas P. McCuin, a veteran of the presidential campaign of Sen. John S. McCain (R.-Ariz.), quit, citing philosophical differences with Robinson.

Despite his myriad setbacks, Robinson pledges to continue his campaign, which he says is now based in cyberspace.

He has spent hours each day crisscrossing Massachusetts in his red 2000 Cadillac DeVille to fulfill his vow of visiting all of the state's 351 towns and cities, even if only for a few moments, and he has attacked Kennedy for refusing to agree to a series of debates.

Kennedy Sitting Pretty

Currently, Kennedy's attitude to the Senate race and Robinson has been marked by confident indifference.

The 68 year-old senator, running for his seventh term in office, has never been more popular in Massachusetts, a state known for its liberal voters.

His $4.2 million war chest also dwarfs the resources of Robinson, who has raised less than $50,000 and plans to spend only $200,000 of his own money.

But it was not always so easy for Kennedy.

In 1994, Kennedy ran an extremely tough race against Republican venture capitalist Mitt Romney, spending more than $10 million to win reelection.

Last week, a worry-free Kennedy made a joint appearance with Romney at the opening of a Mormon temple in Belmont.

"You approach each campaign differently, depending on the environment, and it's much different than in '94," says Will Keyser, Kennedy's director of communications. "[Republicans] aren't fielding a candidate this year and the candidate that is on the ballot they don't support, so it's a very different situation."

But Keyser says Kennedy still plans to run "an aggressive campaign," viewing the election as a chance to educate voters about his accomplishments regarding health care, education, environment, civil rights and economic growth.

"Competition ebbs and flows," Keyser says. "The message is constant. It's not going to change and hasn't changed in his time in United States Senate."

The Other Girl

Robinson's struggles have allowed Carla Howell, the Libertarian candidate, unprecedented exposure and the chance to serve as the underdog candidate to the Kennedy juggernaut.

Howell has already raised $574,381in campaign funds, allowing her to run a substantive campaign effort.

Michael Cloud, a Howell campaign manager, harshly criticizes Kennedy's refusal to debate.

"Senator Kennedy doesn't have enough guts to face us. He's afraid of a Jesse Ventura," Cloud says. "He's ducking every event he can."

Kennedy School Lecturer in Public Policy Marty Linsky says Kennedy's reluctance is indicative of front-runner complacency.

"I'm disappointed...that Kennedy hasn't been willing to debate him, since the risks are so small," Linsky says. "It's very hard to get front-runners to debate."

Cloud says the Howell campaign wants at least three debates, and preferably five.

"When debates occur...voter turnout increases," he says, referring to the 1998 Minnesota gubernatorial race, where Ventura debated and where 63 percent voted, compared to 39 percent nationally. "If we want to keep them involved, we need third-party candidates and we need debates."