Election Day In Newton: 25 Percent Turnout

NEWTON, MA — A handful of people holding campaign signs outside of polling places across the city, like the library across from City Hall - even as the rain poured down on them.

"They are the die-hards," said City Clerk David Olson.

And perhaps they helped. At 2 p.m. polling reports seemed to be down a bit from previous years. But by the end of the day, some 15,432 voters cast ballots, representing 25 percent of the city's registered voters.

Read this: Newton Election Results 2019: Wright Upsets Incumbent Cote

In 2017 there were 59,111 registered voters, of those 24,910 voted (42.14 percent). But that year, 2017, also included a hotly contested mayoral race. This year, there's no mayoral race but there are 16 at-large and eight ward city council seats up for election. This year there are 60,532 registered voters in Newton.

Olson originally expected to see about 25 percent of voters show up.

"It's been a slow day and this rain is not helping any," Olson told Patch, noting that if it kept up like this, Newton might only see 20 percent turnout.

If the rain stops, the numbers might go back up, he said.

"We're definitely seeing a slower than slow day."

Greg Reibman told Patch he voted around 9 a.m. in Ward 5 and was number 137 to cast his ballot noting it was maybe on a par with previous municipal elections.

The races to watch are city-wide contests for Councilor At Large seats in Ward 2, Ward 3, Ward 5, Ward 6. There are also contests for ward councilors for wards 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6. But only folks from those wards can vote there.

In Ward 2, Councilor Emily Norton defended her seat against Bryan Barash. It was the first challenge she's had to the seat since she was elected some six years ago.

See how the two did against one another here: Newton Election Results 2019:

Just before polls closed, Norton was working with several volunteers to get the vote out. "I'm not taking anything for granted," she told Patch.

"We're just making calls and getting out every voter, and we'll just see," she told Patch. She showed up around 7:15 a.m. to vote in her ward, but the best part of her day was hearing that one of her volunteers took an 90-year-old woman to vote and stopped along the way to get a mani-pedi, then picked up hearing aid battery, and then got some waffles from Star Market.
"And he did it," she said of the volunteer.

Barash said he, too, was happy with the how the day went. When he showed up to vote at the library he was number eight. By his last tally, some 750 people had cast votes at the library, 650 had voted at the senior center and similar numbers at Horace Mann Elementary School.

"Turnout was super high," he said. "If you have two candidates working hard and you actually talk to the voters - not just the voters who vote - a lot more show up."

Barash and Norton both lauded their groups of volunteers who helped with their campaigns.

MA Secretary of State Bill Galvin estimated that with the rain, it may put a damper on the 58 communities, including Waltham, voting. And even without it, a turnout rate of 30-40 percent in a community is "exceptionally high."

More on Newton Elections:

• Newton Election Calendar
• Ward 5 Residents To Head To The Polls Sept. 10
• Newton's Biggest Issue, According To City Council Candidates
• Newton Election Results 2019: Wright Upsets Incumbent Cote

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).