By Geena Monahan—For the North Star Reporter
From first-timers to yearly regulars, hundreds of voters took to the polls to decide who would be next to sit on the Town Council and School Committee.
According to the North Attleborough Elections Office, 2,957 North Attleborough residents cast their votes in the April 1 Town Election. Seats were open for Town Council, School Committee, Board of Electric Commissioners, Board of Public Works and Park Commission.
For the election results, click here.
Hopes were high that this year’s contentious Town Council race, which had 19 individuals running for just nine seats, would bring out enough voters to beat the record set in 2019 of 3,078 votes cast, but this fell short by 121 votes. North Attleborough has 24,451 registered voters, meaning just 12.09% turned out to vote.
Braden Hartigan, a first-time voter, is a senior at North Attleborough High School who made it a priority to vote after he was finished with baseball practice. Hartigan said he came out that day mainly to vote for a School Committee candidate that he felt would bring positive change, and voiced excitement to come back in June for the vote on the new high school.
“After talking with my parents, now that I’m an adult, I’m part of the community and my decisions are going to affect the rest of my life,” said Hartigan. “I wanted to have my voice heard and put my vote in.”
Avery Kenney, a senior at Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood, voted last year in the presidential election but said this was his first time voting in the Town Election. He called it “exercising his rights” and said that even though he’s off to college in the fall, he’ll be back and wants to make sure things in his hometown keep moving in the right direction.
North Attleborough’s more seasoned voters came out in full force as well and, despite the vote on a debt exclusion for a new high school not being on the ballot, were fueled by concerns over the new school and rising costs of living.
David Knox has lived in North Attleborough for 45 years and never misses a Town Election. When asked what the driving issue for him is at the moment, Knox said “the school” without missing a beat.
“Looking toward the future, I’m not sure that I like the school that they’re talking about, but, the idea is that at some point you either spend the money to fix this one, or you build a new one,” said Knox. “At some point you’ve gotta keep up with the world. If you don’t, then what does that do for our kids?”
Norman, who requested his last name not be used, is a resident of 60 years and was accompanied by his wife. He said the Town Council race was his primary reason for voting, and sees the possibility of tax increases if a new high school is built as his main issue.
Julie Machado, a resident of 40 years who lives in the Woodland Park area, echoed those same concerns and said she came out to vote for the interests of seniors.
Another long-term North Attleborough resident of 34 years, Sam (who asked his last name not be used), said he always participates in town elections, but credits his wife for giving him the extra push needed to get off the couch and vote on Tuesday.
“I did not vote for the ones that did not fill out their essays,” he said. “It seemed like a simple thing they were asked to do, and a few just didn’t do it.”
Ashley (who asked her last name not be used), a North Attleborough mom of three, stopped by with her husband 20 minutes before the polls closed Tuesday evening, in between dance pick-ups and drop-offs, to make sure her voice was heard.
“We’ve been living here for almost eight years; we’re a family of five, and it’s important to make sure you come out and vote for your town,” said Ashley.
Despite the windy and blustery weather, candidates were out on Wilson W. Whitty Way with their signs, waving to voters as they passed by throughout the day. Turnout was steady, with the highest number of votes cast from noon to 1 p.m. The final vote was cast by a first-timer right at 8 p.m., and the Election Commission worked quickly to have unofficial results announced by 8:45 p.m.
Patricia Dolan, election coordinator, said this election ran very smoothly, with a nice pace all day and no major problems. According to Dolan, 12% voter turnout is about par for local elections and was overall a good turnout.
In years past, such as 2022, when there was just a School Committee vote on the ballot, turnout has fallen as low as 3.72%. The last Town Council elections in 2023 and 2021, brought out 8.14% and 7.37% of registered voters, respectively, so although there’s room for improvement, this year appears to be a step up in impassioned voters looking to have their voices heard.