Voters in Boston and 50 communities across Mass. take to polls to decide local elections

Tuesday is the last day for voters in more than 50 cities and towns across Massachusetts to cast ballots in their local elections.

In Boston, the top of the ballot has already been decided as Mayor Michelle Wu is running unopposed for her second term after her main competitor, Josh Kraft, dropped out a few days after the preliminary election.

Residents are deciding who they want to represent them on the city council, primarily for the four at-large seats and in an open District 7 contest. (Learn more about the candidates here.)

Martin Bridgeman votes in District 7 — the one district with an open race after Tania Fernandes Anderson stepped down after pleading guilty to corruption charges earlier this year.

Bridgeman said candidates Said Ahmed and Miniard Culpepper both seemed like they would represent his neighborhood well. Ultimately he decided on Culpepper, though admitted it was "a bit of a toss up."

The main issues he's worried about are crime, poverty and affordable housing.

He thinks Wu has been doing a good job as mayor and wanted to vote to show her that "we have her back."

Mattapan resident Dana Roberts also said he came out to vote on Tuesday as a show of support. He cast his vote for Wu at the Mildred Avenue School despite his status as a registered Republican.

"I'm completely and totally and dissatisfied with the [Republican] Party and I'm going to make sure I do everything I'm supposed to do to get rid of them," he said.

Outside the polling location at the West Roxbury branch of the Boston Public Library, voter Brittany Jenkins said she's been disappointed that Wu has not been accomplishing some of the things she campaigned on.

"I would like for her to have a more aggressive stance on traffic calming and promoting bike lanes," Jenkins said, who has lived in her neighborhood for a decade and said she has advocated for speed humps to City Hall.

She said she was excited about re-electing at-large Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune, saying she has "integrity."

"It's amazing to see someone get into politics who really has their heart in the right place — who wants to improve the citizens' quality of life," she said. "I think she's in it for the right reasons."

Lifelong West Roxbury resident Paula Ramsdell said she is disappointed that there's no one on the ballot to challenge Wu in the general election.

But, she's excited to vote for incumbent at-large Councilor Erin Murphy. She is also encouraged to see Frank Baker, who previously represented District 3 on the Council, back on the ballot.

"I think it's good to have someone back who knows the system, knows the city, knows how things work," she said, "and cares enough about the city to come back into a race."

Nancy McGuire brought her daughter, Mary, to Dorchester's Florian Hall on Tuesday afternoon to vote together.

"We care what happens to our city," Nancy McGuire said.

She said she's voting for Baker and Murphy for the at-large city councilor seats.

"We really think they have the heart of the city in their intentions, so we're hoping for a win," McGuire said.

What concerns her most about the city is crime rates. Wu "says it's the safest city, but I don't really think the streets are that safe."

Polling locations were reportedly quiet on Tuesday morning. As of noon, Boston's Election Department reported a 13% turnout, or just over 55,000 voters. (By comparison, 2021's municipal election — which included an open field for mayor — ultimately saw a 33% voter turnout, with over 144,000 ballots cast.)

The city's election department is currently in state receivership after several precincts ran out of ballots on Election Day last November. Secretary of State Bill Galvin said the city's practices have been overhauled, and he's confident Tuesday's election will run smoothly.

"We're on a good path, we think," Galvin said Tuesday. "We've had a lot of activity over the last year. We've improved practices. All those things seem to be working well."

Galvin said the receiver he appointed, Michael Sullivan, is " very satisfied" with how the city's election department is doing.

After this election, Galvin said his office will evaluate whether or not Boston should be out of its receivership.

While things appear to be moving in the right direction in Boston, the state has also had to step in to oversee elections in Lawrence due to concerns that absentee ballot applications were being filled out by campaigns.

Galvin said Tuesday that his office brought in election officials from other communities that are not having elections to help run Lawrence's election. State police are also present to observe and make sure there isn't any misconduct from candidate campaigns, Galvin said.

" The objective today is to allow the voters of Lawrence to make a choice," Galvin said. "Whatever choice they make is their choice. It shouldn't be anybody else's but theirs."

Galvin said he feels "pretty good" that there won't be any outside influence on Lawrence's election. His office is also on-the-ground in Lawrence and in regular contact with the city's election officials, Galvin said.

In Somerville, voters already ousted the incumbent mayor in the September preliminary. They will choose between two city councilors to lead the city: Jake Wilson or Willie Burnley Jr. Voters will also make their voices heard with a ballot question about divestment from Israel.

At a polling location near Somerville's Union Square, Rachel Mead, 31, said she is voting in favor of a non-binding ballot question that would call on the city to end business ties with companies that support Israel's military effort in Gaza. She's also supporting Burnley for the corner office.

"He's the only mayoral candidate who has expressed support for yes on 3, he's also a socialist," she said. "I believe he's going to bring the energy that we need to the mayoral office."

Longtime Somerville resident Paolo DiFabio, 47, is voting for Jake Wilson.

"I just feel like Somerville needs to focus on its municipal issues right now — and we've got a lot of them — and so, while I completely agree that the atrocity of what's been happening in Gaza is unspeakable and unacceptable, there are levels of government for a reason," he said. "Municipal needs to focus on issues that impact its citizens directly."

He cited homelessness, food scarcity, schools, streets and making the city more resilient to climate change as issues he cared about.

Dozens of other communities are holding general elections on Tuesday. Here's a quick list of the races to watch.

Polls are open in Boston, and most communities, until 8 p.m.

If you still have your mail-in ballot, do not take it to the post office. You can return it in person at your local election office, or at an official ballot drop box.

You can also vote in person instead of turning it in (but make sure to bring your empty mail-in ballot with you to the polling location).

Results in Boston's City Council race are not expected until the early morning hours.

With reporting from WBUR's Rachel Sanchez-Smith, Eve Zuckoff, Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez and Amy Sokolow