Record Town voter turnout
Published on November 5th, 2008
STONEHAM, MA -Record numbers of Stoneham voters cast ballots in Tuesday’s election, with the majority of the electorate casting its support behind President-elect Barack Obama and 31st Middlesex District State House candidate Jason Lewis (D-Winchester).
In total, 12,115 citizens entered Town Hall voting booths this week to cast their ballots, beating the record turnout for the 2004 presidential contest between George W. Bush and John Kerry.
In the presidential contest, Obama swept every single precinct in Stoneham, finishing with 6,600 votes to Arizona Senator John McCain’s 5,219.
Lewis, who will replace retiring State Rep. Paul Casey (D-Winchester), also won the majority of votes in every precinct. Lewis finished with 5,038 votes, nearly twice as many ballots than those gained by Republican runner up Brian O’Connor, who earned the support from 2,396 Stoneham citizens.
Lewis had similar success in Winchester, where he also captured all eight precincts.
“Now I’m speechless. I’ve talked and talked at so many doorsteps, but now I’m speechless,” said Lewis, who celebrated his victory at China Sky restaurant in Winchester. “This was so amazing. We’ve met so many old and new friends. Speaking for Susie (his wife) and me, we were unbelievably touched by all the support and encouragement we’ve received.
“I’m happy I ran. It was a good experience and I made a lot of new friends. I have no regrets. Jason won decisively and the people have spoken. As a selectman I hope to support him in his work as our state representative,” commented O’Connor, during his post election gathering at the Cafe Dolce in Winchester.
Independent Chad Riley, also of Winchester, finished third in the State House contest with 1,912 votes. Riley, who had garnered the support of various Stoneham officials, spent most of the day greeting supporters in front of Town Hall.
“I think we had a great showing,” said Riley, after Hanright announced the results. “If you add up the votes that Brian and I had together, it’s very, very tight. We had a great showing for someone who’s never run for this type of office before.”
According to Town Clerk John Hanright, who had hoped to top the 13,000 voter mark, nearly 79 percent of Stoneham’s registered voters participated in Tuesday’s election.
“Our percentage was 78.87 percent. That’s a record number of voters in Stoneham. I was actually hoping for 13,000. But I will settle for 12,115,” joked Hanright, after announcing the results. “You couldn’t ask for a better day. The weather was fantastic.”
Stoneham largely managed to avoid the long lines and wait times experienced at some polling stations across the Commonwealth, with just one long line of approximately 200 people when voting began at 6 a.m.
During the first two hours the polls were open, 1,889 ballots were cast, 848 of which were from citizens taking advantage of the early 6 a.m. voting hours.
According to Hanright, his staff did an excellent job of keeping voter traffic moving. Hanright also credited the Selectmen for designating Central and Emerson Street traffic as one-way roadways and allowing his office to open the polls an hour early at 6 a.m.
“I can’t say enough about my staff and how they handled themselves. This election was exceptional, because they put in an effort that is second to none I’ve ever seen,” praised the town clerk.
“We worked hard to make sure he flow of the voters was top notch,” Hanright added. “I’d like to thank my staff so much for making this process so smooth during a record turnout.”
Stoneham’s voters also mirrored statewide sentiments on three binding ballot questions, as the local electorate trounced a proposal to eliminate the state income tax and endorsed two petitions to decriminalize marijuana possession and ban dog racing in Massachusetts.
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