The unofficial results from the City of Newton indicate that former Vice President Joe Biden and his running mate Senator Kamala Harris are projected to win among Newton voters by a wide margin. The overall election is still too close to call, as ballots are still being counted in multiple key states.
Biden and Harris had received 81.7 percent of the city’s votes as of Tuesday night, compared to Trump and Pence’s 16.9 percent. Hillary Clinton won 77.6 percent of the city’s votes to Trump’s 17 percent in 2016.
Biden and Harris received 65.6 percent of Massachusetts’ vote, compared to President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence’s 32.6 percent, according to the Associated Press.
While a majority of Massachusetts voters selected “no” on a statewide ballot question proposing the implementation of ranked-choice voting in certain elections beginning in 2022, 63 percent of Newton residents voted in favor of the new voting system.
Ranked-choice voting involves voters ranking candidates based on their preferences and would have been implemented in races with more than two candidates. Votes would then have been counted in a series of rounds. If a candidate received the majority of first-preference votes, they would win the election.
Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller said that 74 percent of Newton’s 63,452 registered voters cast their ballots as of Tuesday night. In 2016, 78 percent of Newton’s 59,046 registered voters were tallied on Election Day.
These numbers do not include the 50 mail-in ballots that were put in the drop box outside of City Hall between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tuesday. These ballots will be added to the unofficial results Wednesday morning, according to a statement Fuller released Tuesday night.
Mail-in ballots that are postmarked by Nov. 3 and arrive at the City Clerk’s Office by Nov. 6 will be added to the unofficial results on Nov. 9. Ballots arriving from overseas will be accepted until 10 days after the election, and will be added to the unofficial results Nov. 13.
Updated official results will be posted by the Election Commision the night of Nov. 13.
Incumbent Democratic Senator Edward Markey had received 80.7 percent of the votes in Newton according to the unofficial results as of Tuesday night. Republican challenger Kevin J. O’Connor received 19.3 percent of the votes in Newton.
Newton City Councilor Jake Auchincloss was elected for the 4th District Congressional seat as of Tuesday night with 61.6 percent of the state’s vote, according to the Associated Press. Auchincloss received 81.7 percent of the city’s vote for the 4seat as of Tuesday night. His opponent, Republican candidate Julie A. Hall, had received 18.3 percent of Newton’s vote.
Seventy-five percent of Massachusetts voters checked yes on a statewide ballot question proposing an update to Massachusetts’ “right to repair” law, according to the Associated Press. The updated law will require that motor vehicle owners and independent repair facilities be provided with expanded access to mechanical data related to vehicle maintenance and repairs. Seventy-seven percent of Newton voters voted in support of updating the law.
Car owners will now have access to and be able to share telematics data with independent repair shops for cars manufactured beginning in 2022. Telematics are systems in cars that collect and transmit information about the operation of the vehicle, such as tire pressure, through wireless communication.
Featured Image by Julia Remick / Heights Editor
