Low Turnout and Complicated Vote Count Expected in Local Election

Braintree's Town Clerk is expecting the lowest voter turnout for a town election in recent history next week, citing a lack of engagement among residents because of a dearth of competitive races.

Clerk Joe Powers is projecting 20 percent turnout on Tuesday, Nov. 5. That is five points less than the lowest voter turnout in a town election since 2000, when 25 percent of registered voters cast a ballot in 2009.

There is only one town-wide competition, for Councilor-at-Large, where four candidates are competing for three seats. The only other formally competitive race is in District 5, where three are going for one seat. 

"These races are wide open," Powers said. "We're in for a slow day but a long night."

Election night could stretch longer than usual because members of the clerk's tally team will be counting by hand write-in votes in the race for three, four-year School Committee seats.

When interim committee member Sarah Nichols declined to run earlier this year, after initially pulling nominating papers, that race was left with only two nominated candidates for three open seats. Since then, three Braintree residents have announced write-in campaigns.

Powers said he has been involved in Braintree government since 1988 and cannot recall a major elected office being filled by a write-in candidate. He also cannot announce the unofficial results for all seats Tuesday night until that write-in winner is determined.

Voters will see three write-in slots on their ballots below the nominated candidates in every race. Typically, poll workers may see a handful of write-ins for a single candidate, but nothing that sways competitions decided by dozens or hundreds of votes.

But next week that calculus will change. 

Voters will write in the names of their preferred candidates – write-ins can topple a nominated candidate, however unlikely – and poll workers will count those based on guidelines set down by state regulations and court precedent.

Correct names and addresses are encouraged, though voter intent is the driving force behind counting votes, Powers said.

Ballots where voters have filled in the bubble next to a write-in slot will be shuttled into a separate pile by the scanner machines at all 12 polling locations. But those who forget to fill in the bubble and write in a name will also have their votes counted. Stickers are not encouraged and may clog the machines.

Lower voter turnout inevitably helps the established and incumbent candidates, while higher turnout gives newcomers a better chance, Powers said. District 5, where incumbent Ronald DeNapoli declined to run again, citing health reasons, is a competitive race in a neighborhood that usually turns out solid voting numbers.

There are more than 4,300 registered voters in the district, many of whom cast ballots regularly. An uptick in turnout there because of the three-way race could mean a fresh face on the council, Powers said.

Nick DiMartino and Michael Owens, both newcomers to the political scene in Braintree, are facing off against William Sweeney, a former town official with a long and contentious history in Braintree government.

Regardless of turnout, the clerk's election day team is prepared for any amount of activity.

"Everything we are working on right now is based on the assumption of 100 percent turnout," Powers said. "Turnout never dictates effort."

There were, as of Oct. 15, 25,151 registered voters in Braintree, down slightly from the last election. Those are spread fairly evenly throughout town, with larger pockets in districts two, five and six. Residents had pulled 132 absentee ballots as of Oct. 25.