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HOLDEN, Mass. — The lack of contested races made for a slow day at the polls in Holden Thursday, with less than 10 percent of registered voters casting their ballots in the state primary.
Of Holden's 18,487 residents, 12,614 registered to vote in the primary and only 8.3 percent turned out on election day.
Across town, polls were empty for most of the day, and when State Rep. Kimberly Ferguson (R-Holden) voted at noon there had only been 67 ballots cast in her precinct.
Ferguson attributed the turnout to a few factors, one of which was that the primary was held on a Thursday instead of the typical Tuesday.
"It's highly unusual for Massachusetts," said Ferguson. "People tried to get the word out, I even did a robo-call last night reminding voters that typically voted in primaries to get out and vote."
Ferguson, who herself was unopposed on the ballot, said the lack of contested races in the area made it less likely for people to take time during their busy day to get out and vote.
"For me, I'm thrilled that I don't have a primary today, it certainly makes the campaign season a lot better for me. But at the same time I take this very seriously and wanted to get the vote out today," said Ferguson.
While Thursday saw dismal numbers, come November and the critical presidential, senatorial and local elections, Ferguson expects it to be a very different story.
"It's a very important election, and both parties will be trying to drive the vote out at that point because there's a lot on the line," said Ferguson.
Ferguson said she looks forward to continuing being a resource to the towns of the First Worcester District and the school district with issues regarding local aid.
"School transportation money, circuit breaker money, Chapter 70 — the Chapter 70 funding issue is a big one for me and for the schools," said Ferguson. "So in my mind I have a lot of things getting back to work in January that I want to focus on."
Holden's Unofficial Primary Results:
Senator
Elizabeth Warren (D): 411
Scott Brown (R): 527
U.S. Representative
Jim McGovern (D): 455
William Feegbeh (D):45
State Senator
Harriette Chandler (D): 434
Councillor
Jennie L. Caissie (R): 414
State Representative
Kimberly Ferguson (R): 521
Register of Deeds
Anthony J. Vigliotti (D): 405
Clerk of Courts
Dennis P. McManus (D): 407
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