'Steadier' Turnout than Expected for Special Dual Election in Stoneham

Despite soaring temperatures, voter turnout has been steady in Stoneham for the special dual election on Tuesday, according to Town Clerk Maria Sagarino.

"Turnout seems much steadier than I thought given that Secretary of State (William) Galvin had predicted such a low turnout and it is is so hot out today," Sagarino said. "(As of 2 p.m.), we've had 5,349 ballots run through the machines thus far. It being a dual election, I can't tell you how many voters have come because some have only taken one ballot and others have taken both."

As far as election operations are concerned, Sagarino said no issues have cropped up and everything is running smoothly. 

"I'm just sorry that the Town Hall Auditorium doesn't have air conditioning," Sagarino said. "The election workers deserve a medal for being here all day with the heat. They make this run as smoothly as it does."

With the temperatures reaching the mid-90s, Sagarino said voters are no lingering at the polls.

"The voters are only spending about five minutes here so we haven't really had to accomodate them," she said. "We set up several fans around the auditorium.  The election workers have been provided with a lot of water and other drinks throughout the day."

Sagarino anticipates a bit of a slow down for a few hours before it likely picks back up when people are coming home from work or swinging by the polls after dinner. "I'm really curious to see how many voters we get. It is hard to predict," she added.

Here is an hour-by-hour breakdown of voting in Stoneham, according to data provided by the Town Clerk's office: