According to preliminary results, Marblehead voters threw their support strongly behind Democratic candidates in Tuesday’s election, with Vice President Kamala Harris and incumbent Sen. Elizabeth Warren winning decisive victories.
Town voters also supported Ballot Question 2 to eliminate the MCAS as a graduation requirement and rejected Question 5 to increase minimum wage for tipped workers. (Read more about the ballot questions below.)
In Marblehead’s six precincts, Harris, running with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, captured 9,129 votes (67.4%) of the town’s total, while former President Donald Trump and running mate Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio received 3,893 votes (28.7%). The remaining local votes were split among independent and third-party candidates.
Within Marblehead’s borders, Warren, seeking her third, six-year Senate term, maintained her strong base of support, securing 8,076 votes (59.6%) to Republican challenger John Deaton’s 5,102 votes (37.7%). Warren won statewide as well.
The trend of Democratic dominance in Marblehead extended to county-wide races, too. In the Essex County Clerk of Courts contest for a six-year term, incumbent Democrat Thomas H. Driscoll Jr. won the town’s vote handily with 8,978 votes (66.3%), while independent candidates Todd R. Angilly and Doris V. Rodriguez received 1,485 and 1,212 votes respectively from Marblehead voters.
For a six-year term as Essex Southern District Register of Deeds, Democrat Eileen R. Duff, a Governor’s Councillor, prevailed among Marblehead voters with 7,889 votes (58.8%), compared to Republican Jonathan Edward Ring’s 3,922 votes (29.2%).
Turnout
Marblehead saw a 79.2% turnout, with 13,549 ballots cast out of 17,099 registered voters. This represents a slight decline from 2020, when the town recorded 86.7% turnout. Prior to Election Day, 7,672 Marblehead votes had been cast through early voting and mail-in options, according to Town Clerk Robin Michaud.
The pre-Election Day total in Marblehead included 2,976 in-person early voters and 4,696 mail-in ballots, accounting for nearly 57% of the final vote total. The town’s voter rolls have continued to expand in recent election cycles, growing from 15,808 in 2016 to 16,539 in 2020, before reaching the current total of 17,099 registered voters.
The vote counts across all six Marblehead precincts showed consistent patterns, with Democratic candidates maintaining strong margins throughout the town. Harris’s strongest showing came in Precinct 1, where she received 1,620 votes, while Warren’s top performance was also in Precinct 1 with 1,459 votes.
Ballot questions
Marblehead voters overwhelmingly approved Ballot Question 1 authorizing State Auditor Diana DiZoglio to audit the Legislature. The vote was 8,916 in favor and 3,695 opposed. Statewide, voters supported Question 1 by 71%.
Question 2, on eliminating the MCAS requirement for high school graduation, was much closer in town, ultimately passing 6,699 to 6,529. Statewide, Question 2 won with 59% of the vote.
Question 3, allowing ride-share drivers to unionize, lost locally, with 6,617 ‘no’ votes to 6,182 ‘yes’ votes. Statewide, Question 3 won with 54% of the vote.
Question 4, which would legalize psychedelic substances, failed locally, with 11,581 voting ‘no’ and 5,404 voting ‘yes.’ Across Massachusetts, 57% of voters rejected Question 4.
Finally, Question 5, to gradually increase the minimum wage for tipped workers, lost with 8,977 voters opposed and 4,018 in favor. Statewide, 64% of voters rejected Question 5.
