Fact check: How does Boston's voter turnout compare to other major US cities?

1. Summary of the results

The analyses provided offer insights into Boston's voter turnout in comparison to other major US cities. According to ^[1], Boston's voter turnout in the 2024 presidential election was 57%, which is lower than the national average of 63% and the average turnout of 67.4% in the 50 largest cities in the US ^[1]. Additionally, mayoral turnout in Boston was 33%, which is lower than the average mayoral turnout of 37.1% in the 50 largest cities ^[1]. In comparison, Milwaukee saw the highest voter turnout percentage of the 50 largest US cities in the 2024 presidential election, with over 85% of registered voters casting their votes ^[2]. Other cities, such as Seattle, also had higher turnout rates, with 80% of voters participating in the presidential election ^[1]. It's worth noting that Boston's municipal voter turnout has been worryingly low, with a turnout rate of 19% in 2021, comparable to other similar municipalities in the area ^[3].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

A key piece of missing context is the historical trend of voter turnout in Boston and other major US cities. While ^[4] provides information on the decrease in voter turnout in Massachusetts, with 30,000 fewer voters compared to 2020, it does not offer a direct comparison to other cities ^[4]. Furthermore, ^[5] highlights the lack of specific data comparing Boston's voter turnout to other major US cities, instead providing historical voter turnout statistics for Massachusetts state elections ^[5]. Alternative viewpoints, such as the impact of election timing on voter participation, are also not fully explored in the provided analyses, although ^[6] mentions a decrease in voter turnout in California and the effect of election timing on voter participation ^[6].

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement asks how Boston's voter turnout compares to other major US cities, but does not provide any context or data to support a comparison. This lack of context may lead to misinformation or biased interpretations of the data. For instance, ^[1] and ^[1] provide data on Boston's voter turnout, but do not offer a comprehensive analysis of the factors contributing to the city's relatively low turnout rates ^[1]. Additionally, the sources that highlight Milwaukee's high voter turnout, such as ^[2] and ^[2], may create a biased narrative that emphasizes the achievements of certain cities without fully exploring the complexities of voter turnout in other cities like Boston ^[2]. The Pew Research Center analysis, cited in ^[7], provides a broader perspective on voter turnout, but does not specifically address Boston's voter turnout, which may contribute to a lack of understanding of the city's voting trends ^[7].