UPDATE:

The Boston mayoral preliminary election is in full swing with only 2 hours left for citizens to cast their vote. Now that 5pm has rolled around and many are slowly migrating away from their cubicles, there’s still ample opportunity to have your voice heard in choosing Boston’s next head of municipal government.

As of 3pm, only 17% of those registered have tallied their vote but an influx in ballots cast is surely imminent, according to the Boston Herald.

“The city has 368,207 registered voters.” You do the math.

For those who are unaware, the polls for today’s preliminaries are open until 8pm and stations can be found sprawled throughout Boston’s cooked streets and numerous venues using lists of wards and precincts as well as interactive maps.

At noon Tuesday, only about 6% of Boston’s entire populous had cast their vote, including those who may not be registered within the city limits.

Similarly, the Boston Globe published a graphic depicting where most of the voting has occurred and not surprisingly Dorchester and West Roxbury, from where the majority of the 12 mayoral candidates hail from, have cast the most.

While voting may seem like a chore and your polling station may be just far enough down the block that it doesn’t merit the effort, it’s important to consider that today’s preliminaries are but the early stages for a mayoral race Boston hasn’t seen in 20 years. A vote today is a contribution to the nationwide significance Boston boasts and will likely keep the city constantly looking forward. Some of the generation that occupies the Shawmut Peninsula has never had a mayor other than the much-endeared though faltering Thomas Menino so those who vote today are actively participating in writing the history of our fair city.

[Image via Boston Magazine]

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