As of 6 p.m., 113,677, or 30.55 percent of registered Bostonians, have cast a ballot in today’s general election, nearly equaling the final preliminary election turnout numbers.
At the same time (6 p.m.) on September 24, 86,305 people, or 23.44 percent of registered Boston voters, had cast a ballot in the preliminary election. Overall, the turnout thus far has seen nearly a 32 percent increase, compared to the 6 p.m. preliminary election results.
Today’s turnout has outpaced September 24 numbers throughout the day, with 7.02 percent casting their ballot by 9 a.m., 14.55 percent by noon, 20.93 percent by 3 p.m., earlier today. If the Sept. 24 numbers are an indicator of sorts, expect polls to be at peak operating hours from now until 8 p.m.
Boston University’s John Carroll, an associate professor at the university’s School of Communications, says “turnout overall seems to be up somewhat from the preliminary.”
Carroll suggested that “where (turnout) is up more and where it lags,” may be more of an indicator of how each candidate is faring at the polls. “If (higher turnout rates) are coming from constituents of color, that will likely benefit [Marty Walsh], rather than Connolly.”
“It goes beyond the raw numbers,” he added.
Overall, Carroll added, the conventional wisdom is that higher turnout overall is more beneficial to Connolly, as his campaign battles Walsh’s get-out-the-vote “machine.” While Walsh volunteers and campaign supporters have been one of his campaign’s strength, Carroll shared with BostInno that a voter earlier today voiced disapproval of being contacted by Washington-based Walsh groups asking for a Walsh vote on election day, adding further to discussions regarding his campaign’s national labor force.
Regarding the increase in voter turnout in specific neighborhoods across the city, Carroll said today’s results could be “setting the table” for the future for the three candidates of color [Charlotte Golar Richie, John Barros and Felix Arroyo] who endorsed Walsh. Strong turnout in neighborhoods represented by the prior preliminary candidates could prove beneficial for them if a Walsh’s administration takes office.
The turnout numbers for WARD 18 (Hyde Park), in particular, could indicate how well Golar Richie – considered the big-ticket endorsement of the mayoral race – was able to get-out-the-vote. As of 6 p.m. 13,519 WARD 18 voters have cast a ballot — the most of any neighborhood thus far.
Registered voters can flock to the polls and vote for either Connolly or Walsh until 8 p.m. District and At-Large City Councilor seats are also up for grabs. And East Boston residents still have time to vote on the Suffolk Downs casino proposal.
