Democrats Poised to Dominate Election in Cambridge

Along with electing the next president, voters in Cambridge Tuesday have the opportunity to both determine policy with four Massachusetts ballot questions and also reinstate a number of incumbent Democrats running in uncontested races.

Race for the White House

At the top of the ballot is choice for President of the United States. The four tickets on the ballot are Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, Republican nominee Donald Trump, Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party, and Massachusetts resident Jill E. Stein ’73 of the Green Party.

Clinton is expected to overwhelmingly win Massachusetts, according to polling website FiveThirtyEight. Recent polls place her lead in Massachusetts anywhere from 17 points to 32 points.

Democrats to Represent Cambridge

Cambridge voters will also vote in the uncontested race for U.S. House of Representatives. Incumbent Democrat Katherine M. Clark, a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, is the only name on the ballot to represent Massachusetts’s Fifth District.

Voters will choose their candidate for State Senator and State Representative in two separate uncontested races. State Senator Sal N. DiDomenico and State Representative Marjorie C. Decker, both incumbent Democrats, are also the only names listed on the ballot.

Also up for reelection this year are Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian, a Democrat, and Democratic member of the Governor’s Council, Terrence W. Kennedy. The Governor’s Council is an executive body that serves as an advisory board to Governor Charlie D. Baker ’79 on matters concerning judicial appointments, pardons and commutations, and treasury warrants.

Ballot Questions

Massachusetts’s four ballot questions have been the source of contentious debate throughout the state in recent months.

The two most controversial ballot initiatives are Question 2 and Question 4. Question 2 proposes an increase on the number of approvals for new or expanded charter schools, at most, 12 per year. The measure has split the normally unified bloc of Democrats in Massachusetts and promises to be a tight race.

Question 4 would legalize recreational use of marijuana. Massachusetts is one of five states considering legalization this year. According to the Crimson’s 2016 Election Survey, Harvard students overwhelmingly support the measure.

The two questions that have received less coverage are Questions 1 and 3. Question 1 would permit the state’s Gaming Commission to add one more slot-machine establishment consistent with the law. Polling by Suffolk University currently has the “No” vote in the lead.

Question 3 would “prohibit any confinement of pigs, calves, and hens that prevents them from lying down, standing up, fully extending their limbs, or turning around freely.” Current polling by Suffolk University currently has the “Yes” vote in a solid lead.

The polls open at 7 a.m. and are set to close at 8 p.m.

—Staff writer Joshua Florence can be reached at joshua.florence@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaFlorence1.