The votes have been cast, the results are in, and the election of 2024 is over.
Former President Donald Trump won the presidential race, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren won reelection to a third term, and in Massachusetts the MCAS was removed from graduation requirements.
We know who won, but how did Newtonians vote? Here are some takeaways from Newton’s (still unofficial) results.
Turnout was ‘meh’
Newton had 46,770 voters this election, out of 62,033, which is a 73 percent turnout.
In the 2020 general election, turnout was 50,570 (81 percent).
The 2020 election had a higher turnout statewide (3.6 million in 2020 and 3.3 million in 2024) and, so far, nationwide as well.
Newton picked Harris
In the presidential race, Vice President Kamala Harris was the favorite among Newtonians, who gave her 77 percent of the city’s vote. Former President Donald Trump got 18.3 percent, and the rest of the votes were split among the third-party candidates.
Trump actually improved on his performance in Newton from 2020, when he got 16.5 percent.
Harris saw slightly lower support in 2024 than President Joe Biden saw in 2020, when he got 79 percent (compared with her 77 percent of Newton votes this election).
Going by precincts, Trump saw his biggest support in Nonantum, specifically in Ward 1, Precinct 1, where he garnered around 30 percent of the vote. Trump also did well (relative to the city as a whole) in Ward 8, Precinct 4, where he got 28 percent of the vote.
Harris saw her biggest concentration of support in Upper Falls, where Ward 5, Precinct 4, gave her 83.8 percent of the vote. A very close second is in Auburndale, where Ward 4, Precinct 2, gave her 83.6 percent of the vote.
As a testament to Newton’s diversity, Harris got 81 percent in Ward 1, Precinct 2, right next to the neighborhood that gave Trump his highest percentage. And the next precinct over—Ward 1, Precinct 3 in Newton Corner—gave her 82 percent.
Auburndale loves Amy
In the race for the Middlesex 11th district state house seat, it should come as no surprise that Democrat Amy Sangiolo did well across the board, ending up with around 75 percent of the vote.
Like Harris, Sangiolo had her best showing in her home village of Auburndale, where Ward 4, Precinct 2, gave her 81.1 percent.
Her opponent, Republican Vladislav Yanovsky, saw his best performance not in Trump-friendly Nonantum but in West Newton and part of Auburndale. Ward 3, Precinct 3 gave him about 21 percent.
Ballot questions
Asked if the state auditor should be allowed to audit the legislature, 65 percent of Newton voters answered Question 1 with “yes.” That’s less than the statewide vote, which approved the measure with 71 percent.
Fifty-nine percent of Massachusetts voters answered “yes” to Question 2, to remove the MCAS exam from high school graduation requirements. Only 42 percent of Newton voters agreed. Nearly 55 percent in Newton said “no.”
Should rideshare employees be allowed to unionize? Massachusetts voters said so, with 53 percent of the state vote. And Newton did, too, with 51.7 percent of Newton voters approving the measure.
Newtonians do not want psychedelics legalized for home cultivation, though. Question 4 failed statewide with 57 percent voting against it. Newton voters resoundingly rejected the idea as well, with 58 percent casting a “no” vote.
The question was rejected by a majority of voters in every precinct in Newton. But it had the most support in Newtonville and Nonantum, with 46 percent of voters in Ward 1, Precinct 2, voting to legalize psychedelics.
Newton also joined the rest of the state in rejecting Question 5, which sought to bring tipped employee wages up to the regular $15 minimum wage.
Newton was more open to the idea than other communities, though. Fifty-three percent of Newton voters opposed it, significantly lower than the 62 percent vote against it statewide.