The results are in! Last week on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2015, every history class in Malden High School was asked to participate in a mock election. The ballot, identical to tomorrow's, consisted of the election of a Mayor, three Councillors-At-Large, and three non-binding questions.
The City of Malden will vote tomorrow on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015 using the same ballot. If you are at least eighteen years old and registered to vote, you can partake in tomorrow’s election, and your vote will legitimately count.
Mayor Gary Christenson is up for reelection for the next four years. David D’Arcangelo, Debbie DeMaria, and Craig Spadafora, all current Councillors-At-Large, are up for reelection along with Adam Weldai, who is a current member of the School Committee, and up for election for the first time.
There are also three questions regarding a one year moratorium to redetermine Malden’s density and population, buying the old Malden Hospital and turning it into a historic park, and the Community Preservation Act that would fund sites all over the city, but implement a one percent annual property tax increase.
MHS’s Advanced Placement Government and Politics classes helped count the votes with City Clerk Karen Anderson. Just under 1,200 students voted. Mayor Gary Christenson won reelection with 1,003 votes. There were 140 blanks, and fourteen write-ins.
The results for the three Councillors-At-Large were too close to determine definite winners. D’Arcangelo received 565 votes, DeMaria 558, Spadafora 571, and Weldai 606. Technically, D’Arcangelo, Spadafora, and Weldai won the Councillor-At-Large positions, but realistically there would be at least one recount, possibly even two.
Question one that would create one year moratorium and pause the construction of new apartment buildings passed by 681 votes. There were 349 opposing votes, and 140 blanks.
Question two, which would allow Malden to purchase the Malden Hospital site from Hallmark Health and transform it into a historic park, passed by 626 votes. There were 451 opposing votes, and 112 blanks.
Finally, question three that would pass the Community Preservation Act, which would increase the annual property tax in the City of Malden by one percent, failed to pass by 550 votes. There were 506 opposing votes, and 122 blanks. This question’s results would most likely be recounted if this were an actual election.
These results will be used for the candidates’ reference, and in comparison to tomorrow’s results.
