Vineyard voters turned out in high numbers Tuesday, backing Democratic candidates up and down the ballot and electing Robert Ogden as the new county sheriff and Paulo DeOliveira as Register of Deeds.
Voters in Dukes County joined the rest of the state in backing legalized recreational marijuana and elected a fresh slate of familiar faces to the Martha’s Vineyard Commission. Voters here narrowly split over whether to expand charter school enrollment but ultimately said no; statewide the question was soundly defeated.
Turnout was 78 per cent countywide, falling just short of the turnout for the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections. The highest turnout was in West Tisbury, where 84 per cent of all voters cast ballots. A complete list of election results is available here.
Mr. Ogden was elected sheriff with 7,112 votes over unenrolled candidate Neal Maciel, who received 3,903 votes.
Mr. Ogden, who works as a special sheriff, will succeed retiring sheriff Michael McCormack.
Assistant Register of Deeds Paulo DeOliveira will take over the top spot at the registry, winning the Register of Deeds race with 8,184 votes over Martina Thornton, an unenrolled candidate who captured 2,457 votes.
Mr. DeOliveira will replace retiring Register Dianne Powers after the votes are certified by the county.
While Republican Donald J. Trump was named President-elect early Wednesday morning, Island voters joined the rest of the state in supporting Democrat Hillary Clinton. About 71 per cent of Island voters, 8,380 people, voted for Mrs. Clinton, while Mr. Trump received 2,476, or 21 per cent of the vote.
Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson received 366 votes and Green Party candidate Jill Stein followed with 261 votes.
Island voters joined the rest of the district in backing Democratic candidates: incumbent Democratic Cong. William Keating was elected to his fourth term in congress; on the Island he received about 70 per cent of the vote. Republican Mark Alliegro had 19 per cent, followed by Independent candidate Paul Harrington with five per cent and unenrolled candidates Chris Cataldo and Anna Grace Raduc with less than one per cent apiece.
The Cape and Islands is sending new faces to the State House to replace retiring state Sen. Dan Wolf and state Rep. Tim Madden. Dylan Fernandes, a Democrat from Falmouth, won the state representative race, defeating Tobias Glidden, an Independent from Nantucket. On the Island Mr. Fernandes was the choice of about 43 per cent of voters; Mr. Glidden followed with 34 per cent. Jacob Ferry, an Independent from West Tisbury, withdrew from the race but was still on the ballot, winning 14 per cent of votes cast on the Island.
Truro Democrat Julian Cyr won the state senate seat, defeating Republican Anthony Schiavi. On the Island the vote was 67 per cent for Mr. Cyr and 22 per cent for Mr. Schiavi.
Vineyarders joined the rest of the commonwealth in backing legalizing recreational marijuana; statewide the measure passed 53 per cent to 47 per cent. On the Island the vote was 64 per cent in favor and 34 per cent against.
Vineyarders were evenly divided about whether to expand charter schools in the commonwealth with a close vote of 5,687 in favor and 5,707 against. In West Tisbury the vote was an even split with 1,068 yes votes and 1,068 no votes. Statewide the question failed.
Vineyarders voted along with the rest of the state in opposing an additional slot machine license. They also strongly favored a successful ballot question that imposes prohibitions on the way farm animals are confined.
Fourteen candidates were vying for nine at-large seats on the Martha’s Vineyard Commission. The commission’s legislation mandates at least one and not more than two commissioners from each town.
Clarence A. (Trip) Barnes 3rd of Vineyard Haven was the top vote-getter with 7,100, followed by Christina Brown of Edgartown with 5,399 and Linda Sibley of West Tisbury with 4,571. Remaining top candidates were Josh Goldstein of Vineyard Haven, 4,276; Robert Doyle of Chilmark, 4,135; E. Douglas Sederholm of West Tisbury, 4,090; Fred J. Hancock of Oak Bluffs, 3,932; James Vercruysse of Aquinnah, 3,672; and Richard Toole of Oak Bluffs, 3,405.
Other candidates received votes as follows: Allen Look of West Tisbury, 3,289; Susan Desmarais of Oak Buffs, 3,206; Myron Garfinkle of West Tisbury, 2,438; Brian Smith of Oak Bluffs, 2,401, and John Breckenridge of Oak Bluffs, 2,142.
Eight candidates were in the running for seven seats on the Dukes County Commission. Six incumbents came out on top. John S. Alley was the top vote-getter with 7,193 votes, followed by Tristan R. Israel with 5,967, Christine Todd with 5,838, Gretchen Tucker Underwood with 5,403, Leon Arthur Brathwaite 2nd with 5,347, and David Jeffrey Holway with 5,145. Robert Zeltzer was elected to a seat on the commission with 4,324 votes. Norman Perry trailed with 3,431 votes.
It was a busy election day around the Island, a picture-perfect autumn day, sunny and mild. Lines formed outside polling locations early, with eager voters waiting in the frosty air. Throughout the day crowds of campaigners were out. I Voted stickers were ubiquitous.
In the late afternoon town clerk Jennifer Christy said the mood was upbeat at the Chilmark Community Center, where 81 per cent of voters cast ballots with the old wooden ballot box. Ballots are still counted by hand by volunteers in Chilmark and Aquinnah.
“It’s a very human process,” Ms. Christy said.
In small Aquinnah 286 of 370 registered voters turned out.
“People are very excited and relieved that it’s here and that it’s almost over,” said registrar Mallory Butler.
Relief about the divisive election season coming to an end was a common theme among voters.
Lois and Greg Mayhew were hopeful after casting their votes in West Tisbury.
“I also believe we will all pull together in the end,” said Mrs. Mayhew. “This country is bigger than any one president.”
Fred and Joan Houston summed up the election season with a dissatisfied grunt.
“But not to vote would be a travesty also,” said Mrs. Houston.
“Worse not to,” Mr. Houston agreed.
“I’m relieved it’s going to be over,” Douglas Asselin Sr. said after casting his vote in Vineyard Haven, where banners on Main street reminded residents to vote.
Tisbury voter Elle Lash was on her way home to eat red, white and blue cupcakes and watch the results with her six-year-old daughter and her 11-year-old son.
Oak Bluffs voter Ralph Smith came to the polls in a T-shirt that said Hillary for Prison.
“It’s always crooked,” he said as he left the polls. “Hopefully we’ll get somebody in there to change things, that’s what need.”
Louisa Luening said she had spent a lot of time thinking about which direction the nation is going. “An eye for an eye makes the world blind,” she said. “We don’t want that.”
“Now let me go try to change the world,” she said as she headed into the polls.
Matthew Leonard, 18, voted for the first time in Oak Bluffs. He said the process was smooth, but he was taken aback at the presidential campaign.
“I think it’s weird,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything so bizarre.”
T.M. Araujo arrived to the polls in Edgartown dressed in his patriotic finest: a red, white, and blue flag-themed shirt, blue shorts, and blue knee socks. While happy to vote, he was not enthusiastic about the choices on the ballot.
“The good and the bad and the bad and the bad and the bad,” he said, shaking his head as he left town hall.
Heather Hamacek, Steve Myrick, and Alison L. Mead contributed reporting.
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