27,000 Cast Votes in Cambridge Elections

More than 27,300 city residents went to the polls yesterday in Cambridge's municipal elections, as warm weather, a hotly contested City Council race and a controversial ballot initiative combined to generate the highest voter turnout in six years.

Preliminary figures obtained from election officials indicated that slightly more than 57 percent of the city's approximately 47,000 registered voters cast ballots yesterday--significantly more than the 23,860 votes cast in 1988 or the 24,393 in 1985.

Although considerably smaller then the 1983 turnout of 30,053, Democratic City Committee Chair Peter Sturges '70 said yesterday's turnout represented an "appropriate" increase from the last two years.

Many city residents predicted a particularly high turnout this year as a result of two controversial races. For the first time since 1961, three incumbent city councillors did not seek re-election, and 28 candidatees have waged a bitter campaign to fill the nine seats.

The ballot referendum known as Proposition 1-2-3, which would radically overhaul the city's rent control system, was also expected to mobilize large numbers of voters.

"Given the fact that you had a ballot question which generates a lot of controversy and will affect many people, and given the fact that you have three empty seats--that opens a lot of things up," said Sturges, who is a former election commissioner.

But yesterday's unseasonably warm weather may have been as important as any political questions in sending city residents to the polls. In 1987 and 1985, many city residents attributed the low turnout to Election Day rain.

"From a politician's point of view, you certainly couldn't have asked for a nicer day," said City Clerk Joseph E. Connarton.

Although final results will not be available for more than a week, the high turnout should tend to favor liberal council candidates and work against 1-2-3, according to Noah M. Berger '89, the executive director of the Cambridge Civic Association (CCA).

"It should help us," said Berger. "Independent voters always vote. Our people don't."

CCA-endorsed candidates have held a four-person minority on the council for several years, and the good-government group has pinned its hopes on winning a majority this year.

However, the high turnout may also favor theindependents. With 1-2-3 on the ballot this fall,small property owners and other real estateinterests have staged a highly vocal campaignwhich may result in broad support from across thecity.

"I think it's just clearly the hardest-foughtelection in years," said Election CommissionerEdward J. Samp. "Both sides turned out theirvoters."

Although all the votes have been cast inCambridge's fall 1989 election, the contest isstill far from over. Because Cambridge uses anarcane system of proportional representation forCity Council and School Committee elections,election officials count all ballots by hand--aprocess which can take as long as a week.

Preliminary results today should identify thesure winners and losers in the campaign, butElection Commissioner Sondra Scheir said Cambridgewill probably not know the precise makeup of thenext City Council until Tuesday.

As for 1-2-3 ballots, Scheir said the count isslated to begin Thursday.

This year's election presented a markedcontrast to last year's race for one of the city'sthree seats in the State House of Representatives.

In that race, supporters of then-State Rep.Saundra Graham and challenger Alvin E. Thompsonangrily accused each other of a sabotaging thecity's punch-card voting machines, and Grahamsupporters called for a recount.

But Connarton said that, aside from "the usualelection day glitches," yesterday's election wentoff smoothly.

And Phillip Griffiths, the assistant directorof the election commission, said that he had notheard of any major snags in the voting process.

"If there are any problems, we're always thelast to here about them," Griffiths added