Town Clerk Predicts 76% Turnout in Braintree This Election

Excitement surrounding election day on Nov. 6 is particularly high this year with hotly-contested presidential and senate contests.

That could mean a turnout of 76 percent in Braintree, Town Clerk Joe Powers predicted on Monday, tying the number in 2008, when Barack Obama became the nation's first black president.

Obama defends his incumbency against former Gov. Mitt Romney this year, a clash that along with Elizabeth Warren vs. Scott Brown could bring out the most voters in Braintree in four years. The anticipated turnout has caused the School Committee to close Braintree schools on election day.

Absentee ballot requests are approaching the record of 1,095 set in 2008, Powers said. As of Oct. 26, 983 ballots had been requested and 622 returned.

The average turnout in presidential election years since 2000 has been 75 percent, Powers said. There were 25,228 registered voters in Braintree as of Oct. 17.

Below are the registered voter totals through Oct. 17 for each Braintree precinct.

1A – 2,169

1B – 1,932

2A – 2,230

2B – 2,192

3A – 1,906

3B – 2,075

4A – 1,901

4B – 1,890

5A – 2,102

5B – 2,255

6A – 2,411

6B – 2,165

Total – 25,228

For more on Braintree Patch's 2012 Election coverage, go to http://braintree.patch.com/articles/braintree-election-guide.