Cambridge Municipal Elections

My principal purpose on this page is to make publicly available any information regarding the Cambridge Municipal Elections, both historical and analytical. The City of Cambridge is unique in that it is the only municipality in the United States to use the single-transferable vote (STV) form of proportional representation (PR) for its City Council and School Committee elections, and it is done so for over 80 years. The City of New York used the system for its local school board elections until very recently when, I am told, the local school boards were abolished. (The New York State legislature had previously attempted to eliminate the PR elections in a midnight maneuver which was subsequently challenged in court.).

My hope is that other municipalities will adopt PR election methods in some form as an effective way to ensure minority representation (political, ethnic, geographic, etc.) without the need for politically driven, unsatisfactory, and contrived districting schemes. - Robert Winters

2023 Municipal Election

Nov 17 - Final Official Election Results. The winners in the City Council election have not changed. However, in the School Committee election, Richard Harding is now the last person elected (by a margin of 8 votes) over Andrew King. - RW

City Council (in order of election):
Sumbul Siddiqui
Burhan Azeem
Marc C. McGovern
Patricia M. Nolan
Paul F. Toner
Jivan G. Sobrinho-Wheeler
E. Denise Simmons
Ayesha M. Wilson
Joan F. Pickett
School Committee (in order of election):
Rachel B. Weinstein
Elizabeth Clark Polner Hudson
David J. Weinstein
Caroline M. Hunter
José Luis Rojas Villarreal
Richard Harding
Round-by-Round Results (PDF) - official City version Round-by-Round Results (PDF) - official City version
Spreadsheet (PDF) - with transfer details Spreadsheet (PDF) - with transfer details

Candidates who appeared on the November 2023 ballot
City Council: (24 candidates for 9 seats)   School Committee: (11 candidates for 6 seats)
Ayah Al-Zubi, 2B Dodge St., 02139
Alborz Bejnood, 166 Auburn St., Apt B, 02139
Burhan Azeem, 96 Berkshire St., 02141 Richard Harding, 189 Windsor St. #1, 02139
Doug Brown, 35 Standish St., 02138 Elizabeth Hudson, 236 Walden St., 02140
John Hanratty, 15 Mt. Vernon St. #7, 02140 Caroline Hunter, 23 Rockwell St., 02139
Peter Hsu, 70 Gore St. #2, 02141 Andrew King, 71 Chilton St., 02138
Adrienne Klein, 7 Beech St. #308, 02140
Frantz Pierre, 22 Water St. #808, 02141
Marc McGovern, 17 Pleasant St., 02139
José Luis Rojas Villarreal, 19 Cornelius Way, 02141
Joe McGuirk, 314 Columbia St. #1, 02139
Eugenia Schraa Huh, 259 Washington St., 02139
Gregg J. Moree, 25 Fairfield St., 02140 Robert V. Travers, Jr., 54 Fulkerson St., 02141
Federico Muchnik, 82 Richdale Ave., 02140 David J. Weinstein, 45 S. Normandy Ave., 02138
Patricia Nolan, 184 Huron Ave., 02138 Rachel Weinstein, 60 Standish St., 02138
Carrie Pasquarello, 230 Upland Rd., 02140


Vote!
Joan Pickett, 59 Ellery St. #1, 02138
Frantz Pierre, 22 Water St. #808, 02141
Sumbul Siddiqui, 283 Sydney St. #3, 02139
E. Denise Simmons, 188 Harvard St., 02139
Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler, 187 Brookline St. #3, 02139
Paul Toner, 24 Newman St., 02140
Dan Totten, 54 Bishop Allen Dr. #2, 02139
Vernon Walker, 165 Main St. #1205, 02139
Hao Wang, 1 Longfellow Rd., 02138
Ayesha M. Wilson, 15 Concord Ave., 02138
Robert Winters, 366 Broadway, 02139
Catherine Zusy, 202 Hamilton St., 02139

City Council #1 Votes by Ward/Precinct

School Committee #1 Votes by Ward/Precinct

City Council #2 Vote Distribution

School Committee #2 Vote Distribution

City Council Replacements
  - in the event of a vacancy

Burhan Azeem → Adrienne Klein
Marc McGovern → Adrienne Klein
Patricia Nolan → Cathie Zusy
Joan Pickett → Cathie Zusy
Sumbul Siddiqui → Ayah Al-Zubi
Denise Simmons → Joe McGuirk
Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler → Dan Totten
Paul Toner → John Hanratty
Ayesha Wilson → Joe McGuirk
School Committee Replacements
  - in the event of a vacancy

Richard Harding → Andrew King
Elizabeth Hudson → Eugenia Schraa Huh
Caroline Hunter → Eugenia Schraa Huh
José Luis Villarreal → Eugenia Schraa Huh
David Weinstein → Eugenia Schraa Huh
Rachel Weinstein → Andrew King

2023 Cambridge Candidate Pages

Random Draw of Precincts - 2023

Oct 18, 2023 - The “Random Draw of Precincts” determines the order in which ballots from precincts throughout the city are counted in the election. Though this has a relatively minor effect on the tabulation of the ballots (because of the “Cincinnati Method” used to transfer surplus ballots), it can potentially make a difference in a very close election. It’s also somewhat significant during rounds of the election count when candidates reach quota and are elected. Here’s the ordering determined by lottery (read down the columns):

9-3
6-1
5-2
5-3
11-1
3-1
11-2
4-2
9-2
8-3
9-1
10-1
1-1
4-3
1-3
7-3
10-3
6-2
8-2
2-1
4-1
7-2
6-3
7-1
2-2
3-3
11-3
5-1
10-2
8-1
3-2
1-2
2-3

Unofficial Election Results (Nov 9, 2023) - Auxiliary ballots included
City Council (in order of election):
Sumbul Siddiqui
Burhan Azeem
Marc C. McGovern
Patricia M. Nolan
Paul F. Toner
Jivan G. Sobrinho-Wheeler
E. Denise Simmons
Ayesha M. Wilson
Joan F. Pickett
School Committee (in order of election):
Rachel B. Weinstein
Elizabeth Clark Polner Hudson
David J. Weinstein
Caroline M. Hunter
José Luis Rojas Villarreal
Andrew R. King (unofficial)
Round-by-Round Results (PDF) - official City version Round-by-Round Results (PDF) - official City version
Spreadsheet (PDF) - with transfer details Spreadsheet (PDF) - with transfer details

Preliminary Election Results (Nov 7, 2023)
City Council (in order of election):
Sumbul Siddiqui
Burhan Azeem
Marc C. McGovern
Patricia M. Nolan
Paul F. Toner
Jivan G. Sobrinho-Wheeler
E. Denise Simmons
Ayesha M. Wilson
Joan F. Pickett
School Committee (in order of election):
Rachel B. Weinstein
Elizabeth Clark Polner Hudson
David J. Weinstein
José Luis Rojas Villarreal
Caroline M. Hunter
Richard Harding, Jr. (preliminary)
Round-by-Round Results Round-by-Round Results
Spreadsheet (PDF) Spreadsheet (PDF)
2021 Municipal Election

Final Official City Council Results (Nov 12)
(in order of election)

Siddiqui, Sumbul
Simmons, E. Denise
Nolan, Patricia M.
Carlone, Dennis J.
McGovern, Marc C.
Zondervan, Quinton Y.
Azeem, Burhan
Mallon, Alanna M.
Toner, Paul F.

2021 Official City Council Full Results

Distribution of #1 Votes by ward & precinct - 2021 City Council

City Council 2021 - #2 Vote Distributions


Final Official School Committee Results (Nov 12)
(in order of election)

Wilson, Ayesha
Fantini, Alfred B.
Bhambi, Akriti
Weinstein, Rachel B.
Rojas Villarreal, José Luis
Weinstein, David J.

2021 Official School Committee Full Results

Distribution of #1 Votes by ward & precinct - 2021 School Committee

School Committee 2021 - #2 Vote Distributions


All three ballot questions passed (Final, Official)


Who would replace each of the elected city councillors and School Committee members should a vacancy occur? Replacements are determined from the ballots used to elect each councillor or School Committee member. I ran the tabulation software with the 2021 ballot data and here’s what I found:

City Council Replacement
Azeem Sobrinho-Wheeler
Carlone Williams
Mallon Sobrinho-Wheeler
McGovern Sobrinho-Wheeler
Nolan Williams
Siddiqui Sobrinho-Wheeler
Simmons Sobrinho-Wheeler
Toner McGuirk
Zondervan Sobrinho-Wheeler
 
School Committee Replacement
Bhambi Hunter
Fantini Hunter
Rojas Villarreal Lim
D. Weinstein Johnson
R. Weinstein Hunter
Wilson Johnson

Unofficial City Council Results (Nov 4)
(in order of election)
Siddiqui, Sumbul
Nolan, Patricia M.
Simmons, E. Denise
Carlone, Dennis J.
McGovern, Marc C.
Zondervan, Quinton Y.
Azeem, Burhan
Mallon, Alanna M.
Toner, Paul F.

2021 Unofficial City Council Full Results

Unofficial School Committee Results (Nov 4)
(in order of election)

Wilson, Ayesha
Fantini, Alfred B.
Bhambi, Akriti
Weinstein, Rachel B.
Rojas Villarreal, José Luis
Weinstein, David J.

2021 Unofficial School Committee Full Results

Alternate Measures of Popularity - 2021 City Council Election

Alternate Measures of Popularity - 2021 School Committee Election

(based on number of ballots with candidate ranked)


2021 Cambridge Candidate Pages

Cambridge City Council Campaign Receipts and Monthly Bank Reports 2021

2021 Campaign Event Listings and Candidate Forums

2021 Cambridge Municipal Election Calendar
(and advice for candidates)

Oct 13, 2021 - The “Random Draw of Precincts” determines the order in which ballots from precincts throughout the city are counted in the election. Though this has a relatively minor effect on the tabulation of the ballots (because of the “Cincinnati Method” used to transfer surplus ballots), it can potentially make a difference in a very close election. It’s also somewhat significant during rounds of the election count when candidates reach quota and are elected. Here’s the ordering determined by lottery (read down the columns):

7-1
3-3
7-3
4-3
9-3
7-2
2-1
8-3
2-2
10-3
10-1
9-1
6-1
11-1
1-2
6-2
8-1
11-3
3-2A
5-3
6-3
1-3
5-2
8-2
3-2
4-1
4-2
10-2
3-1
11-2
5-1
1-1
2-3
9-2

Official 2021 Municipal Election Voter Guide

Ballot Question Information (includes arguments for and against)

Map of Drop Box and Early Voting Locations

List of Election Day Polling Locations


Preliminary City Council Results (Nov 2)
(in order of election)

Siddiqui, Sumbul
Nolan, Patricia M.
Simmons, E. Denise
Carlone, Dennis J.
McGovern, Marc C.
Azeem, Burhan
Zondervan, Quinton Y.
Mallon, Alanna M.
Toner, Paul F.
2021 Preliminary City Council Full Results
Preliminary School Committee Results (Nov 2)
(in order of election)

Wilson, Ayesha
Fantini, Alfred B.
Bhambi, Akriti
Weinstein, Rachel B.
Rojas Villarreal, José Luis
Weinstein, David J.
2021 Preliminary School Committee Full Results
2019 Municipal Election

Final Official 2019 City Council Election Results (PDF)
Order of Election: Sumbul Siddiqui, Denise Simmons, Patty Nolan, Quinton Zondervan, Marc McGovern, Alanna Mallon, Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler, Dennis Carlone, Tim Toomey [incumbent Craig Kelley has been defeated]

Final Official 2019 School Committee Results (PDF)
Order of Election: Mannika Bowman, Emily Dexter, Alfred Fantini, Ayesha Wilson, Rachel Weinstein, Jose Luis Rojas Villarreal

Dexter Vacancy Recount (Jan 16, 2020) - David Weinstein elected

Distribution of #1 Votes by Ward & Precinct - 2019 City Council Election (PDF)

Distribution of #1 Votes by Ward & Precinct - 2019 School Committee Election (PDF)

City Council 2019 - #2 Vote Distributions [Full Distributions]

School Committee 2019 #2 Vote Distributions

Who would replace each of the elected city councillors and School Committee members should a vacancy occur? Replacements are determined from the ballots used to elect each councillor or School Committee member. I ran the tabulation software with the 2019 ballot data and here’s what I found:

City Council Replacement
Carlone Kelley
Mallon Musgrave
McGovern Musgrave
Nolan Kelley
Siddiqui Musgrave
Simmons Kelley
Sobrinho-Wheeler Azeem
Toomey Kelley
Zondervan Williams
 
School Committee Replacement
Bowman Dawson
Dexter D. Weinstein
Fantini Allen
Rojas Villarreal Kadete
R. Weinstein D. Weinstein
Wilson Dawson

Instant Runoff Mayor

As a purely academic exercise I also like to see how things would play out if the actual ballots were used to determine the Mayor via an Instant Runoff election (excluding all other candidates not elected to the City Council). The winner would be Sumbul Siddiqui with Patty Nolan as the runner-up. Here’s the transfer report.

Instant Runoff School Committee Vice-Chair

Same thing for Vice-Chair of the School Committee via an Instant Runoff election (excluding all other candidates not elected to the School Committee). The winner would be Emily Dexter with Manikka Bowman as the runner-up. Here’s the transfer report.

Alternate Measures of Popularity - 2019 City Council Election

Alternate Measures of Popularity - 2019 School Committee Election

(based on number of ballots with candidate ranked)


2019 Cambridge Candidate Pages

2019 Cambridge City Council Campaign Bank Reports

Cambridge City Council Campaign Receipts 2019

Calendar of 2019 Election-related events

List of Candidates who pulled nomination papers

There will be 22 City Council candidates and 11 School Committee candidates.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 5, 2019.

Oct 17, 2019 - The “Random Draw of Precincts” took place last night at the Cambridge Election Commission. This determines the order in which ballots from precincts throughout the city are counted in the election. Though this has a relatively minor effect on the tabulation of the ballots (because of the “Cincinnati Method” used to transfer surplus ballots), it can potentially make a difference in a very close election. It’s also somewhat significant during rounds of the election count when candidates reach quota and are elected. Here’s the ordering determined by lottery (read down the columns):

2-1
6-2
9-1
7-1
1-3
5-3
11-1
7-3
1-2
9-3
3-3
6-1
3-2A
4-1
3-1
4-2
4-3
5-1
9-2
2-2
2-3
6-3
10-2
10-3
5-2
8-3
10-1
1-1
8-2
11-2
11-3
8-1
7-2
3-2

Ward/Precinct Map (2012 on)


Nov 7, 2019 Update: Unofficial Election Results are in. The winners are the same as in the Preminary Results.

Unofficial 2019 City Council Election Results (PDF)

Unofficial 2019 School Committee Results (PDF)


Preliminary 2019 City Council Election Results (PDF)     Preliminary 2019 City Council Results (HTML)

Preliminary 2019 School Committee Results (PDF)     Preliminary 2019 School Committee Results (HTML)

2017 Municipal Election

Election Update (Fri, Nov 17): The Final Official Election Results produced the same winners in the same order of election:

City Council Elected (in order of election): Simmons, Siddiqui, McGovern, Devereux, Zondervan, Mallon, Toomey, Carlone, Kelley
City Council Official Election Results (Fri, Nov 17, PDF, 2 pgs.)

School Committee Elected (in order of election): Nolan, Bowman, Dexter, Fantini, Kelley, Kimbrough
School Committee Official Election Results (Fri, Nov 17, PDF, 1 pg.)

Round-by-Round City Council Official Results (Fri, Nov 17, HTML)

Round-by-Round School Committee Official Results (Fri, Nov 17, HTML)

City Council Distribution of #1 Votes by ward/precinct (PDF)
- corrected (Pcts. 3-2A and 3-3 were mislabeled in original)

School Committee Distribution of #1 Votes by ward/precinct (PDF)

Voter Turnout by Precinct: 2013-2017 Municipal Elections (PDF)

#2 Vote Distribution - 2017 City Council (PDF)

#2 Vote Distribution - 2017 School Committee (PDF)

Popularity - Total Rankings (#1, Top 2, Top 3, etc.)


City Council Unofficial Election Results (Wed, Nov 8, PDF, 2 pgs.)
Elected: Simmons, Siddiqui, McGovern, Devereux, Zondervan, Mallon, Toomey, Carlone, Kelley

School Committee Unofficial Election Results (Wed, Nov 8, PDF, 1 pg.)
Elected: Nolan, Bowman, Dexter, Fantini, Kelley, Kimbrough

Round-by-Round City Council Unofficial Results (Wed, Nov 8, HTML)

Round-by-Round School Committee Unofficial Results (Wed, Nov 8, HTML)

Charts showing City Council election - round by round
(PDF - best to save and open in Acrobat)

Charts showing School Committee election - round by round
(PDF - best to save and open in Acrobat)


Round-by-Round City Council Preliminary Results (Tues, Nov 7, HTML)

Round-by-Round School Committee Preliminary Results (Tues, Nov 7, HTML)

City Council Preliminary Election Results (Tues, Nov 7, PDF, 2 pgs.)

School Committee Preliminary Election Results (Tues, Nov 7, PDF, 1 pg.)

2017 Cambridge Candidate Pages

Cambridge City Council and School Committee Candidates – 2017
(posted July 24, 2017, updated July 31, 2017)

2017 Cambridge City Council Campaign Bank Reports
(with sortable tables)

Campaign Finance Reports - 2017 City Council
(PDF with links to detailed reports)

Campaign Contributions (2017) - Total Receipts and Cambridge Receipts
(with sortable tables)

Cambridge School Committee 2017 Campaign Finance Summaries
(with sortable tables)

Nov 1 - The “Random Draw of Precincts” took place tonight at the Cambridge Election Commission. This determines the order in which ballots from precincts throughout the city are counted in the election. Though this has a relatively minor effect on the tabulation of the ballots (because of the “Cincinnati Method” used to transfer surplus ballots), it can potentially make a difference in a very close election. It’s also somewhat significant during rounds of the election count when candidates reach quota and are elected. Here’s the ordering determined by lottery (read down the columns):

7-3
6-1
4-2
3-3
3-2A
2-3
5-2
7-2
9-1
5-1
10-2
6-2
3-1
11-2
8-3
6-3
10-3
9-2
1-3
2-1
3-2
11-3
10-1
8-1
1-1
5-3
2-2
1-2
4-1
11-1
7-1
8-2
4-3
9-3

2017 Campaign Event Listings and Candidate Forums
[Note: Only events open to the general public (with or without RSVP) will be listed.]

Age and Turnout: comparing the 2015 and 2017 Cambridge elections
(posted Nov 4 - pre-election)

2015 Municipal Election

Full Final Official Election Results (Nov 13, 2015)
City Council & School Committee

City Council (in order of election)
Nadeem Mazen
Denise Simmons
David Maher
Jan Devereux
Tim Toomey
Craig Kelley
Leland Cheung
Marc McGovern
Dennis Carlone

Incumbent Dennis Benzan is defeated

School Committee (in order of election)
Patty Nolan
Fred Fantini
Richard Harding
Kathleen Kelly
Manikka Bowman
Emily Dexter

Incumbent Fran Cronin is defeated


City Council #1 Vote Distribution by Ward/Precinct (PDF)

School Committee #1 Vote Distribution by Ward/Precinct (PDF)

Alternate measures of Popularity - 2015 City Council Election (PDF)

City Council Candidates - #2 Vote Distribution (PDF)

School Committee Candidates - #2 Vote Distribution (PDF)

Cambridge Candidate Pages - 2015

Cambridge Municipal Election Candidates – 2015
(candidate lists with sortable tables)

2015 Calendar of Election-related Events

Campaign Finance - 2015 Cambridge City Council Candidates

Cambridge School Committee 2015 Campaign Finance Summaries

Oct 21 - The “Random Draw of Precincts” took place at the Cambridge Election Commission. This determines the order in which ballots from precincts throughout the city are counted in the election. Though this has a relatively minor effect on the tabulation of the ballots (because of the “Cincinnati Method” used to transfer surplus ballots), it can potentially make a difference in a very close election. It’s also somewhat significant during rounds of the election count when candidates reach quota and are elected. Here’s the ordering determined by lottery (read down the columns):

8-3
4-3
4-1
6-2
3-2
11-1
11-3
7-2
10-1
3-2A
9-1
2-3
4-2
2-1
3-1
1-3
9-2
6-3
10-2
7-1
10-3
5-2
3-3
2-2
6-1
7-3
8-2
1-2
1-1
8-1
9-3
11-2
5-1
5-3

Full Unofficial Election Results (Nov 4, 2015)
City Council & School Committee


Full Preliminary Election Results (Nov 3, 2015)
City Council & School Committee
(not including auxiliary ballots)

2013 Municipal Election
Official 2013 Cambridge Election Results (Nov 15 and Dec 12, 2013)

The original Final City Council results (Nov 15, 2013) had a a 14 vote margin between the 9th Place candidate (Dennis Carlone) and the 10th Place candidate (Minka vanBeuzekom) in the deciding 16th Round. The were also only 30 votes separating the 7th Place through 10th Place candidates (Craig Kelley, Nadeem Mazen, Dennis Carlone, Minka vanBeuzekom. This led to a petition for a recount by Minka vanBeuzekom which took 9 days starting on Mon, Dec 2 and finishing on Thurs, Dec 12, 2013.

In the Recount, neither the winners nor the quota (1775) nor the order of election changed, though the margins increased to 20 votes between 9th and 10th Place and 48 votes separating the 7th Place through 10th Place candidates in the deciding (17th) round. One minor candidate (Ron Peden) had in excess of 50 #1 votes in the Recount which added an additional transfer round.

City Council (in order of election): Leland Cheung, David Maher, Denise Simmons, Tim Toomey, Dennis Benzan, Marc McGovern, Craig Kelley, Dennis Carlone, Nadeem Mazen. [Detailed Report (original computer tally)]
Incumbents defeated: Ken Reeves, Minka vanBeuzekom

School Committee (in order of election): Patty Nolan, Fred Fantini, Richard Harding, Kathleen Kelly, Fran Cronin, and Mervan Osborne. [Detailed Report]
Incumbents defeated: None

Final 2013 City Council Election Results - Original and Recount (PDF)

Final 2013 School Committee Election Results (PDF)

City Council #1 Vote Distribution by Ward/Precinct
Original, Recount, and Differences
(PDF)

School Committee #1 Vote Distribution by Ward/Precinct (PDF)

City Council Candidates - #2 Vote Distribution (PDF)

School Committee Candidates - #2 Vote Distribution (PDF)


Unofficial 2013 Cambridge Election Results (Nov 6, 2013)

The gap narrowed to just 20 votes separating the 7th through 10th place candidates (Kelley, Carlone, Mazen, vanBeuzekom) with only 6 votes separating the 9th place candidate (Nadeem Mazen) and the 10th place candidate (Minka vanBeuzekom) in the decisive 16th Count. There will be one last official count on Fri, Nov 15 that will include any overseas absentee ballots and provisional ballots. In some recent elections, due to the method of surplus distribution, the addition of just a few extra ballots has caused swings of 20 or more votes in the tabulation.

City Council (in order of election): Leland Cheung, David Maher, Denise Simmons, Tim Toomey, Dennis Benzan, Marc McGovern, Craig Kelley, Dennis Carlone, Nadeem Mazen. [Detailed Report]
Incumbents defeated: Ken Reeves, Minka vanBeuzekom

School Committee (in order of election): Patty Nolan, Fred Fantini, Richard Harding, Kathleen Kelly, Fran Cronin, and Mervan Osborne. [Detailed Report]
Incumbents defeated: None

Unofficial Election Results - City Council and School Committee (PDF)

 

Cambridge Candidate Pages - 2013


2013 City Council Campaign Receipts

Campaign Finance – 2013 Cambridge City Council candidates


Cambridge School Committee 2013 Campaign Finance Summaries


Preliminary 2013 Cambridge Election Results (Nov 5, 2013)

City Council (in order of election): Leland Cheung, David Maher, Dennis Benzan, Tim Toomey, Denise Simmons, Marc McGovern, Craig Kelley, Dennis Carlone, Nadeem Mazen. [Detailed Report]
Incumbents defeated: Ken Reeves, Minka vanBeuzekom

School Committee (in order of election): Patty Nolan, Fred Fantini, Richard Harding, Kathleen Kelly, Fran Cronin, and Mervan Osborne. [Detailed Report]
Incumbents defeated: None

The preliminary City Council election quota was 1713 with 17,128 valid ballots counted. Only Leland Cheung exceeded quota with a surplus of 604 ballots.

The preliminary School Committee election quota was 2292 with 16,040 valid ballots counted. Three candidates reached quota on the 1st Count: Patty Nolan with a huge surplus of 1502 ballots, Fred Fantini with a surplus of 493 ballots, and Richard Harding with 3 surplus ballots.

There are an additional 710 additional City Council ballots that will be inspected and included on Wednesday. Many of these may be blank ballots, but most will likely contain valid choices. In the City Council race, in the deciding round the vote totals for the 7th through 10th place candidates were: Kelley 1517, Carlone 1510, Mazen 1481, and vanBeuzekom 1466. That’s only a 15 vote margin between 9th and 10th place, so it’s possible that the unofficial results on Wednesday could change.

In the School Committee race, there are an additional 1,673 ballots to be inspected and counted on Wednesday. Most of these will likely be blank ballots without valid choices. However, even if there is a substantial number of valid ballots yet to be counted, the margins between candidates are such that it’s essentially impossible for the results to change.


Oct 30 - The “Random Draw of Precincts” took place recently at the Cambridge Election Commission. This determines the order in which ballots from precincts throughout the city are counted in the election. Though this has a relatively minor effect on the tabulation of the ballots (because of the “Cincinnati Method” used to transfer surplus ballots), it can potentially make a difference in a very close election. Here’s the ordering determined by lottery (read down the columns):

4-3
2-3
5-2
11-3
5-1
9-1
1-2
9-3
4-1
1-3
9-2
8-3
2-2
2-1
7-1
5-3
8-1
3-2A
3-3
11-2
10-2
10-1
1-1
4-2
7-3
3-2
11-1
3-1
6-3
6-2
7-2
8-2
10-3
6-1

Official candidate list for 2013 Municipal Election (PDF)

Polling Locations for the 2013 Cambridge Municipal Election

2013 Campaign Event Listings and Candidate Forums

2011 Municipal Election

Election Results (updated Nov 18, 2011): The winners for City Council were (in order of election): Leland Cheung, Tim Toomey, David Maher, Henrietta Davis, Denise Simmons, Craig Kelley, Marjorie Decker, Minka vanBeuzekom, and Kenneth Reeves.

For School Committee, the winners were (in order of election):Fred Fantini, Patty Nolan, Alice Turkel, Mervan Osborne, Richard Harding, and Marc McGovern.

Complete City Council and School Committee Official Final Results and Extras
(PDF includes Counts with transfers, Ward/Precinct #1 votes, #2 vote distribution for all candidates, and number of rankings)

Spreadsheets of City Council and School Committee Official Final Results and Extras
(Excel file includes Counts with transfers, Ward/Precinct #1 votes, #2 vote distribution for all candidates, and number of rankings)

Round-by-Round Official Final City Council Results (HTML)

Round-by-Round Official Final School Committee Results (HTML)

Official Final City Council #1 Vote Distribution by Ward/Precinct (PDF)

Official Final School Committee #1 Vote Distribution by Ward/Precinct (PDF)


2011 Candidate Pages
Photos and profiles of all the Cambridge candidates

Instant Runoff simulations for choosing a Mayor: 1997 to 2011


Election Day was Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Calendar of Cambridge Candidate Forums and Events – 2011

2011 Official Municipal Election Calendar

2011 Cambridge Candidates, Office Sought,
Nomination signatures filed and certified


2011 City Council and School Committee Candidates
Campaign Finance Reports - updated frequently

(includes reports for 2009-2010)


Oct 26, 2011 - The “Random Draw of Precincts” took place today (Oct 26) at the Cambridge Election Commission. This determines the order in which ballots from precincts throughout the city are counted in the election. Though this has a relatively minor effect on the tabulation of the ballots (because of the “Cincinnati Method” used to transfer surplus ballots), it can potentially make a difference in a very close election. Here’s the ordering determined by lottery (read down the columns):

8-3
1-1
8-2
10-3
6-2
11-2
7-1
9-1
11-3
1-2
7-2
7-3
9-2
3-3
10-2
4-2
3-1
8-1
5-3
6-1
2-1
9-3
1-3
10-1
3-2
4-3
2-2
5-2
11-1
5-1
2-3
6-3
4-1
2009 Municipal Election

Nov 13, 2009 - The Final, Official Count of the Cambridge Municipal Election (including any provisional ballots and overseas absentee ballots) took place on Friday, Nov 13, 2009 at the offices of the Cambridge Election Commission (51 Inman St., 1st Floor Conference Room).
Elected to the City Council - Henrietta Davis, Denise Simmons, Tim Toomey, Craig Kelley, David Maher, Ken Reeves, Sam Seidel, Marjorie Decker, and Leland Cheung (in order of election).
Elected to the School Committee - Nancy Tauber, Richard Harding, Marc McGovern, Fred Fantini, Alice Turkel, and Patty Nolan (in order of election). [On Nov 18, 2009, Joseph Grassi filed a petition for a recount after being edged out by Patty Nolan by only 18 votes in the original election. In the recount, the margin increased to 19 votes.]


Voting by Proportional Representation (PDF derived from official City brochure)

Voting by Proportional Representation (HTML derived from official City brochure)

Voting by Proportional Representation (Flash version derived from official City brochure - click or grab corner to turn page)

Voting by Proportional Representation (rescaled Flash version derived from official City brochure - click or grab corner to turn page)

Supplemental notes on the Cambridge PR elections

An example - 2003 City Council election graphs round-by-round (PDF)


The “Random Draw of Precincts” took place at the Cambridge Election Commission on Oct 28, 2009. This determines the order in which ballots from precincts throughout the city are counted in the election. Though this has a relatively minor effect on the tabulation of the ballots (because of the “Cincinnati Method” used to transfer surplus ballots), it can potentially make a difference in a very close election. Here’s the ordering determined by lottery (read down the columns):

5-2
2-3
2-2
6-1
1-1
3-3
9-1
5-3
10-1
10-3
8-1
2-1
11-3
6-3
8-3
10-2
3-1
7-1
1-2
8-2
7-2
11-1
4-1
4-2
6-2
5-1
9-3
1-3
3-2
11-2
4-3
7-3
9-2

Excel spreadsheets of Final 2009 Election Counts (revised Aug 20, 2011)
Tabs for City Council and School Committee election counts (including the School Committee recount), distribution of #1 votes by ward and precinct, #2 vote distributions for City Council, and #2 vote distributions for theSchool Committee (original count, not the recount)

Printable PDF of Final 2009 Election Counts (revised Aug 20, 2011)
Tabs for City Council and School Committee election counts (including the School Committee recount), distribution of #1 votes by ward and precinct, #2 vote distributions for City Council, and #2 vote distributions for theSchool Committee (original count, not the recount)

The Replacements - should a City Council or School Committee vacancy occur over the next two years)

Excel spreadsheets of 2009 Unofficial Final Election Counts (Nov 5, 2009) - including all auxiliary ballots but not late ballots)

Printable PDF of 2009 Unofficial Final Election Counts (Nov 5, 2009)

Excel spreadsheets of 2009 Preliminary Counts (Nov 3, 2009) - not including auxiliary ballots)

2009 Candidate Pages


Graphic Representations of the Election Counts (Nov 23, 2009)
(by Jeff O’Neill using OpenSTV:  City Council    School Committee


Campaign Finance Activity - City Council 2009

Campaign Finance Activity - School Committee 2009

Cambridge City Council and School Committee
2009 Campaign Finance Report Summaries
(PDF) - updated Nov 23, 2009

Campaign Finance Reports for Cambridge Municipal Election Candidates (2007 - March 2009) (PDF)

2007 Municipal Election

 2007 Final Official Election Results (Nov 16) - City Council and School Committee (PDF)

City Council #1 Vote Distribution by Ward/Precinct (PDF)

School Committee #1 Vote Distribution by Ward/Precinct (PDF)

 

Distribution of #2 votes behind each Cambridge City Council candidate - 2007 (PDF)

Distribution of #2 votes behind each Cambridge School Committee candidate - 2007 (PDF)

2007 Candidate Pages

2005 Municipal Election

Official Election Results - 2005 (PDF)

City Council #1 Vote Distribution by Ward/Precinct - 2005 (PDF)

School Committee #1 Vote Distribution by Ward/Precinct - 2005 (PDF)

#2 Vote Distribution:  2005 Council Election    2005 School Committee

2005 Cambridge Election Fun Facts

Instant Runoff Mayoral Election Simulation - 2005 (PDF)

2005 Replacements if vacancy arises:  City Council

2005 Cambridge Candidate Pages

Campaign Finance Reports: 2001-2005 (updated Dec 29, 2005)

2003 Municipal Election

Election 2003 (everything)

Campaign Finance Reports for 2001-2003

2002 State Election

Election 2002 (Cambridge results only)

Campaign Finance Reports for current and recent Cambridge elected officials and candidates (2001-2002)

2001 Municipal Election

Election 2001 - Election results, rankings, candidate lists, history, resources, and everything else you may (or may not) want to know about the 2001 Cambridge Municipal Election

 
1999 Municipal Election
The 1999 Ballots - Election results, rankings, candidate lists, history, resources, and everything else you may (or may not) want to know about the 1999 Cambridge Municipal Election

Campaign Finance Reports for Year 2000

Combined Receipts and Expenditures for 1999-2000

Campaign Finance Reports - 1999 (as reported Jan 2000)

1997 Municipal Election

From the 1997 ballot data..........

Distribution of City Council #2 Votes behind the #1 votes for each of the incumbent city councillors in the 1997 City Council election.

Distribution of #2 votes for the 1997 School Committee election 

 Cost of Running a Campaign in Cambridge - 1997  
(dollars per #1 Vote in 1997 election)

Additional Documents re: Cambridge Municipal Elections

The Advent of PR in Cambridge (David Goode)

The Mayors of Cambridge (1893 to present)

History of Close Elections in Cambridge (see Election 2001)

AN ACT ESTABLISHING A BOARD OF ELECTION COMMISSIONERS IN THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE (Mass. Acts of 1921, Chapter 239)

Cambridge PR Election Archive (amended Feb 19, 2023)
These are the complete transfer reports for all of Cambridge’s proportional representation elections. The results of the School Committee election of 1949 has been partially reconstructed from the Cambridge Chronicle account of Nov 24, 1949 which, unfortunately, had many errors. When known, additional information is highlighted, such as who was on the CCA slate or other slates. If you need further information or if there are any corrections or other information to report, contact me and I’ll amend the data. All results derived from printed archives of Glenn Koocher and Robert Winters and from available records from the Cambridge Election Commission. The data was entered by Robert Winters (so you’ll know who to blame if you find an error). - RW

Index of all Cambridge City Council and School Committee candidates: 1941 to 2021  (plain text) (PDF) - updated Dec 30, 2023
(use this to locate candidates, then use the appropriate links below)

Plan E Cambridge City Councils At A Glance (1941 to present)

Plan E Cambridge School Committees (and Mayors) At A Glance (1941 to present)

City Council Elections - 1941 to present
1941 City Council 1943 City Council 1945 City Council 
1945 Recount
1947 City Council 1949 City Council
(amended 7/3/03)
1951 City Council 1953 City Council 1955 City Council 1957 City Council 1959 City Council
1961 City Council
(w/Belin Vacancy Recount)
1963 City Council
(revised 9/27/2018)
1965 City Council
(revised 9/27/2018)
1967 City Council 1969 City Council 
1969 Recount
1971 City Council 
1971 Recount
1973 City Council 1975 City Council 1977 City Council 1979 City Council
1981 City Council 1983 City Council 1985 City Council 1987 City Council 1989 City Council
1991 City Council 1993 City Council 
1994 Walsh vacancy
1995 City Council 1997 City Council 1999 City Council
2001 City Council 2003 City Council 2005 City Council
(w/Sullivan Vacancy Recount)
2007 City Council
(w/Murphy Vacancy Recount)
2009 City Council
2011 City Council
(added 1/30/2013)
2013 City Council
(Original and Recount)
2015 City Council
(added 11/15/2015)
2017 City Council
(added 11/17/2017)
2019 City Council
(added 11/15/2019)
2021 City Council
(added 11/12/21)
2023 City Council
(added 12/30/23)
All City Council elections 1941-2023
(revised Dec 30, 2023)
School Committee Elections - 1941 to present
1941 School Committee 1943 School Committee 1945 School Committee 1947 School Committee
(amended 7/3/03)
1949 School Committee
(partially reconstructed,
with errors - added 7/3/03)
1951 School Committee 1953 School Committee 1955 School Committee 1957 School Committee 1959 School Committee
1961 School Committee
(original and recount)
1963 School Committee
(original and recount)
1965 School Committee
(and McMahon vacancy)
1967 School Committee 1969 School Committee
(amended 4/27/20)
1971 School Committee 1973 School Committee 1975 School Committee 1977 School Committee 1979 School Committee
1981 School Committee 1983 School Committee 1985 School Committee
Note: Joe Maynard was elected
but died before the inauguration.
Tim Toomey was elected in the
runoff. (amended 7/3/03)
1987 School Committee 1989 School Committee
(original and recount)
1991 School Committee 1993 School Committee 1995 School Committee 1997 School Committee 1999 School Committee
2001 School Committee
(original and recount)
2003 School Committee 
(amended 12/17/05)
2005 School Committee 2007 School Committee 2009 School Committee
(original and recount)
2011 School Committee 2013 School Committee 2015 School Committee
(added 11/15/15)
2017 School Committee
(added 11/17/17)
2019 School Committee
(original and Dexter Vacancy
Recount - modified 1/16/20)
2021 School Committee
(original and Akriti Vacancy
Recount - modified 12/3/22)
2023 School Committee
(added Dec 30, 2023)
All School Committee elections 1941-2023
(revised 12/30/23)

Return to the Cambridge Civic Journal