On Nov. 2nd, the people of Boston took to the polls to cast their votes for municipal candidates. This year, no incumbent candidate for mayor was on the ballot; acting mayor Kim Janey was eliminated in the preliminary election.
The turnout of the election proved extremely low, with only 127,703 of the 442,049 registered Boston voters showing up on Tuesday.
Low voter presence was predicted by political analysts and officials, including Massachusetts Secretary of Commonwealth, Bill Gavin; Gavin predicted a relatively skimpy turnout of 30%, which ended up being an overestimate.
Michelle Wu ultimately pulled ahead in the mayoral race after being strongly favored in pre-election polling.
Wu was determined to be ahead by over 30 points in a survey conducted by Suffolk University last week and ended up collecting about 61.1% of votes.
Her progressive stance on affordable housing, MBTA prices, and community policing seem to have won over voters.
The City Council election, which occurs every two years, has also yielded more than a few wins for progressive candidates: Julia Mejia and Ruthzee Louijeune.
Mejia, an immigrant and alumna of the Boston Public School System, was named “Best City Politician of 2020” by Boston Magazine.
Her core motivations of accessibility, accountability, transparency and civic engagement have made strides in affordable housing, mental health resources and food distribution systems.
Louijeune, a lawyer and advocate, is the first Haitan-American woman to be elected to the city council.
Her vision for the city overlaps some with Mejia’s; Louijeune also sees the importance of affordable housing and food accessibility. However, Louijeune champions the fight against violence in Boston. She aims to work with community leaders and non-profit organizations to decrease domestic, street level, and law enforcement-induced violence.
As the coming years unfold, Northeastern students will have a metaphorical front seat to the leadership of these candidates.