Officials finding ways to increase voter turnout in Salisbury

SALISBURY, Md.-

After years of low voter turn out,  Salisbury officials are hoping to see a change.

Dionne Church, the Director of the Wicomico board of elections said there are a few reasons for the lower numbers.

“Historically, low voter turnout means that there are a lot of uncontested areas,” Church said. “For the city of Salisbury, currently we have three districts that are uncontested- district three district four and district five.”

In 2019, the city averaged a 17% voter turnout, a number that Salisbury City Councilwoman Michele Gregory says can be increased by getting residents more familiar with local voting.

“People have a lot on their plates already, and they just don’t have time to go out and vote,” Gregory said. “A lot of people don’t feel confident they’re aware of the issues. That’s something that I’ve tried to do over my term is make sure were engaging with the public.”

For the upcoming election, Councilwoman Gregory is actively working to make the voting process a more well-informed and seamless experience for community members.

“The team at Salisbury is making sure that people are aware that the election is coming up,” Gregory said. “Being aware of the issues and not just relying on the gossip or comment sections of posts and getting the information straight from the source is usually the best answer.”

If you have questions about Salisbury voting, you can visit www.Salisbury.md