SWK/Hilltowns

Final primary results reflect low turnout

BOSTON — Final official results from the Massachusetts primary election show fewer than 20 percent of eligible voters participated.
Secretary of State William Galvin said yesterday that about 726,000 voters went to the polls on Sept. 9, with about 566,092 casting ballots in the Democratic primary and 159,936 voting in the Republican primary.
The turnout was significantly lower than in 2006, the last time the state had an open race for governor with a contested primary and nearly 912,000 voters participated.
Official results from last week’s election show Martha Coakley winning the Democratic gubernatorial nomination with 229,156 votes, to 196,594 votes for Steven Grossman and 113,988 for Don Berwick.
Charlie Baker won the GOP nomination with 116,004 votes, to 40,240 for Mark Fisher.
Southwick was slightly higher than average for Republican voters, and much higher for Democratic voters.
According to Southwick Town Clerk Michelle Hill, there are 1,354 registered Democrats, and of that, 459 voted as Democrats in the primary, which is 34 percent of all registered Democrats. There are 1,473 registered Republicans, 333 of which cast their votes Sept. 9 for a total of 23-percent.
Southwick voters followed the state trend for gubernatorial votes, with Coakley receiving 196 votes, and Baker receiving 188 votes.
In Westfield, a total of 2,444 Democratic ballots were cast, as opposed to 1,327 Republicans.
The final official vote tallies showed Coakley defeating Grossman 1,019 to 856, with Berwick grabbing 432 votes from city Democrats.
In the Republican primary, Westfield-born Fisher defeated former Baker 671 to 597.
Other races on the Westfield Democratic ballot included those for Attorney General, Lieutenant Governor and Hampden County District Attorney, with Maura Healey edging Warren Tolman in the AG race 1,421 to 780; Steve Kerrigan topping the Lt. Gov. race 1,028 to the 397 votes collected by his nearest challenger, Michael Lake; and Brett Vottero besting his nearest challenger, Anthony Gulluni, in the DA race 958 votes to 880.
Gulluni would end up winning the race to succeed Mark Mastroianni as Hampden County DA, winning the race in a landslide by garnering 44 percent of the total vote.
Vottero would win 28 percent of total votes.

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