Boston has hit a record high of 408,669 registered voters as of Monday, according to Sabino Piemonte, the elections chief for the city.
The number is expected to increase, since the Boston Election Department is “still processing forms that met the deadline,” Piemonte wrote in an email.
Brian McNiff, spokesperson for Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin, said the voter registration turnout tends to be higher for presidential elections than local elections.
“The turnout is always heavier, the registration is heavier and the turnout is usually heavier in a presidential election,” McNiff said. “In the past two elections we’ve had more than three billion people voting, so there’s no reason to believe we won’t get that again.”
The number of registered voters in Boston around mid-October was 387,040 in 2012, 381,013 in 2008 and 374,703 in 2004, according to data published on the secretary of the Commonwealth’s website.
Early voting in Boston started on Oct. 24 and will end on Nov. 4, The Daily Free Press reported.
Various organizations, such as MassVOTE, throughout the Commonwealth have been encouraging people to register and vote on Nov. 8. MassVOTE Executive Director Cheryl Clyburn-Crawford said people have been paying more attention to this presidential election due to its “highly electric” nature.
“We do everything in our power to remind them that we have early voting going on and that we’d like to go out and … not only vote but vote early,” Clyburn-Crawford said. “We did a mailing to everyone that we registered and we’re also doing a phone bank. We call them to see if they know how to vote, where to vote, things of that nature.”
Spencer Piston, a political science professor at Boston University, wrote in an email that this election is not only similar to previous elections but also showcases unique candidates.
“Partisan attachments and evaluations of the economy will affect how people vote,” Piston wrote. “One candidate is the first ever female nominee to capture a major-party nomination: she is also the spouse of a former president. The other candidate has consistently used explicitly negative rhetoric toward women, Latinos, and Muslims.”
Piston said immigration is one of the issues that has sparked controversy throughout the campaign period.
“Immigration is a mobilizing issue for Latinos,” Piston wrote. “It is possible that Latino turnout will be higher than usual due to Trump’s anti-Latino rhetoric and comments about building a wall at the Mexican border.”
Boston residents said they applaud fellow citizens who display political participation through voting.
Ken Huang, 26, of Allston, said more citizens, especially people of color, are registering to vote because they need to express their opinions.
“They will because so much is at stake for this election. It kind of says a lot about someone if they don’t go and vote if they can,” he said. “Shows they don’t care but a lot of people do, so hopefully that won’t be the case.”
Johanna Martinez, 31, of Dorchester, said this election has been very attention-grabbing, and she is certain more people will vote this year.
“I see a lot of people being angry about what’s been said about them from candidates and voters,” she said. “People really want to show up and vote for who they think will stand up for them.”
Elizabeth Olson, 37, of East Boston, said voting for a candidate that reflects one’s values is essential to improve the country.
“People don’t want the other side, based on whatever party they support,” she said. “They want to do what they can do to make sure their side wins. People are seeing how important it is to vote.”
