🤔 What really matters to these 5 voters

It's Tuesday, Boston.

🥳 Happy Election Day! If you’re a last minute Larry, here’s a quick rundown of everything you need to know about the ballot questions and candidates before heading to the polls.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Voter turnout isn’t passing the vibe check

• The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge made a difference

• Treat yourself for voting

Up first…

ELECTION DAY 2022

We asked 5 voters what matters. There’s a lot on their minds.

Heading into Election Day, I asked five voters in Massachusetts what matters to them most. Here’s what they said:

Protecting underserved communities matters to Kazi Stafford, a 19-year-old Boston resident.

“What matters to me most is how the candidates serve underprivileged neighborhoods, such as Black and Brown neighborhoods. I’m from Roxbury, so that’s important to me. My community is really important to me.”

Questions 1 and Question 4 matter to Michael Green, a 26-year-old Braintree resident.

“I support yes on both of [these],” Green said. He wants education and infrastructure to be addressed, and thinks the additional revenue generated from a Question 1 victory could be used for school food programs, educating the next workforce, and fixing our infrastructure. “That benefits everybody,” he said.

And when it comes to Question 4, he said “almost all of us need to drive in a car at some point, so we have an interest in making sure those around us on the road know how to drive … and that’s simply what a license does.”

Dorchester resident Elise Rae, 35, said protecting a woman’s right to choose and affordability are her two big issues.

“It can feel easy to get complacent because Massachusetts is a historically blue state. But it’s more important than ever to go out and make sure your voice is heard.”

She also hopes the next governor addresses home affordability in the state.

“I just got engaged on Saturday, and my partner and I are looking forward to our next steps” of buying a home and raising children, “so this is weighing heavily on our minds,” she said.

Transparency, honesty, and the T are on 32-year-old Framingham resident Herbert Kyles’ mind.

“I work in finance, so in our line of business, it’s do what you say and say what you do. So if someone says what they’re gonna do, I envision them to actually do it, or at least put in their best effort.”

And when it comes to the MBTA, “it should be much easier for me to get into Boston by train rather than driving, but that’s not the case.” Facts.

Representation and the environment are top of mind for Miranda, a 19-year-old Boston resident who declined to give her last name.

“I’d really like to see more representation with women and the LGBTQ community. It's really important to have people look at their government leaders and see people similar to them,” she said.

She also noted that as an Indigenous woman and a biology major, she’d like to see more “legislation protecting Indigenous land and waters, and just the environment in general.

“I really care about the environment,” she said.

CITY

Quick & Dirty Headlines

😬 Voter turnout isn’t passing the vibe check this Election Day. Secretary of State Bill Galvin said there’s “not an awful lot of enthusiasm” this year, predicting turnout for the general election will be about 2.2 million in Massachusetts, falling short of the 2.7 million ballots cast in the 2018 midterms. He also noted that Democratic Party voter registration has fallen below 30%, with unenrolled voters (independents) making up over 60% percent of the electorate. So if you thought our electorate was dark blue, we’re apparently more of a periwinkle.

👍 Mayor Wu gave Boston’s new city voting map the green light, but it won’t impact voters until the next municipal election. The new design will mainly affect those who vote in the city’s South Boston and Dorchester-based districts. There was a ton of drama surrounding the proposed map last week, with the most vitriolic response coming from Councilor Frank Baker, who suggested the new maps were an attempt to disempower Irish Catholic Bostonians. For her part, Wu kept her announcement of the approval relatively low key.

🪣 The ALS Ice Bucket challenge made a difference. Remember that video you posted on Facebook in 2014 where you dumped a bucket of ice water on your head? Well, that video helped raise over $225 million, which funded a new ALS treatment recently approved by the FDA. A Cambridge-based pharmaceutical company that made the drug was awarded $2.2 million in grant funding from the ALS Association back in 2016 — money that was raised through the 2014 Ice Bucket Challenge.

THINGS TO DO

Treat yourself for voting

🍩 Indulge in the French Silk Pie doughnut from Blackbird Doughnuts. This November-only treat is topped with chocolate ice cream glaze, chocolate crumble, and chocolate shavings. With seven locations, you’ll def find a Blackbird near your polling place.

🍟 Snack on the Cousin Stizz Fries from BRED Gourmet. They’re topped with spicy sweet chili buttermilk fried chicken, chipotle aioli and scallions — a decadent snack fit for the civically engaged.

🍰 Split the four inch cheesecake at 7ate9 Bakery in Somerville with a friend (or crush it yourself, voting works up an appetite). The raspberry cheesecake with Taza chocolate is my pick.

🌯 Get the lamb shawarma for lunch from Sofra Bakery in Cambridge. As a Sofra customer who gets this shawarma on the reg, consider this my endorsement.

🍹 Celebrate your civic duty with a cocktail from Highland Kitchen in Somerville. Cocktails are only $11 and the bar is open until 1 a.m., so you can watch the results trickle in while sipping on an Election Day libation.

ONE LAST THING

Is Portland the new Boston?

Well, according to data from Redfin, it’s definitely catching some Bostonians’ attention. Boston is the fifth most common metro area that homebuyers are looking to leave, and 19% of those who want to leave Boston are heading to our northern neighbor.

Redfin attributes the moves mostly to the cost of buying a house, with Portland property costing about $200,000 less than that in Boston … which is honestly a compelling case, until you realize the median sale price of a home in Portland is still over $500,000.

📺 Thanks for reading! I’ll be up late tonight watching the election results trickle in, and I will not not also be catching up on Bachelor in Paradise.

💃 For more hot takes and late night thoughts, follow me on Twitter and IG @emilyschario. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected].