Your Guide to Maybe Voting on Election Day

I Voted Photo by Denise Cross via Flickr/Creative Commons

Worst. Election. Ever.

If you’re like most Bostonians, you probably have no idea there’s an election Tuesday, but that’s OK, we’re here to help guide you through the least exciting municipal campaign in recent memory.

Most important: Find out where to vote here.

District Council Races

Most of these races are nowhere near the definition of competitive, but let’s take a look anyway.

District 3
Primarily Dorchester along with pieces of Mattapan, Roxbury, South Boston, and the South End.

Incumbent: City Councilor Frank Baker
Challenger: Donnie Palmer

Baker, 48, is looking to cruise to his third straight term in this district after being elected in 2011. Baker is highly favored in the district over Palmer, 31, a boxer and veteran. Palmer’s latest campaign finance filing indicated he had just $15 in his campaign account compared to Baker’s $67,746.90.

District 4
Mattapan and Dorchester along with pieces of Jamaica Plain and Roslindale.

Incumbent: City Councilor Charles C. Yancey
Challenger: Andrea Campbell

This is one of the two races political observers are actually excited about. Campbell took the Boston political world by storm by raising almost three times Yancey’s haul this election and working endlessly to build her profile District 4. Yancey, first elected in 1983, has been shellshocked by Campbell’s rise and struggled to catch up with her since finishing second in the September preliminary. Campbell, a former Deval Patrick staffer with degrees from Princeton and UCLA, has run campaigning on providing constituent services and bringing new blood to the council. Yancey has pushed back against Campbell, alleging she’s a recent arrival with weak roots in the district.

On election night, Yancey is hosting a party at the Unity Sports & Cultural Club on 10 Dunbar Street in Dorchester. Campbell is hosting her election night party at the Blarney Stone on 1505 Dorchester Ave.

District 5 
Hyde Park, Mattapan, and Roslindale.

Incumbent: Tim McCarthy
Challenger: Jean Claude-Sanon

This is a rematch of the 2013 race between McCarthy and Claude-Sanon that ended with the current incumbent winning 54-44. In an interview with the Boston Globe, McCarthy said he was most proud of passing a paid parental leave program for city workers. The Mattapan-based Claude-Sanon is running because he believes McCarthy has not done enough for his part of the district.

District 7 
Roxbury with pieces of the South End, Dorchester, and the Fenway.

Incumbent: Tito Jackson
Challenger: Charles Clemons

Jackson, an incumbent since 2011, is facing a weak challenge from Clemons, a former police officer and local entrepreneur. Clemons emerged to challenge Jackson after prevailing in a very crowded field. Jackson gained statewide prominence this summer when he challenged Olympic boosters with a possible subpoena over the Boston 2024 bid book.

At Large
Citywide

Incumbents: Ayanna Pressley, Michelle Wu, Michael Flaherty, Steve Murphy
Challenger: Annissa Essaibi-George

Five people are competing for four at-large seats, so who’s the odd one out? Most political prognosticators in the city have made this out to be a race between Essaibi-George and Murphy. Pressley, Wu, and Flaherty have strong bases of support that turn out consistently in every election while Murphy’s numbers have been lower each election for years.

With low turnout, this could be a squeaker on Election Day.