While Massachusetts voters elected Republican Charlie Baker as the state's next governor, the Vineyard largely backed Democrats in the state election Tuesday, including Mr. Baker's challenger, Martha Coakley.
Island towns had healthy voter turnout for Tuesday's midterm election, with about half of the Island’s registered voters casting ballots on a sunny and mild fall day.
Vineyard voters followed the state in supporting Democratic incumbents. In the race for governor that extended into Wednesday morning, the Island split from the rest of the commonwealth. While Mr. Baker, the former CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, won the race by one percentage point, Ms. Coakley won every town in Dukes County with about 60 per cent of votes cast; 4,477 votes to Mr. Baker's 2,493. Mr. Baker won Gosnold, with 24 votes to Ms. Coakley’s 20.
United Independent Party candidate Evan Falchuk came in third in the county with about three per cent of the vote.
In other races, Dukes County voted in line with the rest of the state by wide margins. Sen. Edward Markey received 70 per cent of the Dukes County vote as he defeated challenger Brian Herr, who received 27 per cent of the vote.
Attorney general elect Maura Healey won by a similar margin on the Island, garnering 69 per cent of the vote compared to 27 per cent for John B. Miller.
Vineyarders joined the rest of the state in supporting successful state candidates William F. Galvin, who was re-elected as secretary of state; Deborah B. Goldberg, elected treasurer, and Suzanne M. Bump, re-elected as state auditor.
U.S. Rep. William Keating, re-elected to a third term representing the ninth district, won handily in each Island town, defeating challenger John Chapman. Mr. Keating, a Democrat from Bourne, got about 69 per cent of the vote on the Island, compared to 27 per cent for Mr. Chapman, a Republican attorney from Chatham. In Gosnold, Mr. Keating and Mr. Chapman tied with 22 votes apiece.
Vineyarders also supported incumbent state Sen. Dan Wolf by a similar margin as he defeated challenger Ronald D. Beaty Jr. Mr. Wolf got about 70 per cent of the vote.
Longtime Cape and Islands district attorney Michael O’Keefe was re-elected to another term, defeating challenger Richard Barry 56 per cent to 44 per cent. But Islanders largely supported Mr. Barry, who won about 51 per cent of the Vineyard vote to Mr. O’Keefe’s 42 per cent. Mr. O’Keefe was the winning candidate in Edgartown and Gosnold.
State Rep. Timothy R. Madden, county treasurer Noreen Mavro Flanders, and register of probate Elizabeth J. Herrmann were elected without contest.
Around the Island, town clerks and poll workers reported brisk turnout Tuesday. Voter turnout in Dukes County averaged 52 per cent, with 7,386 of 14,316 registered voters casting ballots Tuesday.
Turnout was highest on the Island in West Tisbury, where 58 per cent of registered voters turned out, and lowest in Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven, where about 49 per cent of voters came to the polls. In Gosnold, the smallest town in the state, 31 per cent, or 46 of 147 registered voters, voted Tuesday.
Edgartown town clerk Wanda Williams said that when the doors opened at 7 a.m., Tuesday there were enough voters to fill every one of the red, white and blue curtained voting booths. “And it’s been that way all day,” she said Tuesday evening, noting it seemed busier than normal for midterm elections.
Tuesday evening in West Tisbury, the parking lot was full and there was a line outside of the public safety building as voters waited for their turn. In Chilmark, a few supporters stood across from the community center holding signs for Martha Coakley and Dan Wolf.
In Oak Bluffs, voting continued despite a power outage from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thanks to an unlimited power supply on the ballot box, voting was able to continue.
“We were still able to vote,” town clerk Laura Johnston said. “It was kind of hard to see.” She said that the EMT department brought in a generator with a light, and about 15 minutes later, the lights came back on. “Everyone applauded,” she said.
She said the polls were consistently busy, with about a voter a minute since the doors opened. “Good turnout,” Ms. Johnston said.
And there was more applause. At 6:34 p.m., a first-time voter came in, earning a round of applause from the poll workers.
In the only contested Island race, six candidates were in the running for five seats on the Up-Island School Committee. Incumbents Jeffrey (Skipper) Manter and Michael Marcus, both of West Tisbury, and Robert Lionette of Chilmark were elected to serve on the committee along with newcomers Kate DeVane of West Tisbury and Theresa Manning of Aquinnah. Incumbent Roxane Ackerman came in sixth. Ms. DeVane, Ms. Manning, Mr. Lionette and Ms. Ackerman were all write-in candidates.
Mr. Manter was the top vote getter with 1,364 votes, followed by Mr. Marcus with 1,158 and Ms. DeVane with 409.
Nine candidates were on the ballot for nine seats on the Martha’s Vineyard Commission. Clarence A. (Trip) Barnes 3rd was the top vote getter with 4,884 votes, followed by Christina Brown with 4,196 votes and Linda Bauer Sibley with 3,862. Mr. Barnes received the most votes in every Island town except for Aquinnah, where James Vercruysse was the top vote getter. Joshua Seth Goldstein, Ernest Douglas Sederholm, Robert McMillen Doyle, Fred J. Hancock and Abraham J. Seiman were also elected; Mr. Doyle and Mr. Seiman are newcomers to the commission.
In the race for Dukes County Commission, incumbents John S. Alley, Tristan Israel, Leon Arthur Brathwaite 2nd and David Jeffrey Holway were elected; Mr. Alley was the top vote getter with 4,388 votes followed by Mr. Israel with 4,275. With write-in votes unavailable from Oak Bluffs, Christine Todd received 290 write-in votes, while Leonard Jason Jr. received 252 write-in votes; both are current county commissioners. Gretchen T. Underwood received 138 write-in votes and Benjamin Hall Jr. received 32 write-in votes. Ms. Todd, Ms. Underwood and Mr. Hall were running as write-in candidates.
Vineyarders voted in favor of repealing the state casino law by a margin of 55 per cent to 41 per cent. The ballot question failed statewide. Islanders voted along with the rest of the state in voting down a proposal to expand the bottle bill, with 59 per cent opposed to the proposal and 39 per cent in favor. Islanders also joined the state in voting for a measure that would allow certain employees to earn paid and unpaid sick time; the vote was 58 per cent in favor and 35 per cent against.
About 49 per cent of voters voted against eliminating the automatic adjustment of the gas tax, a measure that was passed by state voters.
A non-binding referendum that would ask the state senator to vote in favor of expanding the radiological plume exposure emergency planning zone for the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station to include all of Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket counties passed in all seven towns. The vote was 64 per cent in favor and 21 per cent opposed.
Chilmark voters also approved a ballot question asking to use town money to repair some town roads, 308 in favor and 110 opposed. In West Tisbury, Dan Waters was elected town moderator with 1,307 votes.
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