Monday saw the highest turnout in recent history, but not Hopkinton history
On Monday, May 20, more Hopkinton voters cast ballots than in any prior election in the recent history of the town. Unofficially, 2,919 ballots were received, representing a 98% increase over the May 2023 annual town election.
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballots | 2,147 | 2,568 | 811 | 2,214 | 1,475 | 2,919 |
| # difference | 421 | (1,757) | 1,403 | (739) | 1,444 | |
| % difference | 20% | -68% | 173% | -33% | 98% |
School initiatives on the ballot typically propel voters to the polls in Hopkinton, but the average number of voters between 2019 – 2023 was just 1,843, a full 1,076 fewer than voted on Monday.
In total, ballots in this election were received from 21.8% of the 13,368 registered voters in town.
The turnout undoubtedly helped Joe Clark and Brian Herr win their seats on the Select Board, as the pair captured 34% and 33% of the vote, respectively. Notably, 233 voters made no choice for Select Board, opting to leave the section blank.
The $48 million Hopkins school addition / renovation project was also pushed by the strong voter turnout. It passed with a slim majority – 1,384 (51%) to 1,284 (49%). Two hundred and fifty one voters left that section of their ballot blank.
“It’s difficult to say what drove it, but the turnout was great,” said Town Clerk Connor Degan. “It may seem like a low number, but anything over 20% turnout is generally accepted as ‘good’ for a local election.”
Degan went on to hypothesize that the “hotly contested Select Board race” and the eight Proposition 2 1/2 override articles likely contributed to the high turnout, in addition to the mail-in voting option.
Looking Back to 1998
Although this is the most votes in recent history, yesterday’s result is dwarfed by the annual town election of 1998, which sought to codify the will of Special Town Meeting voters, who had approved the construction of a new Hopkinton High School. While the measure passed the Special Town Meeting 462-165, the annual election brought out a full 72% of registered voters. In total 3,917 ballots were received, and the Proposition 2 1/2 override to allocate the funds passed by 60%.
* Note: Thanks to reader Kyle Smith for pointing out a calculation error in the turnout table. The figures have been corrected.
