Voters in Williamstown overwhelming supported Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump. Of the 3,506 ballots cast — in-person and by mail — 2,886 went to Harris, 484 went to Trump, and 81 went to a third-party candidate. The Associated Press called Massachusetts for Harris at 8:01 p.m., only a minute after polls closed in the state.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren was re-elected to the U.S. Senate over Republican John Deaton, and incumbent Rep. Richard Neal won the first district’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, besting independent Nadia Milleron, the Associated Press confirmed last night.
Town residents had the opportunity to vote in the presidential election and multiple down-ballot races. At the local level, voters only saw one contested race: the competition between incumbent Democratic State Senator Paul Mark and Republican David Rosa. Mark garnered more votes than Rosa in Williamstown, receiving 2,790 to Rosa’s 478, while State House Representative John Barrett III ran unopposed. Voters throughout Massachusetts were also asked to weigh in on five ballot questions.
The 3,370 votes cast for either the Democratic or Republican presidential candidate is a slightly lower total than in the 2020 presidential election, when President Joe Biden received 3,196 votes and Trump received 499, granting Biden roughly 86 percent of the total vote.
The Record spoke to several Town residents after they cast their ballots at Williamstown Elementary School, the Town’s only polling location.
“It’s so exciting that there are lines,” said the College’s Director of Student Financial Services Ashley Bianchi, who had to wait behind several other voters before casting her vote around 9 a.m.
“I’ve never seen a line before voting in Williamstown,” she added. “It’s an exciting day but also very emotional.”
Assistant Professor of Political Science Matthew Tokeshi brought his two daughters along to cast “a very enthusiastic vote for Harris.”
“I feel like they’re at an age where they’ll remember the excitement of the day and seeing all these people here,” Tokeshi explained, adding that many students in his classes cite going to vote with their parents as their first political memory. He said that his family is planning to color in state maps tonight as results come in.
Other voters expressed a mix of excitement and apprehension about the presidential race.
“[I’m] feeling very patriotic and excited,” Town resident Robin Sher said. “It’s fun to get to do it in person.”
Town residents Deborah Foss and Donna Dennelli-Hess — both Harris voters — described themselves as “cautiously optimistic.”
While all the voters who spoke to the Record said that they were voting for Harris, they disagreed on ballot questions. According to USA Today, Ballot Questions 2 and 5 were two of the most contentious issues on this year’s Massachusetts ballot.
Massachusetts Ballot Question 2 asks whether the state should eliminate the requirement that high schoolers pass a standardized test called the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) in order to graduate.
The question passed in Town — 1,962 residents voted in favor and 1,400 were against.
“I’m very opposed to eliminating [the MCAS],” Professor of Biology Luana Maroja said. “It’s the main reason I came to vote today.”
“Most states don’t have the requirement, and their schools are significantly worse than Massachusetts’,” she continued. “If they feel that the test is not good, the solution is not to eliminate the test. It’s to fix the test.”
Bianchi voted in favor of eliminating the requirement. Bianchi added that she has a son in 10th grade and his nearing graduation was in part an inspiration for her vote.
Foss said she voted against Massachusetts Ballot Question 5. It seeks to increase the minimum wage for tipped employees incrementally. Williamstown residents narrowly voted in favor of the measure — it received 1822 “Yes” votes and 1510 “No” votes.
“It might be fine at bigger restaurants,” she said. “But smaller [businesses], especially around here, will get hit really hard.”
