Thursday, 4:30 PM
Cold rain dampens voter turnout
(David L. Ryan/Globe Staff)
A voter braves the rain to cast a ballot in Boston's North End.
By Donovan Slack, Globe Staff
A cold, driving rain appeared to be deterring people from voting today in Boston. Only 23,833 voters had showed up by 3 p.m. at city polling places, a measly 7 percent of those registered.
"There's a lot of lonely poll workers out there. It's very, very sad," Boston Election Commissioner Geraldine Cuddyer said. "I think everyone is hoping that the rain stops and voters will come out."
The rain also caused problems for some of those who did vote. Wet ballots jammed a few scanning machines, and one machine in Roslindale failed to start properly. But officials said the problems were quickly fixed.
In Boston, there are races for four at-large seats on the City Council, as well as four district seats.
Voters in 53 other cities and towns across the state are heading to the polls today, with mayoral elections in 35 communities.
In Chicopee, Pittsfield, and Worcester, voters also will get their say on nonbinding questions on gambling and casinos, though none of those communities has been identified as a potential site by developers.
Secretary of State William Galvin said the rain was suppressing voter turnout in Boston and across the state, but in some places, such as Quincy, Brockton, and Fall River, where there were hard-fought contests, it wasn’t having as big an effect.
"Clearly, it was a deterrent to voters. On the other hand, people who were involved in intense campaigns did come out," he said.
