Photo credit: Benjamin Cheung

While Boston’s recent municipal election delivered a strong showing for Mayor Michelle Wu and many of the city’s incumbents, it was also plagued by low turnout citywide and high rates of blank or write-in ballots in some races.

Average turnout in Boston clocked in at just 22% according to the Election Department’s preliminary count. It varied a bit between races, with District 6 (Jamaica Plain) managing almost 33%, but most races hovered just above or below 20%.

When Wu was first elected in 2021 almost a third of Bostonians weighed in, and looking at the city’s records it does seem like more voters come out when a mayor’s four-year term is up. In 2017 participation was 27%. For a mayoral year, 22% turnout is low.

District 8’s Sharon Durkan who represents Back Bay and Beacon Hill, one of the councilors running unopposed, was pleased with her District’s participation rates. She was first elected in 2023 as part of a special election with just 8% turnout, making this year’s 19% turnout and 96% support a stronger reinforcement of her mandate.

"This was the highest turnout election I have been a part of, and the most voters ever have cast their ballots for me meaning, that this election many voters it was their first time seeing my name on the ballot,” she said. “District 8’s turnout was higher than in two contested districts, which I believe reflects the strong organizing and outreach we did, even without an opponent.”

That said, her 31% blank or write-in rate was the highest in the city. Even among uncontested races, Wu saw 24% of ballots cast be left blank or write-in, and District 3 City Councilor John Fitzgerald got 23%. More so than in other parts of the city, voters in District 8 had a tendency to show up to the polls just to leave their local ballot blank.

The Back Bay was a hotspot for that trend, along with several precincts around Mission Hill and east of Central Village. The eastern tip of the Back Bay and around the Back Bay Fens had her highest blank or write-in rates in the downtown neighborhoods at 40%, followed by central Back Bay and the eastern tip of Beacon Hill at 32%. Those coupled with rates as high as 45% in Mission Hill precincts resulted in her high average.

Durkan didn’t comment on her blank and write-in rates compared to other uncontested races, but did suggest that the bulk of those ballots stem from people caring only about the mayoral race rather than some groundswell of community opposition. Blank ballot rates heavily outnumbered those who went to the trouble of marking down a write-in, and the mayoral race saw half or more of District 8’s blanks mark down a mayoral candidate. Whether those voters actually care exclusively about the mayor’s race can’t be ascertained from just the data.

Durkan said speaking with voters face to face has reassured her that she’s addressing the issues people care about most, with blank ballots just encouraging her to keep reaching out to her residents. “Every day I work to earn the trust and support of residents across our five neighborhoods. I believe the election results of 96% of people who voted in our election casting their ballot for me show a true mandate for my leadership on the Boston City Council, of which the work is listening, showing up, and solving problems at the ground level,” she said. “My focus will continue to be on communicating clearly and continuing to deliver results in every neighborhood including the West End, Beacon Hill, Back Bay, Fenway, Kenmore, Audubon Circle and Mission Hill.”

Mayor Wu and City Councilors Fitzgerald and Ed Flynn did not respond to a request for comment by press time.