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Boston mayoral results mapped
By adamg on Thu, 11/09/2017 - 9:16am
MassInc used the Tuesday numbers to create a map of the results by precinct. The map shows the percentage by which each candidate won which precincts; hover over specific precincts to get the actual vote numbers (and turnout).
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Comments
Are We Moving Beyond Race In Boston Politics?
I love to watch voting patterns.
What this map shows is a divide between those who appreciate the work of Mayor Walsh, yes albeit with some faults out of the gate, and those who call themselves progressive who will not overlook reason in the face of false promises.
What this map shows me is that large numbers of precincts that are majority or even massively plurality minority voted for Walsh.
Now, granted the heaviest districts that are African American around Grove Hall, Roxbury Highlands, and Dudley went for Tito. It is also his neighborhood and former district. However, large chucks of Mattapan, Four Corners, Uphams Corner, and Hyde Park went for Walsh, while those who can't afford Cambridge in JP, who are mostly white, went for Tito.
Also, don't let all the pink on the map fool you, the parts of the map which have the largest land areas that are pink have mostly zoo animals, trees, and dead people on them.
What shocks me is the Walsh victories in the South End, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, and big parts of JP.
I wish we could contrast this map with the Mel King / Ray Flynn race of 1983 in which the vote was nearly color coded to match the racial lines of the city at the time.
Fair play to Tito. He knew he was going to get his clock cleaned. He was gracious in defeat and I hope he is positioned well when Steve Lynch's or another person's seat in Congress opens up.
Nope
You are probably correct that the '83 race would have been mostly color coded by the racial composition of the precincts. I would not attribute the change in this election to "moving beyond race" when your main evidence is that black voters are voting for a white candidate in preference to a black candidate. If white people voted for a black candidate in preference to a white candidate that might be better evidence.
See below
Note Ron Newman's post below about Allston. As usual, my neighborhood's turnout was absolutely pathetic, but it went for Tito.
What you are actually seeing
is 30+ years of breaking the spirit of the poor into not caring about voting. If there was 100% turnout there in no way in hell many of these districts would have gone to Walsh.
No
Way
In
Hell
citywide turnout was what, 28%? Gross.
Maybe if there was another name on the ballot
I mean, if people by and large truly hated Walsh, they could have just voted for the other name on the ballot, thereby denying Walsh a second term. However, that didn't happen, so we can just assume that by and large people are okay with Walsh being in charge.
I was one of those people who were critical of Menino. For 20 years. But I never deluded myself into thinking that people didn't like the job he was doing. So be prepared to have a similar spasm like this 4 years from now.
Tito race angle: too much black/white?
Tito did not win heavily Asian / Hispanic districts either.
Politics is "what can you do for me". The black/white story might play better in a larger race where it doesn't mean "who gets the money". It's better for progressives who can say I voted for Tito because I want racism to end in a statement of my cosmic identity... as long as it doesn't affect my personal financial situation, my feeling of security around my house, my kids getting into Latin, etc.
Immigration may reduce the black story in America eventually to one more like that of Native Americans, a sort of embarrassing chapter of history with a few token efforts.
Moving Beyond Race?
It’s interesting that your comment opens by suggesting we might be progressing towards a time and place where race is not a factor... interesting, because towards the end you muse over looking how these areas would have voted very differently 34 years ago... 34 years and we still live separately!!! More specifically, Bostonians of color still live in the very same poorest sectors that they did when fans of Star Wars awaited the third installment of the franchise. Now they await the 9th... and our school system is just about as segregated as it was in 1954. So, yeah... it’s fairly clear we are not moving past race... instead, this election was evidence that Boston politics has battered half of its citizens into a state of hopelessness as far as politics is concerned.
Time goes forward, time stands still
This map showing redlining in the 60's is a pretty good match with the voting pattern though, you gotta admit:
https://twitter.com/welcometodot/status/928825351425396736
Not really
First of all, there needs to be a better overlay to see what point is being made.
Secondly, a statistical test would be better - the scales do not match up well.
Sorry, but as a professional GIS person I'm not "seeing" what these people are trying to say that they are "seeing".
Allston
When I went to the Allston Village Street Fair on September 24, I saw Tito signs and buttons everywhere, with barely a Walsh supporter to be found. This map bears that out. The few blocks surrounding that event supported Tito, unlike any of the surrounding area.
But look at the turnout
Hardly anyone voted there. Those precincts are among the lowest vote totals in the city. And, like house signs, buttons don't vote.
Waiting patiently for
Waiting patiently for District 2 :)
Here you go
Not as exciting as a map, but data nonetheless
https://www.boston.gov/sites/default/files/2017_-_11-07-17_-_municipal_e...
Turnout
I'd be interested in the same data coded by % voter turnout.
Found it:
https://massincdata.carto.com/builder/e480a9be-c8dd-4a50-9869-4675f889ea...
A great job putting this
A great job putting this together - Thank you Massinc!
Next time, I'd be interested in seeing the actual numbers of people who voted "other" or left a blank line for this race.
I looked at the numbers and percentages for my ward/precinct and was able to work out that out of those who cast votes for Mayor, exactly one person cast a vote for someone other than Walsh or Jackson. No way to tell from this information how many left a blank line for this (presumably concentrating on races further down the ballot)
CGP Grey Politics in the Animal Kingdom Single Transferable Vote
CGP Grey
Politics in the Animal Kingdom: Single Transferable Vote
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8XOZJkozfI
Yes!
double thumbs up :)