Our reporters will be out across Massachusetts all day, at the polls and watch parties, to get you the latest on the ground. Just want the numbers? You can find the raw results rolling in here.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 9, 1:41 P.M.
The "millionaires tax" will be implemented here in Massachusetts, the Associated Press calls. Ballot Question 1 — also known as the Fair Share Amendment or tax hike amendment — will amend the state constitution and add onto the 5% statewide flat income tax. Taxpayers who earn more than $1 million in a year will pay an additional 4% tax on all earnings above the million-dollar mark, with legislators directed to spend that revenue on transportation and education.
Researchers at Tufts’ Center for State Policy Analysis estimate the tax will bring in roughly $1.3 billion in new income for the state.
As of 1:30 p.m., with 94% of the vote counted, supporters outvoted opponents 52% to 48%.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 9, 12:15 P.M.
Voters decided to allow immigrants without legal status to get driver’s licenses in the state of Massachusetts, the Associated Press calls. The law, approved by the state Legislature over the summer, will take effect in July 2023.
As of 12:04 p.m. on Wednesday, with 91% of the vote counted on the Question 4 ballot initiative, “yes” votes supporting allowing the law to take effect outweighed “no” 54% to 46%.
Massachusetts is the 18th state, plus Washington, D.C., to allow such immigrants to get driver’s licenses. Both sides, for and against the measure, painted the question as a “law and order” issue.
Legislators approved the law over Gov. Charlie Baker’s veto but faced a resident-propelled referendum on the ballot this fall.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 9, 11:34 A.M.
A handful of local race calls came in late this morning from the Associated Press.
Republican incumbent Timothy Cruz won reelection as Plymouth district attorney over Democrat Rahsaan Hall.
Democrat Robert Galibois has won the contest for district attorney on the Cape and Islands, defeating Republican Daniel Higgins. Galibois will be the first Democrat to hold this position since 1971. (Higgins did concede last night, but the Associated Press didn't call the race immediately).
And in Worcester, Republican Lewis Evangelidis won reelection in the sheriff's race over Democrat David Fontaine.
Norfolk County will have Peter Collins as its county commissioner, holding onto his seat.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 9, 9:46 A.M.
The Associated Press has called that Massachusetts voters went "No" on Ballot Question 3, which would have overhauled the state’s licensing for alcohol sales, giving chain stores the ability to sell beer and wine in more locations, while putting a tighter limit on the number of locations that sell hard liquor along with wine or beer.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 9, 8:00 A.M.
State Sen. Diana DiZoglio has defeated opponent Anthony Amore for state auditor, the Associated Press calls, in what our politics team thought was perhaps the most interesting race of the 2022 election.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 9, 1:10 A.M.
Our elections digital team is signing off for the night — and we suggest you get some sleep, too, while the ballots are still being counted! Check back in the morning for updates on what’s still up in the air.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 9, 12:47 A.M.
Massachusetts voters resoundingly approved Ballot Question 2, per the Associated Press, which would regulate dental insurers. It will require insurers to spend at least 83 cents of every dollar that they get in premiums on patient care or quality improvements.
As of 12:45 a.m., the results of the other three ballot questions are still too close to call.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 9, 12:11 A.M.
Democrat Maggie Hassan will hold onto her Senate seat in New Hampshire, the Associated Press calls, a victory for the party as the Senate majority hangs in the balance.
TUESDAY, NOV. 8, 11:48 P.M.
Andrea Campbell is Massachusetts’ next attorney general, according to the Associated Press, making her the first Black woman elected to statewide office here. She will succeed Maura Healey, who herself is ascending to the governor’s office come next year.
AP calls that Bill Galvin will have his record eighth term as the secretary of the commonwealth.
Deb Goldberg will also hold onto her seat as treasurer for a third term, per AP.
TUESDAY, NOV. 8, 11:28 P.M.
A majority of Worcester voters have approved a ballot question asking whether they support a 1.5% surcharge on their property taxes, according to unofficial election results. As part of the Massachusetts Community Preservation Act, the city of Worcester will use the surcharge revenue for projects that create and preserve open space, recreational land and community housing.
With all precincts reporting, 52.1% of voters supported the ballot measure while 47.9% opposed it.
A majority of Massachusetts localities already participate in the Community Preservation Act program. In addition to the local surcharge, participating municipalities receive money from the state for CPA projects.
Although Worcester hasn’t been involved in the program, the city still helps fund it when residents pay state fees on real estate transactions. That was a main reason why Worcester supporters of the program argued residents should vote to join it.
Advocates added that the CPA would create a guaranteed long-term funding stream for projects the city can’t always afford — like building more affordable housing and protecting existing greenspace and water bodies.
But business groups, such as the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, said the tax surcharge would strain businesses, potentially forcing some of them to leave the city. — Sam Turken
TUESDAY, NOV. 8, 11:27 P.M.
Republican nominee for governor Geoff Diehl conceded the race and asked his supporters to “give her [Governor-elect Maura Healey] the same opportunity for success that I would have asked if the shoe had been on the other foot.”
“Right now, with the gap that we have, it is impossible to close. So I have called Maura Healey tonight,” Diehl said to supporters. “The people of the commonwealth have spoken. I respect their choice.”
TUESDAY, NOV. 8, 10:56 P.M.
Sure, it’s election night — but there’s still time for a little fun.
Closely following the race for Bristol County’s sheriff? Right now, it’s tight between incumbent Republican Thomas Hodgson and Democratic challenger Paul Heroux.
BTW: If you're wondering how to pronounce Heroux, so is he. "I never say it the same way."
— Patrick Flanary (@Slow_News_Day) November 9, 2022
And All Things Considered associate producer Kana Ruhalter reports on the news coming out of the joint party for “Yes on 1” and “Yes on 4,” supporters on the two most contentious ballot questions Massachusetts voters are weighing.
unimportant election update: nobody told me i had tiramisu remnants on my face. but it was 10/10 and i have absolutely no regrets
— kana ruhalter (@kanaruhalter) November 9, 2022
TUESDAY, NOV. 8, 10:36 P.M.
"Tonight I want to say something to every little girl and every young LGBTQ person out there," Maura Healey told the crowd at the Fairmount Copley Plaza in Boston, where the Massachusetts Democratic Party held its election-night celebration. "I hope tonight shows you that you can be whatever, whoever, you want to be."
For the first time ever, Massachusetts voters have chosen a woman as their next governor. Read Adam Reilly’s full story here.
TUESDAY, NOV. 8, 9:24 P.M.
Roughly an hour after the Associated Press called the governor’s race for Maura Healey, Republican rival Geoff Diehl’s campaign announced it will not be conceding yet. As campaign manager Amanda Orlando pointed out, 95% of the vote has not yet been counted, per AP results.
“At 8:01 tonight, the Associated Press called this race when they had zero results reported from the town clerks,” Orlando said to loud boos from the crowd. “Voters were still standing in line to vote when they called this race. ... It’s irresponsible and it’s also extremely premature.
“We’re gonna wait until those vote results come in,” she later added. “Town clerks in the commonwealth of Massachusetts should be given the option and the right to do their jobs and to count every single vote.”
Despite projects from the AP, the Diehl campaign is not ready to concede, calling the early projection "irresponsible" and "extremely premature" pic.twitter.com/EJ1njYDwVN
— Aidan Connelly (@aidanconnelly_) November 9, 2022
TUESDAY, NOV. 8, 9:12 P.M.
What was on voters’ minds today? Hear it in their own words — from the issues to the ballot questions.
TUESDAY, NOV. 8, 9:05 P.M.
Anemic turnout predictions don’t seem to have hit the Fairmont Copley Plaza, where a massive crowd of supporters is gathered to celebrate Democrats’ wins.
Balcony view of the packed house at the Fairmont Copley pic.twitter.com/oK84dtWCcu
— Saraya Wintersmith (@SWINTERSMITH) November 9, 2022
TUESDAY, NOV. 8, 8:38 P.M.
Maura Healey’s victory, as declared by the Associated Press, also means that Kim Driscoll will become Massachusetts’ next lieutenant governor. The five-term mayor of Salem will take over from LG Karyn Polito, who has held the role alongside Gov. Charlie Baker.
TUESDAY, NOV. 8, 8:14 P.M.
The moment polls closed at 8 p.m., the Associated Press called the race for Attorney General Maura Healey. She will be Massachusetts’ first elected female governor and could be the first openly lesbian governor in the nation.
TUESDAY, NOV. 8, 7:34 P.M.
Our reporters are fanning out to see what’s happening at candidate parties and ballot question gatherings tonight. Follow along with us on Twitter.
Hello from the Fairmont Copley Plaza, where candidate for governor Maura Healey and other Mass. Democrats will be gathering tonight. #mapoli @GBHNews pic.twitter.com/eICqWNzoec
— Katie Lannan (@katielannan) November 8, 2022
Things are warming up at the Diehl campaign headquarters, I'll be here all night for @GBHNews!
— Aidan Connelly (@aidanconnelly_) November 8, 2022
Other reporters are setting up, Fox News and WCVB are on in the background… 90 mins til polls close 🗳⏱👀 pic.twitter.com/ERqkQGVKjC
TUESDAY, NOV. 8, 6:10 P.M.
Doug Stuart has volunteered at the polls in Newton for the past six years.
"What hits me each time I do it — and I forget in the interim — is how powerful it is to experience the diversity in the community," he said. "I'm confronted, it's in my face, and it's wonderful: the diversity of the community and also the enthusiasm of in-person democracy."
Stuart himself voted early in this year's general election. With relatively noncompetitive races on the ballot, predictions from state officials put turnout at a low number — less than half of registered voters. But in Newton, Stuart was pleasantly surprised with the number of voters he'd seen.
"It's been more than I expected, and I don't know how to interpret that — if it's the ballot questions," said Stuart, referring to the contentious statewide initiatives that would change the state's tax code and will affect whether immigrants lacking legal status can apply for state driver's licenses.
Stuart said he finds the work rewarding.
"And I didn't intend it to be," he said. "I just felt that: I'm retired and I can do this kind of thing."
Polls are open across Massachusetts until 8 p.m. — Craig LeMoult
TUESDAY, NOV. 8, 2:08 P.M.
“In the last few years, with different issues that have arisen both personally and globally, I wanna make sure we’re making a difference in the long term - and by casting that ballot now it does have that ripple effect.” @GBHNews #ElectionDay
— Edgar B Herwick III (@ebherwick3) November 8, 2022
— Julia Stiller, Cambridge, MA pic.twitter.com/htkcHqrCFN
TUESDAY, NOV. 8, 12:17 P.M.
“The midterm elections are big, big, big. Today is really important for the whole country. To me it’s a do-or-die day for the country. It’s gonna determine what’s gonna happen the next couple of years.”
— Edgar B Herwick III (@ebherwick3) November 8, 2022
— German Sanchez, Medford, MA @GBHNews #ElectionDay pic.twitter.com/XJNO7UhkJc
TUESDAY, NOV. 8, 10:56 A.M.
Katiana and Ryan both felt strongly about voting yes on Question 4, say abortion rights, protections for queer citizens and supporting minority-owned businesses are also important @GBHNews pic.twitter.com/qeIRr0clad
— Meghan H. Smith (@meghansmith55) November 8, 2022
TUESDAY, NOV. 8, 10:15 A.M.
Andrea Campbell, candidate for Massachusetts Attorney General, met supporters on Tuesday, Nov. 8, before and after voting at the Lower Mills Branch of the Boston Public Library in Dorchester. —Jenifer McKim
TUESDAY, NOV. 8, 9:45 A.M.
To cast her ballot in Tuesday’s election, all Ruby Walcott had to do was come downstairs.
Walcott is one of 944 residents of 2Life, a living community for older adults in Brighton. The building is also a polling place: Election workers set up shop in 2Life’s dining room Tuesday, and voters — both residents and neighbors — were streaming in.
“Voting is one of the most important things,” Walcott said before she cast her ballot Tuesday. “It’s important to me.” Like other residents, Walcott said, the issue driving her vote was health care affordability.
“We have a really engaged group, and it's a really important group to be listening to,” said Emily Levine, 2Life’s chief of staff. “We want to know that candidates are always thinking about what is affecting seniors from public transit to Medicare and how people can afford to actually live.”
Residents care about issues surrounding walkability and mobility in their neighborhood, Levine said. They also want candidates who will work on issues around public transit, community safety, and health care costs.
“We're hearing about it constantly: The cost of part B Medicare, the cost of LTSS [Long-Term Services and Supports] — even when you qualify for a lot of different ones, are not tenable,” Levine said.
Some of the residents were not able to vote earlier in their lives, said Denise Hamilton, executive director of 2Life’s Brighton Campus, because they are immigrants who grew up in the Soviet Union or China, and did not have a vote that counted until they became US citizens.
“The fact that they actually can vote is a big deal to them,” Hamilton said. “They take it very seriously. They are proud of it. One of my favorite stories are our residents who get the sticker 'I voted' and two and three days later, they're still wearing their sticker.” —Paris Alston
TUESDAY, NOV. 8, 9:30 A.M.
As voters streamed into Somerville’s West Branch Library Tuesday morning, they ticked off the issues that brought them out to the polling place, including rising gas and food prices, abortion rights, and having elected officials who actually represent them.
Frederick Bass of Somerville said he wanted to vote for more balance on the ballot.
“Even in this state, we need a change,” Bass said. “One-party rule is just no good, in my opinion. Nothing gets done. They’re not looking at the whole. Democrat policies have just gone crazy, I mean, the gas prices, food prices. We need a change. We need some balance.”
Dawn Carney, who also voted at the West Branch Library, said she was more concerned with issues like abortion rights and civil rights.
“I won’t say that I’m not concerned about the economy, like everybody else,” Carney said. “But I’m far more concerned with our civil rights, all of our rights, our human rights. Abortion is far more important.”
“We’ve had Republican governors that aren’t terrible,” Carney said, but added that “I want us, as a state, to more actively live out our liberal agenda.”
Moboljali Williams said the candidates he supported “are probably going to win anyway.”
“It’s tough, because Massachusetts is typically a blue state,” he said. “I would like continued support for social services and public education.”
Ellen Chisa said she was excited to see more women in leadership. If voters choose Democratic gubernatorial candidate Maura Healey, she would be the first woman elected to the Massachusetts governor’s office — though Jane Swift served as acting governor of the state from 2001 to 2003.
“I think Maura Healey is the right candidate, so I think that’s an additional thing on top of the policies,” Chisa said. —Paris Alston
TUESDAY, NOV. 8, 9:00 A.M.
Whitman voters who stopped by town hall Tuesday morning could meet some of the candidates on their ballots.
Geoff Diehl, a Whitman resident and the Republican vying for the governor’s office, stopped by at 9 a.m. to cast his vote with his family. He shrugged away reporters’ questions about polling, which show his Democratic opponent Maura Healey with a lead.
“Republicans are always down in polls in Massachusetts,” he said. “But Election Day, that’s the ultimate poll.”
Rahsaan Hall, a Democratic candidate for Plymouth district attorney challenging incumbent Timothy Cruz, said he started his morning voting in Brockton and then headed to Whitman to greet volunteers and thank supporters.
“I'ampbell, the Republican candidate for secretary of state and a Whitman resident, came to cast her vote as well. She is running against incumbent Secretary of State Bill Galvin.
“We are standing together strong as Republicans here in Massachusetts and we've really tapped into what is going on in our economy, in our state and what's happening in our schools,” she said. “So we're all feeling pretty good.” —Mark Herz
TUESDAY, NOV. 8, 7:30 A.M.
At Whitman Town Hall, where Republican gubernatorial candidate Geoff Diehl was scheduled to cast his vote Tuesday morning, resident Heidi Hosmer stood outside with a group of supporters.
“I believe that Geoff Diehl is in touch with the voters and the issues that matter most to us right now,” said Hosmer, a member of the Whitman Board of Assessors. “We have runaway inflation. The energy prices are going crazy. There's absolutely no energy policy coming from the federal government.”
Dan Cullity, vice chair of the Whitman Republican Town Committee, said he was concerned Democratic candidate Maura Healey would not do enough to curb energy prices if elected.
“That's going to cripple families in this state,” he said. “Somebody like Geoff will work to resolve these type of issues.”
Diehl has charted a course further to the right than current Governor Charlie Baker, who is widely seen as a moderate. Cullity said he sees that as a path to success.
“To be a moderate in the state, that seems to be the problem,” Cullity said. “You bend over backwards and you never get anything from the other side. It's been that way, I've been saying it, for 12, 15 years now. You don't have to reach over the aisle on every issue. They're never going to reach back to us.” —Mark Herz
TUESDAY, NOV. 8, 7:00 A.M.
As the polls opened Tuesday morning, Rachel Lerner of Somerville walked into the West Branch Library on College Avenue to cast a ballot.
“When I was a kid I thought all America we're all different, but we're all together, all united,” Lerner said. “And then Trump came and I was like, wait, I clearly thought wrong. But I obviously think the more diverse we are, the better. It’s what we really should be about.”
Lerner was referring to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Maura Healey, who if elected would be the first openly lesbian governor in the US. —Paris Alston
TUESDAY, NOV. 8, 6:30 A.M.
Margaret Power arrived at Somerville’s West Branch Library early this morning and put a red, white and blue sticker on her sweater with her nickname, Peggy, and title, warden.
As the warden for Somerville’s Ward 6, precincts 3 and 3A, she is charged with making sure everything goes smoothly for voters who come to cast a ballot.
Power said she has been working the polls for 30 years, and recent polling changes made her days slower and easier.
Despite national turmoil around the elections, she said she feels secure.
“We always have the officer, we always feel safe,” Power said. “City Hall’s always accessible by phone, we have phones given to us, mics, everything. We can get through easy. So I feel safe.” —Paris Alston
TUESDAY, NOV. 8, 6:00 A.M.
Good morning and happy Election Day!
For those who have already voted either through a mail-in ballot or early in-person, congratulations on taking advantage of the now-permanent system here in the commonwealth.
For Massachusetts voters planning to cast their ballots today, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Check out some GBH News resources on all the (state-level) races on your ballot and everything you need to know about the ballot questions. Plus, if you go to the secretary of state’s website, you’ll see a full sample ballot for your area so you can do your research before you get to the polls.
But, if Secretary of State Bill Galvin’s predictions are correct, less than half of the Bay State’s registered voters will be voting in this election — roughly 2.2 million compared to the 2.7 million voters who turned out in 2018, the last time the governor’s race was on the ballot. He attributed the low projected turnout to an “anti-climactic attitude toward this election” in a press conference Monday.
