BURLINGTON WEATHER

How Burlington Works

Burlington voters sent Governor Maura Healey and Senator Ed Markey back to work, said a big yes to opening up the State House's records, and landed almost exactly on the 50-50 line for both the state tax cap and Election Day voter registration. Now that the state counts are settled, here's how Burlington citizens voted and how they tracked with the rest of the Commonwealth.

On most questions, Burlington voters stayed within a few points of the state. They were a bit less enthusiastic about the public defender union (Question 2), Election Day registration (Question 4) and the conservation fund (Question 6), and a bit more skeptical about smaller lots (Question 7).

Laura Zakrewski, the town's communications officer, and Burlington Buzz editor Nicci Kadilak went through the results on the Election Connection results show. Watch it on YouTube.

Burlington numbers are the Town Clerk's preliminary results: Election Day, early in-person, and mail ballots received by 8 p.m. Percentages are votes in favor of each question. Results are preliminary until they are certified on Nov. 18.

Turnout: about 55 of every 100 registered voters

According to the Town Clerk's preliminary results, 10,899 Burlington voters cast ballots out of 19,863 registered voters, a turnout of 54.9%. That count includes Election Day voters, early in-person voters and mail ballots received by the 8 p.m. close of polls.

The races: no surprises at the top of the ticket

  • U.S. Senate: Ed Markey won another term over Republican John Deaton, with 63.8% of the vote statewide and 60.2% in Burlington.
  • Governor and lieutenant governor: Maura Healey and Kim Driscoll won a second term over Republican Mike Minogue, with 62.7% statewide and 58.8% in Burlington.
  • 6th Congressional District: Democrat Dan Koh won the seat. Burlington gave Koh 62.3% of its vote, to 37.5% for Micah Quinney Jones.
  • Statewide offices: Treasurer Deborah Goldberg, Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin, Attorney General Andrea Campbell and Auditor Diana DiZoglio all won re-election. In Burlington, Campbell took 61.7% of the vote, Galvin 68.5%, Goldberg 62.5% and DiZoglio 83.3%.

The nine ballot questions

Question

Result

Statewide yes

Burlington yes

1. Expand the public records law to the Legislature and governor's office

Passed

86.1%

85.1%

2. Let state public defenders unionize

Passed

64.5%

57.6%

3. Top-two primaries

Failed

38.8%

39.1%

4. Election Day voter registration

Passed

56.9%

50.5%

5. Change the state tax revenue limit

Failed

about 48%

50.3%

6. Create a nature conservation fund

Passed

61.2%

55.5%

7. Allow smaller lots for single-family homes

Failed

about 49%

45.7%

8. Repeal recreational marijuana sales

Failed

24.2%

28.3%

9. Uphold the 2024 gun law

Passed

67.5%

68.5%

The two nail-biters statewide are now settled. Question 5, the tax cap change, was projected to fail by the Associated Press on Nov. 5, a day after the campaign behind it conceded. Question 7 stayed too close to call for days before the AP called it on Nov. 6, with the "no" side ahead by roughly a single point.

Burlington was on the opposite side of the state on Question 5. The town's voters narrowly backed the tax cap change 5,224 to 5,169, a margin of just 55 votes. Question 4 was nearly as close here: Election Day registration passed in Burlington by 105 votes, 5,335 to 5,230.

On Question 7, Burlington said no more firmly than the state did, 5,689 votes to 4,783, or about 54% against. Question 1 was where we came closest to the statewide landslide, with 85% in favor.

What happens next

The questions that passed take effect on different timelines:

  • Question 1, public records: Starts Jan. 1, 2027. Most records held by the Legislature and the governor's office become public records. Towns like Burlington already follow the law, so nothing changes for local records.
  • Question 2, public defender union: Employees of the state's public defender agency can organize and bargain collectively. The ballot text sets no timeline, and any contract would still need funding from the governor.
  • Question 4, Election Day registration: Starts Jan. 1, 2028. Voters will be able to register or update their address at their polling place, with a photo ID or a document showing their name and address, such as a lease or utility bill. Testifiers told lawmakers it will take extra staffing and technology at local election offices. Burlington's Town Clerk is optimistic that after some time staff will get the hang of the new system, Zakrewski said on Election Connection.
  • Question 6, conservation fund: The fund begins July 1, 2027, with half of the related sales tax revenue, rising to all of it in July 2028. Cities and towns can apply for money, but the Legislature still has to appropriate it each year.
  • Questions 8 and 9: Recreational marijuana sales and the 2024 gun law stay in place.

For Questions 3, 5 and 7, which failed, nothing changes. The state's tax cap law stays as it is, primaries stay as they are, and Burlington's current zoning rules still apply.

Sources: Burlington Town Clerk preliminary results; Secretary of the Commonwealth ballot question text for Question 1, Question 2, Question 4 and Question 6; WBUR on Question 7 and post-election takeaways; Boston.com on Question 5; Harvard Crimson statewide results.

Continue reading →

Editor's Picks

ALL STORIES

See all