Brookline Town Election Turnout: Less Than 18 Percent

BROOKLINE, MA —By the end of the day, some 6,815 voters cast ballots in Brookline's annual election Tuesday. There are 38,910 registered voters in Brookline. The turnout was about 17.5 percent, according to the Town clerk's office.

"When you google participatory democracy, Brookline comes up," Sen. Ed Markey said Tuesday night on State Rep. Tommy Vitolo's show on Brookline Interactive Group after the election was over. "[It's] the essence of Democracy, it is participatory democracy at its best."

But Brookline has done better when it comes to showing up at the local Town election.

By comparison, some 9,808 people, or 26.4 percent of registered voters, cast ballots during the 2019 Town election. That election had a contested select board race and a heated school committee race and more than half of the Town Meeting member races were contested. In 2018, voter turnout was 22.3 percent, and there was not only contested select board and school committee races, but the ballot had an override question on it.

The 2020 race had the lowest turnout for annual Town election since 2017, when turnout was 16.2 percent. That year there were contested races for Select Board, School Committee and several other races. In 2016 turnout was 6.2 percent, there were no contested races for Select Board or School Committee. In 2015 with contested Select Board and School Committee races and an override question the turnout was nearly 30 percent.

During the presidential primary earlier this year more than 50 percent of voters showed up.

Although Brookline has had absentee ballots in previous years, this, year with special dispensation from the State Secretary's office and much encouraging from Town Hall for voters to use mail in ballots, upwards of 5,000 people were able to vote early by mail, according to the Town clerk's office. The process was not entirely seamless, and a number of people reported not getting their mail-in ballot, including Select Board chairperson Bernard Greene.

However, Greene said he walked over to vote at his polling place and was impressed with how seamless it was and how safe he felt.

Read about the election results: Brookline Election: Hamilton, VanScoyoc Win Seats On Select Board

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).Have a press release you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how to post a press release, opinion piece.