Polling numbers slightly ahead of last municipal election

Both political parties are represented at the Bristol Arts and Innovation Magnet School polling place this morning. | David Fortier

Posted By: David Fortier November 7, 2023

By David Fortier

At 11 a.m., numbers of voters in today’s municipal election are slightly ahead of those from the previous municipal election in 2021.

“Overall that trend two years ago brought us to just about 32 percent at the polls,” said Kevin McCauley, Democratic registrar of voters.

That figure does not include absentee ballots nor does it include voters who registered and voted the same day as the election. McCauley said those numbers would bring the total to 34 or 35 percent.

By 11 a.m., the total percent of those voting at the polls showed a slight increase of just above 11 percent this year, to just below 11 percent in the previous municipal election.

Last election, there were 37,669 eligible voters. This year there are 36,204. Six hundred absentee ballots were sent out and 550 returned by mid-morning. McCauley said approximately 50 people will have registered to vote by the end of the day. The average has been around 37.

From left, Democratic registrar Kevin McCauley, Deputy Democratic registrar Tracy Beland, clerk for the day Angelina Lusitani and Republican registrar Jolene Lusitani. | David Fortier

The office receives counts from each polling site on the hour and records the figures on a chart that compares the current figures from those in the previous election.

McCauley, Democratic registrar, who is working his ninth election, said about this one, “I feel good, we get through it. We have good teams,” referring to both the Democratic and Republican registrars who work together on each election.

The Republican registrar Jolene Lusitani is in her first election. She said she is excited and has been learning a lot.

“To narrow it down to one thing, I don’t know,” she said about the amount of information she is taking in.

She settled on learning about all the statutes and legislation and requirements surrounding elections.

“That’s number one priority,” she said, “and then from there you kind of know what you are doing with your job.”

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