How Boston Voted

Rather than offering a ward-by-ward analysis, as I have done after other local and state races, I am instead offering some highlights and interesting voter anomalies.

I would be happy to produce a ward-by-ward breakdown but fear that it would entail pretty boring research on my end and equally tedious reading on yours. Here’s the headline: Barack Obama wins HUGE in the city of Boston. He swept every ward by staggering margins and, in fact, captured over 80% of the vote in 129 of the 254 precincts that make up our fair city. Those are numbers that would make a dictator (running in a third-would sham election) envious.

John McCain was able to win three precincts out of Boston’s 254. His best showing was in Ward 6 Precinct 9 (South Boston’s St. Matthew’s) where he beat Barack Obama by a vote of 530-467 (52.37% – 46.15%). McCain also took W16-P9 (Dot’s Adams Corner/Neponset) by a vote of 508-476 (50.35% – 47.18%) and W7-P2 (South Boston’s L Street Bath House) 560-544 (49.69% – 48.27%).

McCain earned the most votes in W3P1 (the North End) where 643 people filled in the oval next to his name. In that same precinct, Obama received 1,529 votes, or 69.28% of the vote.

Aside from W1P15 (the Harbor Islands) where, wait for it, NONE of the nine registered voters bothered to cast a ballot (thus giving the city its only tie: 0-0), McCain received the fewest votes in W12P9 (Roxbury’s Lewis School). At that location, where your humble blogger’s sister teaches, exactly three people cast their ballot for McCain and 603 voted for Obama.

To say that Obama ran roughshod over McCain in Boston would be the understatement of the century. He simply dominated. As I already mentioned, he received more than 80% of the vote in more than half of the city’s precincts. In 76 of them, he took more than 90% of the vote.

The President-elect’s best win percentages were in the aforementioned W12P9 where he took 99.5% of the vote (to McCain’s .5%). Obama earned the most votes in W3P7 (South End’s Cathedral High) where 1,982 people (87.54%) cast their votes for him. In that same precinct, 253 people voted for McCain (representing 11.17% of the vote).

In fact, Obama received over a thousand votes in 39 precincts of the city. McCain earned under one hundred votes in 102 precincts of the city (he received vote totals in the single digits in 11 of those precincts).

Turnout citywide was a healthy – but not extraordinary – 61.57% of registered voters. West Roxbury’s own W20P12 (the Lyndon School) bested all other polling locations in the city with an 80.38% turnout. There, Obama beat McCain with a vote of 500-327 (58.82% – 38.47%).

The most people came out in W5P1 (Downtown’s Franklin Institute) where 2,275 cast their ballot. This represents a sub-par 53.58% of the vote. At the Franklin Institute, Obama won with 1876-359 votes (82.61% – 15.81%).

The lowest turnout citywide (next to the Harbor Islands) was W21P2 (Fenway’s BU) where an anemic 37.87% of registered voters cast their ballot. There, Obama beat McCain with a vote of 573-63 votes (89.11% – 9.8%). For what it’s worth, this precinct sometimes boast single digit turnout numbers in municipal races, so the 643 ballots that were cast here does represent an improvement of sorts.

The fewest people (next to the Harbor Islands) came out in W8P6 (Roxbury’s Vine St. Community Center) were 288 people cast their ballots. This is a bit of a misnomer, however, as the 288 ballots cast represents 61.41% of the precinct’s registered voters, which is essentially the citywide average. At the Vine St. Community Center, Obama beat McCain with a vote of 261-21 votes (90.63% – 7.29%).

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Today is Veteran’s Day, a day honoring the men and women who have made it possible for this country to hold fair and free elections and possible for we the people to participate in them. Thank a vet today.

Cross-posted at O’Malley on the Web!  

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