(Justin Merriman/Getty Images)
BOSTON (WBZ-AM) — More than 42,000 Boston residents cast ballots as of 9 a.m. in Tuesday’s election. That’s well above the 26,000 seen in the midterms four years ago and 28,000 residents eight years ago.
Secretary of State William Galvin said he has seen heavy turnout even in areas where there no hotly contested local races, saying it is a testament to the National election.
“To see such a strong turnout in these communities is an indication that the interest here is widespread,” Galvin said. “Anecdotally, what I’ve seen myself and visiting polling locations is there’s a lot of young people — many people who are not, I would consider, regular off-year voters or midterm voters.”
Boston suburbs are reporting steady turnout as well.
“We’ve also had some reports from around the state which also suggest a fairly steady and strong turnout despite the weather,” Galvin said.
Galvin predicts that the voter turnout will reach 2.4 million, with the potential to exceed that, by the end of election day.