Trying for a big finish

Candidates fanned out across the city yesterday, calling voters, knocking on doors, and holding signs on street corners in last-minute efforts to gain an edge before Boston voters go to the polls today to elect a mayor and to choose four at-large city councilors.

With many expecting minority voters to be key factors in today's election, several candidates targeted neighborhoods that had received less attention in the past.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino dropped in on businesses in Mattapan and Uphams Corner while his opponent, Councilor at Large Maura A. Hennigan, greeted shoppers at the Stop & Shop at South Bay. Councilor at Large Felix Arroyo and newcomer Sam Yoon teamed up to hoist signs at Grove Hall, and Councilor Michael Flaherty visited seniors at a Roxbury public-housing development. Challenger John Connolly shook hands at a Mattapan community center. Several hit Blue Hill Avenue in Dorchester, for a ''Get Out the Vote Prayer Rally."

''Communities of color will be a major determinant," said Hennigan, as she said ''muchas gracias" to a Latino voter who told her ''My whole family is voting for you."

Though minority voters traditionally have not turned out in large numbers, black, Hispanic, and Asian precincts voted at much higher levels in 2003, for the last City Council election.

With several minority candidates in the race this year and a perception of heightened political involvement in minority communities, candidates have scrambled to appeal to them. Yesterday, Menino's organization was in the midst of a huge get-out-the-vote drive, hitting minority neighborhoods and other Menino strongholds such as Hyde Park and East Boston.

Though high turnout is usually seen as a benefit to nonincumbents, Menino hopes that the bigger the turnout, the better his vote totals will be. Hundreds of Menino workers will be mobilized to call voters and show up at their doors, in attempts to get them to the polls.

In key neighborhoods today, a message will be affixed to lawn signs backing Menino, reminding people to vote.

Polls showed Menino with a comfortable lead over Hennigan, but his aides have said he would be disappointed unless he wins in a landslide. Hennigan has predicted that the race would be much closer, with undecided but quietly dissatisfied voters giving her the margin she needs for an upset.

If Menino draws large numbers of minority voters, candidates like Yoon and Arroyo could benefit. Both did especially well in predominantly minority areas in the Sept. 27 preliminary.

All of the council candidates have been wooing minority voters. Several, including incumbent Stephen J. Murphy and newcomer John Connolly of West Roxbury, are running radio ads on a black radio station, WILD. According to the general manager, Frank Kelley, the station has received more revenue from political ads this year than ever before.

Patricia White of Roslindale, the only woman in the race and the daughter of former Mayor Kevin H. White, is trying to capitalize on her gender. Matt O'Malley of Roslindale has been hoping to turn his support from city employee unions into votes. Edward Flynn of South Boston, son of former Mayor Raymond L. Flynn, is scrambling to get out the veterans' vote.

Even with the extra push from all the candidates, city and state election officials are predicting a relatively low turnout. Secretary of State William F. Galvin said yesterday that he expects about a third of the city's registered voters to vote. Geraldine Cuddyer, chairwoman of the Boston elections commission, said she expects the turnout to be about 35 percent, slightly lower than that of 2001 when Menino was challenged by Councilor Peggy Davis Mullen.

Observers from several groups, including the Department of Justice, the Chinese Progressive Association, and Vida Urbana, will be at the polls to make sure that those with limited English get the chance to vote.

They will monitor today's election to make sure the city complies with the settlement last summer of a Department of Justice lawsuit alleging violations of the Voting Rights Act. The settlement requires the city to submit to federal scrutiny during elections and to provide more bilingual help for voters with limited English.

According to the city corporation counsel Merita Hopkins, sample ballots in Chinese and Vietnamese will be posted at the polls. In addition, voting instructions will be translated into six languages: Spanish, Cape Verdean, Russian, Haitian Creole, Chinese, and Vietnamese. Translators -- 158 Spanish speakers, 70 Chinese speakers, and 46 Vietnamese speakers -- will be assigned to polls to help voters with language problems, Hopkins said. Other translators will be available by phone, she said.

''We've been working very hard at recruiting," Hopkins said. Citizens Bank, has provided some translators, and the city has advertised for others.

According to a lawyer for the Chinese Progressive Association, there may be problems with the Chinese ballot. Glenn Magpantay, lawyer for the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, said that the candidates' names are in English, and that they may not be recognized by some voters.

Hopkins said the Election Department checked with other cities around the country and found that they also did not translate names into Chinese.