BOSTON (WWLP) - The Secretary of the Commonwealth released Massachusetts' official presidential election turnout statistics, and they show a drop in participation from last cycle. While the 2020 election had a better turnout than 2016, 2024 saw a decrease in participation, with 3.5 million votes cast this year, as compared to 3.6 million votes in 2020 and almost 3.4 million votes in 2016. In some cities, turnout was lower than in both 2020 and 2016. In western Massachusetts, both Amherst and Holyoke saw turnout more than 10% lower than the 2016 election. According to the election overseer, this decline reflects trends across the country. "The turnout in Massachusetts appears to reflect a national trend, with a significant drop in participation in several of our cities, especially those with larger minority populations," said Bill Galvin, the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Secretary Galvin explained that since Massachusetts adopted automatic voter registration 4 years ago, turnout cannot be accurately measured as a percentage of registered voters. "Simply looking at the percentage of registered voters who voted, in comparison to previous elections, would give a false impression of a significant decline in statewide turnout," said Galvin. The secretary says several factors could be responsible for lower turnout, including a change in lifestyle and voting behaviors as a result of the pandemic. Despite lower comparative turnout, voter registration in Massachusetts is at a record high with 5 million registered voters. Local News Headlines Springfield honors Native American’s with flag raising event New Parker Street traffic lane raises concerns in Springfield One local group walks from Springfield to Greenfield to raise money for the hungry Electricity across New England will be in high demand this Thursday WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.