Galvin Forecasts Light Turnout For Boston

Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin expects a little less than 25 percent of registered voters in Boston will go to the polls in Tuesday's municipal election.

That's about 90,000 voters — well below the 142,000 cast in 2013 when Marty Walsh claimed the open Boston mayoral seat.

Walsh is seeking a second term against challenger Tito Jackson, a Boston city councilor. Five city council districts have contested elections, and eight candidates are vying for four at-large council seats.

Dozens of municipalities hold municipal and legislative special elections Tuesday.

"These are really important elections at every level," Galvin told reporters Monday. "Certainly at the local level, these are where the decisions that affect people where they live are made, whether it's zoning issues, public education, transportation.

"These are all very significant races so we hope that people will remember that and take the time to participate in these elections, because actually these are the things that will affect them the most."

Turnout percentages are expected to be higher in Newton and Framingham, which both hold contested mayoral races.